Advent is the liturgical season that precedes and prepares for Christmas. It is a season of hope and of longing, of joyful expectation and of peaceful preparation.
We await your coming with joyful hearts and so we pray:
Come, Lord Jesus.
You come to bring us hope and courage:
May our hearts be open and receptive to receive the many blessings you wish to give us.
You come as a reflection of God's love:
May our actions of justice and care reflect this same love.
You come to show us ways of compassion and mercy:
May we reach out to all people in our society with that same spirit of compassion and mercy.
Christmas Outreach Campaign
Christmas is not as much about opening presents as opening our hearts. During Advent, the St. Mary community unites to help spread the joy of the season through our annual Christmas Outreach Campaign.
The Christmas Outreach Campaign supports families who are connected to St. Mary, as well as Holy Redeemer and St. Isaac Jogues parishes, and the Pickering community through school-wide fundraisers, food and gift donations.
It's that time of year again St. Mary! The Christmas Outreach Campaign starts Tuesday November 28 and ends on Friday December 15, 2023.
How you can donate
Donations are collected in homeroom classes during the Advent Season (Tuesday November 28th - Friday December 15th, 2023). Our goal for this year is to surpass $15, 000 worth of gift cards! We are collecting gift cards for grocery and retail (e.g., Loblaws/Metro/No Frills/Fresh Co/Independent, Walmart). The money collected from our school-wide fundraisers (e.g., non-uniform days, Bingo, bake sale) is donated to the Christmas Outreach fund.
You are also encouraged to donate in other ways! For example you can:
-
Participate in the 3 non-uniform days that are scheduled for Thursday November 20th (theme is Christmas sweater), Thursday December 7 (theme red and green accessories), and Thursday December 14 (theme pajamas/flannel). Each non-uniform day will cost $2 and all money collected will be converted into gift cards for families in need. Just bring $2 to your homeroom teacher on the non-uniform day. Please note that you don’t HAVE to wear the theme of the day but it definitely helps to get into the spirit of the season! You will be given a bracelet to wear for the rest of the day to show that you have paid for the non-uniform day.
-
Participate in Bingo: Bring money on Thursday December 1 (period 1), Wednesday December 6 (period 2) and Tuesday December 12 (period 4) and play Bingo. Each card can only be used once and you can purchase 1 card for a $0.40. If you spend $1 you can purchase 3 cards and share with your friends. You can purchase Bingo cards from your homeroom teacher on the day of Bingo. Prizes include gift cards to Tim Hortons, McDonalds and Amazon!
-
Community Bake Sale: Encourage members in your homeroom to bake Christmas deserts and bring in the deserts on Tuesday December 5. Retreat Leaders will sell them for you and the money that you make will go towards your homeroom family!
-
Purchase a speciality Christmas hot chocolate for you or a friend on Thursday December 14.
-
Domino's Pizza Fundraiser: Make it family pizza night on Tuesday December 5 and purchase a pizza form your local Domino’s on Bayly or Dixie and a portion of the money raised will go to the Christmas Outreach campaign!
-
You can also donate directly through the School Cash Online!
Contact Us
For more information, please contact our Chaplain: Ms. M. Bosetti (ext. 56028) and follow on Instagram Ms. Bosetti @chapatstmary and St. Mary Domestic Outreach @stmarydomestic
