To Light a Candle: A PVNC Catholic Advent Celebration

Image of Burning Candles for advent season

Nov. 30, 2020

To Light A Candle is an opportunity for us to come together during Advent to celebrate this beautiful season in which we prepare in anticipation of the nativity of Jesus at Christmas.

We take this opportunity to prepare ourselves as we acknowledge that this will be a different year in terms of our celebrations, traditions and connections with friends and family.

We hope this presentation by board chaplain and faith animator Fr. Paul Massel and mental health leads Mandy Hamu and Jennifer Angelo will guide the PVNC Catholic community through a conversation to prepare us for this important season.

Please join the link below on Dec. 2, 2020 at 7 p.m. or watch at your own convenience as the video link will remain up following the launch for the duration of the advent season.

In addition, we have provided some resources below, including our Guide for Christian Meditation and some community resources to support your family during this season. They will be referred to in the presentation and available for your reference.

To Light a Candle Supplemental Resources

We all know the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on those in our Ontario schools. And every day we see news about the pandemic that is hard to read and process. It is easy to see the challenges, to feel helpless.

But at the same time, we know the truly amazing things happening in Ontario schools each day. How, extraordinary staff take the difficult circumstances that form school right now, and still connect with and enrich not just the learning, but the life of each student. That is a story that deserves to be told.

Let’s focus on the positive

#ShareTheGood is a bilingual campaign that will share the good work already happening in schools and school boards across the province. The campaign, which has an emphasis on social media, will be the spark that, we hope, will ignite a widespread movement of positivity and optimism.

#ShareTheGood doesn’t ignore how hard teaching and learning is during the pandemic. That is a daily reality for staff and students in school boards across the province. Instead, we want to spotlight the stories, big and small, of greatness in that reality. To amplify the good work so it is seen, heard, shared. Not just specifically about mental health, about all of the efforts to support students.

This is a campaign based on a simple concept—to spotlight the great things already happening in Ontario school boards. As an individual, the best way to help is to help us see those moments, those stories worth telling. And to help amplify the great work of others across the province as we share their stories.