Three
hundred students, teachers, parents, and alumni joined in a Mass of
Thanksgiving in honour of 90th birthday of Our Lady of Sorrows Elementary June
3.
“It’s a very proud moment for me to see the school thrive and the families that support it,” principal Pasquale Balletta told The B.C. Catholic.
The school stands out as a multicultural community that strongly supports and promotes outreach to migrants and Catholic education, Balletta said.
Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, which celebrated its 100th birthday three years ago, is run by Scalabrinian priests known for their ministries to immigrants, migrant farm workers, and refugees. Students at the parochial school are “always participating” in those initiatives with fundraisers, clothing drives, and other events.
“It’s a very giving community in that it does like to serve those less fortunate,” Balletta said, and many of its members are of European or South American descent.
Balletta observed that a large number of Our Lady of Sorrows graduates go on to become teachers, principals, or student aides in the Catholic system.
“The school seems to have a charism for promoting Catholic education. That’s something that’s very special,” said Balletta, principal since 2005.
“We have many families that have been here three generations or more.”
That loyal following gives Our Lady of Sorrows a strong sense of community. According to Balletta, that’s what the Sisters of Charity – Halifax were aiming to create when the school was established in 1926 and blessed in 1927.
“The early parishioners knew that without a school the parish would not be able to grow or sustain itself. So the community built the school to educate the children in their Catholic faith.”
The Sisters of Charity – Halifax taught 93 students in the school’s first year and celebrated the first graduation ceremony in 1935. The sisters taught at the school until 1970.
“For nearly a century your families have been able to provide the grace of a full Catholic education to your children,” said Archbishop Miller during his homily at the Mass of thanksgiving June 3.
“I join with you in thanking God for the good fruit which the school has produced, enriching the Catholic Church and our community.”
Our Lady of Sorrows is known not only for creating future Catholic teachers, but also many future priests and sisters, said Archbishop Miller.
“We have to strive for a sound moral foundation, to soak our young people in the love of Jesus Christ and his teaching,” he said.
After Mass, the large crowd of celebrators joined a reception to see photos and videos of the school’s history and performances by Our Lady of Sorrows graduates. School staff gave out 190 free rosaries and prayer cards, asking the community to pray for the school’s next 90 years.
