Feast Day was held last week at St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School to honour the saint, the first Canadian woman to be canonized, whom the institution is named after.
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys was a French missionary who came to Ville Marie (Old Montreal) in 1653. She strongly believed in Christian education where the school and family participated in their child's education. St. Marguerite Bourgeoys also believed that girls and boys should have equal educational opportunities. On Oct. 31, 1982, Pope John Paul II proclaimed St. Marguerite Bourgeoys a saint.
Feast Day is held every year at the school on Jan. 12, the day St. Marguerite Bourgeoys passed away in 1700 at the age of 79.
On Jan. 12, Sister Marie Clarkin, the school's chaplain who has worked with students teaching religion and coordinating faith studies for the past 11 years, performed the homily for both elementary and middle school masses.
"This Feast Day is very important to Sister Marie as St. Marguerite was a teacher and she has felt a calling to serve as she did for a very long time now," said Adam Sia, the school's vice-principal, noting Sister Clarkin arrived in Innisfail from Prince Edward Island in 2004, just a few months after the Catholic school first opened in town in 2003. "Sister Marie feels that her calling was not to just teach religion to students but also help with the faith journey of staff and parents as well."
Sia pointed out that Sister Marie is not only active in the school, she is also dedicated to service with Innisfail's Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church.
