Titans Plant the Marian Garden

By: Izabela Pitula

On Tuesday, May 19th, a few members of HT’s Social Justice Club paid a visit to the Legionaries of Christ house to plant beautiful flowers, bushes and small trees around the statue of Mary.

Marching for Life

By: Izabela Pitula 

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Each year at the National March For Life, thousands of people gather on Parliament Hill in Ottawa to demand protection for children before and after birth. On Thursday, May 14th, an estimated 23,000 pro-lifers gathered together to inform Canadians how morally wrong abortion is and how Canada is the only western nation with no protection over the unborn. 

Titans Walk With Jesus

By: Izabela Pitula

On Thursday, May 7th, 20 students represented Holy Trinity on an annual “Walk with Jesus” hosted by the Halton Catholic District School Board, as part of the celebration of Catholic Education Week.

Chatting with the Chaplain on Catholic Education Week

By: Molly Pearson


This week at Holy Trinity, along with all other Catholic schools across the province, we are celebrating Catholic Education Week. I had the chance to sit down with everyone's favourite school chaplain, Mrs. Harkin, in order to find out more about this special part of the school year. 
 
TTT: What is Catholic Education Week?

Thou Shall Not... Skip

By: Farida Morcos
Photo Credit: Maddi McNevitts

As I was leaving school Wednesday, I saw what I would call "the skippers" entering the gym one by one. A question popped into my mind; "Aren't you ashamed of skipping Mass?" Then, I realized I wasn't any less guilty. Let me explain- I would be telling a huge lie if I said that I have always wanted to attend Mass. A lot of times I was too lazy, too bored...

Titans Celebrate Life

By: Izabela Pitula

On Thursday, April 23rd, the Titans for Life club at Holy Trinity hosted a “Culture of Life” Mass as well as a baby shower for teenage moms from Shifra Home. We were honored to have Father Kuzma as our guest speaker and have him to celebrate the Holy Eucharist with us.

Computer Workshop for Local Ladies

By: Rebecca Vukojevic

Guest Speakers Share Inspiring Message with Trinity Students

By: Christian DaSilva & Izabela Pitula
Photo Credit: M. Keats (from Monday's presentation)  

On Monday, April 13th, the Grade Nines and Tens had a guest speaker come in and speak a bit about what our purpose in life is and a bit about his life before he became a public speaker and followed God. 

Kenneth Yasinki started out in northern Saskatchewan as part of big family, and every night before they went to bed they would say a prayer. Usually Kenneth would think of it as just another prayer, but one night, he decided to close his eyes, focus on God, and say the prayer with some real meaning and when he did this, he felt like he was surrounded by a cloud of forgiveness. Kenneth was shocked when this happened but forgot about it until a while after his life took a turn for the worst. There was one time, at the worst point in his life, while Kenneth was leaning over the edge of a bridge about to jump off, but then he realized that doing this would upset his family. It just wasn't worth it, so he decided not to and that was the best decision he’d ever made. Kenneth then decided to go back to school and learn some more, and this made him extremely happy and he kept praying like he did that one time with his family. One time, when Kenneth was praying after a good day, he felt God talk to him and tell him that this was his purpose in life: to be happy. 

Kenneth then decided to go around to different schools and social events telling everyone his story and that happiness is the purpose of our lives. The influence he had at HT was astounding and his experiences made for an excellent presentation.

Last week, on Friday, April 10th, Holy Trinity was visited by another inspiring guest who spoke to Grade Eleven and Twelve students about mental, physical and spiritual health and God’s importance to it all. His name is Domenic Inneo.

Mr. Inneo began the presentation with a few questions to get the crowd going. After that, he explained the learning goals he hoped that the students would achieve during the presentation. He told his personal story and why he’s doing the things he is today. At the beginning, Domenic engaged the students in a little discussion about health in the aspect of mentality, physicality, and spirituality. He talked about his childhood and the things that he enjoys doing to live life to the fullest. Inneo also talked about how sports played a key role in his life until the worst imaginable thing happened to him. Domenic had back problems for a long time, but one day, they changed his life forever. He was told by the doctors that his disc fell out and that his backbones were shattered. Later that day, he was told by specialists that he would never walk again and may require a serious therapy. He was crushed just like his back - he was shattered into million pieces. With a little faith and patience, miracles do happen. After a long grieving process of knowing that he would never be able to play sports again, Domenic saw a light at the end of the tunnel. He’s been praying every day since the accident in order to go back to a full strength. One day, Domenic stood up and met up with a doctor who showed him his X-Ray results. They came back perfect, because his backbones were back to normal. Domenic said that he couldn’t believe it, but as soon as he saw the small cross necklace on the X-Ray, he knew it was his result. Domenic Inneo said that when he heard the most joyful news in his life, he couldn’t help but pray and thank God for all he has done to help him out.

Mr. Yasinski and Mr. Inneo shared a similar message.

The moral of Mr. Inneo’s story is that God is always there beside us even if it doesn’t seem like it. He always listens to our cries. God always has something for you, a key to every problem, a light for every shadow, a relief for every sorrow and a plan for every tomorrow.

The guest speaker concluded his presentation with introducing his newest app that lets young people know that they are not alone with whatever they’re dealing with. The app called the “getIntact” helps people to experience continual growth and success as well as it helps us to find ourselves in this crazy world.

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Easter Traditions

By: Izabela Pitula

Many people think that Easter is all about the Easter egg hunts, the Easter bunny, chocolate candy and toys, but for Christians, Easter is also about how Jesus died for our sins on the cross and then came back to life on the third day. He sacrificed his own life for the sake of ours.

"God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life" (John 3:16).

Every country around the world has different traditions when it comes to Easter. Right from north to south and east to west, we can find a tinge of local flavor in Easter celebrations in various countries across the world.

St. Patrick's Day: Why We Celebrate?

By: Darryl Young
Photo Credit: D'Arcy Murphy

St. Patrick’s Day, the one day everybody is Irish. It is full of celebrations with family and friends involving drinking and classic pub foods. But why do we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?

School Mass Helps Students Reflect on Lent

By: Taryn Bratz
Photo Credit: Maddi McNevitts

This past Thursday, Holy Trinity was spiritually blessed to have Father Jason Kuntz from St. Michael’s parish to celebrate Mass and give the Holy Trinity community a devotional homily about taking the time to care about others. This message is a simple one. However, in our busy lives we tend to get caught up in everyday life, which unfortunately drives us to be selfish and live in a “dog eat dog world”. Lent is the perfect time to reflect back on past wrongdoings and look forward to how we can overcome these certain challenges in our lives. A simple way we show that we care about other people is just by saying thank you. I know- easy! In this day and age, we get so overwhelmed with things; we completely forget the things that God has given us. Even if you're not religious- maybe you're agnostic or practising another religion- a simple thank you to God or the universe, or YHWH or Brahma, or Buddha, the Creator, or even Allah. It can make the utmost difference in your life.

For example, we take for granted the fact that we have water. Simple H20. There are people in the world that do not have clean sanitized drinking water. They walk miles for just a pitcher of bacteria infested water. We don't even half to walk very far. At most all we have to walk is ten steps and we are at a sink. So let’s just say "thanks" to whomever you believe in for clean water. School is another great example. It’s now March Break, and how many of us are ecstatic to have a whole week off? Just take a moment to think that there are kids who don't even get a chance in their life to go to school. And yet we complain. We have heating in the winter, air conditioning in the spring, plumbing, a couple tests, and a maximum of four exams at the end of the semester, and then we have two months of summer vacation and a whole bunch of other holidays off! There are kids that want to go to school. They want an education because they know that if they don't they can't be successful. In this society that we live in today, we are so privileged for everything and most of the time we don’t acknowledge it.

Another way that we can help and show that we care for others is making a donation to the St. Vincent de Paul Society, whether it’s some spare change or some clothes that you know you will never ever wear again. Donations were also collected at the school’s Lenten Mass for Mom2Mom Africa. Classes were asked to raise money and purchase a children’s backpack that would then be shipped to Africa for underprivileged children to use. Lent is a time for reflection, but it is also a time  to take action, and to be grateful for those and the things around you. You don’t have to be religious to be grateful, just acknowledge your surroundings. Just say thank you.

Once again, let’s just say thank you to our government for giving us an education that will be beneficial in our lives, no matter where they may take us. Lastly, let’s be thankful for everything that we have ever taken for granted. A clean bed, food on the table, a pantry full of snacks, electricity, hot water, television, and the most important of all- our parents for giving us this life that we live. To reiterate Father Jason’s message, we should take the miniscule amount of time that it takes to show that we care about others and not just ourselves. Maybe hold a door open for someone, say hi to someone in the halls, or just be there for someone if they're in need of your help. By doing this simple act you could impact not just the person whom you're thanking’s life, but someone else’s around you as well.

Ash Wednesday Lenten Reflection

By: D’Arcy Murphy
Photo Credit: Maddi McNevitts

This past Wednesday, the staff and students of Holy Trinity gathered in the school theatre to commemorate Ash Wednesday. This day of fasting and abstinence observed by Catholics marks the beginning of Lent, and those who participate mark themselves with ashes.

All four grades assembled separately in the theatre during periods one and two. The liturgies were led by Mrs. Harkin, the school chaplain. Students proclaimed the readings and reflections, and after distributed the ashes. Mr. Harkin’s period two repertoire class provided a beautiful musical element to the services.

Following the liturgy, presentations from Mrs. Harkin and Mr. Christie explained HT’s charity campaigns for this Lenten season. For the St. Vincent de Paul Society, period two classes will be given an envelope to fill with donations to go towards the Easter meals of underprivileged families in Oakville. Many of these families in need have been affected by cancer, multiple-sclerosis, and sudden unemployment. For Mom2Mom Africa, classes were also asked to raise funds and purchase a backpack for a child in Africa. Small, child-sized knapsacks (along with a toonie stuffed into one of the pouches to pay for shipping costs) would be greatly appreciated.

Many people are confused by the traditions of Ash Wednesday. The day following Pancake Tuesday (when all of the sweet and rich foods are consumed and cleared from the house) is the start of Lent, the forty day period before Easter. Lent is a time for prayer, charitable giving, and fasting. Typically individuals pledge to give up something (such as chocolate or social media) or promise to increase a positive action (such as prayer or donating money) during the forty days and beyond. The ashes worn on the forehead in the sign of the cross are a visual aspect that direct us to God and remind us of our need for Him.

If you’re still looking for a creative Lenten promise, look below for some ideas. By the way, you don’t have to be Catholic to make the most of Lent as a time to help others!

1. Pledge to do a random act of kindness each day (ie. hold a door open for someone, etc.)
2. In solidarity with the homeless, sleep on the floor instead of on your bed or give up your pillow.
3. Give your parents a break and cook dinner.
4. Donate your time to a charity (ie. Saint Vincent de Paul, Oakville Fairshare Foodbank, etc.)
5. Take only cold showers.
6. Don’t wear makeup.
7. Read instead of watching TV.
8. Go to the sacrament of reconciliation.