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St. Michael’s Choir School October, 2015 Newsletter

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CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS October, 2015

THE FEAST OF ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGLE SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

This year, due to the renovations, our opening day school mass took place in the gymnasium. We welcomed Father Luis Calleja, new to the parish commu-nity, as he celebrated mass. The end of September saw a school-wide student led event to celebrate the Feast of St. Michael. It was wonderful to see the spirit and the leadership among the boys. It was a pleasure to see so many families at Curriculum Night and at the first Parent Council meeting. Our Parent Council meetings provide an opportuni-ty for all of the partners who make up the school community to come together and have in-put into the direction of the school. This helps us to focus our en-

ergies in support of the particular mission of the school, “the formation of Catholic men through the service of sacred music and the pursuit of knowledge.” September saw a smooth start to the school year with students becoming quickly engaged, jumping right into singing, studying as well as engaging in various extra-curricular activities such as debating, volleyball, cross-country, ultimate, tennis, and football. In addition to studies and various extra-curricular activities, our students have begun another season of wonderful music for weekend masses. Displaced temporarily from our home in the Cathedral, the boys (and their families) have made a smooth transition to singing in St Paul’s Basilica. Our choristers are also busy preparing for the annual Founders Day Concert which will take place on Friday, October 16th in St Paul’s Basilica. We look forward to gathering as a community to celebrate the occasion and hope to see all of you then.

Thanksgiving weekend is soon upon us. As a community, we are grateful for how our school continues to be richly blessed and to give humble thanks to God for all that we have. May this be a time of blessing and peace for all of you and your families.

Sincerely yours

Mr. B. White Principal

.


SMCS NEWSLETTER PAGE 2



I want to start off this month’s message with condolences to our alumni, and to the Ross and Burgess families. We lost two Choir School icons in recent days: Walter Ross, a former stalwart of the Cathedral choir who for many years sang with the choirs at Masses and concerts, and Michael Burgess, beloved Canadian tenor and star of stage and screen, best known for his portrayal of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. I know that we are all keeping their families in our prayers, and I encourage you to read the tributes to Walter and Michael in this newsletter – their lives were fascinating and both were first-rate examples of excellence in musicianship and being men for others. This semester, we welcome our second German exchange student to the Choir School.

Simon Luettmer comes to us from Cologne Cathedral Choir School, and is being hosted by the Clifford fam-ily until the end of January. Thomas Clifford will go with Simon when he returns to Germany, and will study in Cologne until the end of the school year. By popular demand, our exchange program has grown this year, and Andrew Buzdon is currently attending the Regensberger Domspatzen School. Andrew is be-ing hosted in Regensberg by the Kunze family, and when he returns to us at the end of January, he will bring Benjamin Kunze with him. I’m sure you’ll be excited to know that Eberhard Metternich, the conductor of the Cologne Cathedral Boys’ Choir will be visiting us this month, in support of the exchange program, and we look forward to having him as a special guest at the Founder’s Day concert on October 16th. The Founder’s Day concert will be held at St. Paul’s, and will start at 7:00 pm. The next day, the Grade 12s will join with our alumni at the 6:00 pm Mass in celebration of the alumni homecoming. All alumni are invited to join the choir for this Mass, and at a reception afterwards, details to follow. Thank you all for the warm welcome that you have shown to Ms. Maria Conkey, Dr. Charlene Pauls and Mr. Marc Michalak, who joined the Choir School’s musical team this year. We are so pleased to have three mu-sicians of such high calibre on staff here at the school. Many people have been asking about this year’s tour. I am happy to announce that this year we will be go-ing to Montreal and Ottawa, so I hope you’re all working hard in French class. We expect to be leaving on or around April 4th, and tour will be just over a week long. More details and a parents’ meeting will be an-nounced soon. We are already looking forward to our 2017 tour to Germany, which will give us the oppor-tunity to visit both Cologne and Regensberg. Finally, with cold weather making an appearance this week, I’m sure you don’t need to be reminded that Christmas will be here before we know it. This year’s Massey Hall concerts are on December 5th and 6th, and, in response to parent feedback, both will be 3:00 pm matinees. The week before Massey Hall, we will have our annual run-out concert. This year, we’ll be heading up to Whitby, where we’ll be hosted by the par-ish of St. John the Evangelist. They are really looking forward to our visit and will start selling tickets next week. If you wish to attend the concert, which is on Friday, November 27th at 7:00 pm, please call their parish office at 905-668-3676.

I wish you all an excellent month of October and a very happy Thanksgiving.

WALTER BARRY ROSS, 1923-2015



A St. Michael’s Choir School icon has died! On Friday, September 25, 2015, Walter Barry Ross died in Oakville in his ninety-third year. He was pre-deceased by his beloved wife, Peggy, and his brother Jack – another Cathedral Choir stalwart. For the last few years he had been living with his daughter Jane (he was father to four other children – Barry, Helen, Margaret Ann and Mary Louise) in Oakville before entering a total care facility. For most of his professional career he was a computer applications specialist for Canadian General Electric. As a young man, he worked in his parents’ store near Broadview and Queen in Toronto, and sang in the newly formed Sanctuary Choir at St. Michael’s Cathedral. Thus began an incredible career in sacred music and an attach-ment to Msgr. Ronan and St. Michael’s Choir School that continued to the very end of his life. I and my contemporaries first encountered Walter when he was in his mid-twenties, the quintes-sential basso profondo with the senior choir at the Cathedral. They had a very dedicated and tal-ented group of men that for years formed the men’s section of the choir. Walter stood out! His booming bass was a delight to the ear throughout his very wide range. Who can forget the mighty singing of Msgr. Ronan’s Requiem Gradual, or the mixed voice De Profundis of those years! Re-member too, the Proper Graduals (g minor) that featured the basses at the start. As noted in the 75th anniversary booklet, this group of men gave unstintingly of their time and talents at a very busy time of their lives, when they were bringing up children and supporting their families. When organist Harold Armstrong would call up Walter and ask, on as short notice as the evening before, if he could sing at a funeral, the answer was an immediate “Yes. Where? What time”. Msgr. Thomas Barrett Armstrong thought the world of Walter, who always made himself available where singers were needed at weddings or funerals, but wasn’t beyond snickering into his sleeve when he recalled Walter soloing at weddings: singing mightily with his booming basso, the words “lisping children’s humble prayer” – up on E-flat – from the extremely popular wedding choice of the day, On This Day, O Beautiful Mother. I mentioned his beloved Peggy at the outset. Once upon encountering Walter a few years after her death, I inquired as to his well-being, and he replied in his usual up-beat way, “Oh, everything’s fine – but I do so miss Peggy!” His family and community were of great importance to him. His children have informed me that he did extensive volunteer/charity work, including a longstanding membership with the Knights of Columbus and extensive work with Peggy at the Good Shepherd Refuge in Hamilton. His Choir School training prepared him to lead parish choirs in Montreal, Oakville, Peterborough, Toronto, and Rexdale. Walter will be remembered by those who knew him as a gifted musician, a delightful friend with his signature hearty chuckle, and the consummate man for others in the great Choir School tradi-tion. I shall end this unworthy tribute to Walter’s remarkable life with a slight variation to the text of something we all enjoyed him singing throughout the many years – Msgr. Ronan’s Requiem Gradual: Requiem aeternam dona EI Domine, et lux perpetua luceat EI. Peter Daly Read the full text of Mr. Daly’s tribute to Walter Ross at http://www.smcs.on.ca/smcsaanews/walter-barry-ross-a-tribute/

http://www.smcs.on.ca/smcsaanews/walter-barry-ross-a-tribute/

http://www.smcs.on.ca/smcsaanews/walter-barry-ross-a-tribute/

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We are deeply saddened by the passing of Michael Burgess. Michael was an outstanding individual whose talents and contributions to the country’s cultural landscape will endure despite the fact that he left us all too soon. Michael graduated from St. Michael’s Choir School in 1963, and as an alumnus was one of our great-est ambassadors. He gave generously of his time and talents, and was an enthusiastic supporter of St. Michael’s Choir School throughout his illustrious career. He will remain an inspiration to the many SMCS students who aspire to follow in his footsteps; and will be gravely missed by his St. Michael’s Choir School family. Michael’s funeral will be held on Monday, October 5th, 2015 at 12:00 noon at Blessed Sacrament Church. Visitation will be held on Sunday, October 4th from 2:00pm to 6:00pm at Humphrey Funer-al Home, located at 1403 Bayview Avenue, just south of Davisville Avenue. In addition, there will be visitation at Blessed Sacrament Church, prior to the mass on Monday morning, between the hours of 10:00am and 11:30am. On behalf of the St. Michael’s Choir School community we offer our heartfelt condolences to the Bur-gess family during their time of grief.



Feast of St. Michael September 30th saw the first S.M.C.S. full-house Day event. Students in grades 3-12 met with their houses in the morning, competed in a high-intensity dodge ball, feasted on a BBQ lunch courtesy of student council, and engaged in chal-lenges in the afternoon led by the staff. A huge thank you goes out to Sebastien Duckett, Ian Cheong, Jacob Brozyna, and all the other student council mem-bers who worked hard to make the day the success that it was.

Feast of St. Michael

CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS October 2015


Feast of St. Michael



Junior Choir celebrated the Feast of St. Michael by singing at St. Michael’s Hospital on Tuesday, September 29, 2015



September comes to an end, which means new routines have become familiar, the seasons are start-ing to change, we’re experiencing less day light, and our city’s green trees are turning red, yellow, and brown. As September comes to its end, we celebrate the Feast of St. Michael. Celebrating our Patron Michael on September 29th is a tradition that dates back to Rome in the early Church. It was-n’t until the Synod (meeting of Bishops) in Mainz, Germany in 813 that the Feast was extended throughout the Roman Catholic Church. However, long before the extension of the Feast to the Uni-versal Church, Christian soldiers marching into battle turned to Michael for strength, protection, forgiveness, and ultimately guidance into heaven should they meet their death on the battle front. The Bishops decided that it should not only be soldiers marching into battle, but all Christians who turn to Michael for protection. Although we don’t all fight in war (and we are blessed to be saved from such a reality), our battle against evil is very real. When we pray the prayer of St. Michael, we ask to be saved from spirits that seek the ruin of our souls. Evil is often a hidden danger, but a very real one. C.S. Lewis once said that just become you don’t believe in the Devil, doesn’t mean the Devil doesn’t believe in you. All Christians must be on guard. This does not mean we need to fear though, for God has given us a protector more powerful than any evil force. One has only to look to Michael for strength in order to be victorious. In Christ, Andrew Hume Chaplain

The Choir School started the new year with the celebration of Mass in Gym

SMCS Cross-Country Team 2015



Who doesn’t love an early morning run with friends! Our awesome cross-country team is made of over 50 runners from grades 3 through 10 and they never miss a beat! We meet every morning at 7:15 and we are greeted every morning by Martha and Mr. Agostini. Our volunteer parents are always there for us. They help us cross the streets safely; they take care of our belongings as we hang them up on our makeshift closet at Moss Park; they map our route, they record our successes; they escort us to washrooms, they encourage us on our 6th lap and they always listen to our runners. Special thanks to our parents: Ms. Cuen-ca, Mr. Gillespie, Mr. Hincapie, Mrs. Keenan, Ms. MacDonald, Ms. Okumura; Ms. Povolo. Our divisional meet will be at The Beach on Thursday, October 15th, 2015. Our intense training will most certainly gain satisfactory results. We invite you to follow us on [email protected] Here we will have the latest news! F. LoCurto A. Merocchi W. Thorne Coaches

mailto:[email protected]

SMCS CSPC October Newsletter On behalf of the Catholic School Parent Council (CSPC), a big “welcome” to the Choir School to our new parents

and families, and welcome back to those returning.

CSPC is looking forward to another great year of events and activities. It has been a very busy start to the school

year.

In August we had our first successful event of the year -- the Welcome Picnic for new students and parents was held

again at Centre Island on Sunday August 23rd. This year’s event was hosted by the current Grade 4 class along with

many other volunteers and helpers. This annual event goes a long way to help with first-day anxiety and helps to

connect parents with other families to assist in getting oriented in Choir School everyday life. Thank you to the

Families that assisted with the organization of this fantastic event.

In early September we held our Fall Uniform Exchange, one of our most successful yet. A big thank you to all the

parents and students that came out to assist. A special thank you to Gabriel Gilhula, Joseph Nyguen, Taras Rawl-

ison, Malcolm Rawlison, and Gianpaolo Povolo for assisting with the sale.

On September 21st, CSPC hosted a reception in the auditorium following Curriculum Night. Thank you to the fol-

lowing Students who stayed afterschool to assist with the set up of the reception: William Gatchalian, Gianpaolo

Povolo, and Isabella Povolo. Thank you to Mrs. Licht, Ms. Chua, Mr. Hollottt, and students Nicholas & Victor Mes-

quita who assisted with the clean up. It was a great evening, thank you to all that attended.

Our Lunch Program will begin on Friday October 2nd. Thank you to all the parent volunteers who have signed up to

help make our Lunch Program possible. A special thank you to our High School boys, who assist with delivering

supplies and lunch. With a broken elevator, lunch would not be possible without their assistance.

We are very excited about the upcoming Multi-Cultural Night that will be held on Friday November 6th. This is a

wonderful event that celebrates the diversity of St. Michael’s Choir School, allowing parents from all grades to

break bread together in an informal gathering. The potluck will be held on Friday, November 6th, 2015. Thank you

to Enza Fernandes, Rose Pitino and Angela Sforza who are coordinating this wonderful event. Please stay tuned for

more information. Thank you to Enza Fernandes, Rose Pitino and Angela Sforza who are coordinating this won-

derful event.

Now recruiting: Parent Class Captains

The Parent Council is looking for parents in every grade to act as a Class Captain. In this role, Class Captains would

act as a liaison between the Council and the parents. The Class Captains would assist with communication between

the class and Parent Council. If you are interested in this role, please contact us at [email protected].

This is also an open invitation to get involved. In addition to helping out, volunteering provides an opportunity to

connect with other parents and to begin life-long friendships. There are many opportunities to get involved such as

the lunch program, multicultural night, attending CSAC meetings and joining the discussion. If you are interested

in volunteering, please come by the academic office and fill out a volunteer form or drop us a line at

[email protected].

To close, stay tuned for more information about future events – the lunch program, fundraising, multicultural

night, and many other initiatives. We look forward to seeing you all at these events!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Danahy

Pina Povolo

CSAC Co-Chairs



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SMCS CSPC October Newsletter





SMCS Mothers Guild, Olympic Island School Picnic, 1946

Without parent volunteers, no school could function. Here at the Choir School, parents serve lunches, supervise on field trips, plan and host events, and so much more. This is a tradition that stretches back to the earliest days of the Choir School. Above is pictured the Mothers Guild from 1946, who were responsible for planning the annual school pic-nic at the Toronto Islands, as well as sewing surplices and blazers, and making sure there was someone to play Santa Claus at the annual Christmas party. Raymond Peringer (formerly Puhringer), Class of 1948, who gave us this picture, remem-bers that the picnics included great food, races (both sack and three-legged), baseball and, of course, singing. He especially remembers the boys who would go on to form the Four Lads, practicing their quartets. The mothers in this picture are Mrs. Puhringer (left, Raymond’s mother), Mrs. McGrath, Mrs. Jacobs, and an unknown mother – after almost 70 years, Raymond couldn’t remember her name! Thanks to Raymond Peringer for donating this photo and a variety of other items to the SMCS Archives.

PAN AM GAMES 2015—JULY 10, 2015 to JULY 26, 2015

This past summer, Matthew Lam, Ian

Cheong, and I had the pleasure of volunteering for the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. These games brought athletes from all over the Americas to compete in 51 sports from July 10-26. In addi-tion, the athletes were introduced to Toronto and our extremely diverse cultural landscape. On many occasions I had conversa-tions with athletes and they said that Toronto had hosted the best games they have ever participated in. The three of us had very different roles during the games as Ian volunteered at the Pan Am Games Family Hotel, Matthew volun-teered at CIBC Pan Am Park, and I spent my time volunteering in the CIBC Pan Am Athletes' Village.It was an extremely unique experience as I was able to interact with the thousands of athletes in their “home”. From Canada to Cuba to Argentina, all the ath-letes and staff were extremely kind and enthusiastic. Some nota-ble athletes that I had the chance of meeting were Andre De Grasse (Gold Medal Sprinter), Anthony Bennett (Canadian Men’s Basketball Team/NBA Player), Greivis Vasquez (Venezuela Men’s Basketball Team/Milwaukee Bucks), and Melissa Humana-Parades (Canadian Women’s Beach Volleyball. During the games I was a part of the Resident Services Crew and was responsible for the “fun” areas within the Village. These areas included the Fitness Center, Internet Lounge, Games Room, and Athlete’s

Lounge. I spent a majority of my time in the Athlete’s Lounge “jamming out” with athletes as there was an entire setup devoted to music and entertainment. Though the purpose for these athletes was to compete at the highest level, they were also here to have fun. I had a blast running these spaces and other events within the village and having the chance to interact with the athletes away from the games. Overall, the three of us had very unique and different experiences volunteering for the Pan

Am Games. From the Games Family Hotel to Pan Am Park to the Village, all of us now have memories to last a lifetime.

Regards, William Gatchalian St. Michael's Choir School



http://www.toronto2015.org/



Saturday, October 3, 2015 Registration for Confirmation at St. Paul’s after 6:00 PM Mass Sunday, October 4, 2015 Registration for Confirmation at St. Paul’s after 1:00 PM Mass Friday, October 9, 2015 Lunch Program Monday, October 12, 2015 Thanksgiving Day Wednesday, October 14, 2015 Lunch Program Friday, October 16, 2016 Fall Concert—7:00 PM St. Paul’s Saturday, October 17, 2015 Alumni & Grade 12 students singing at Homecoming Mass at 6:00 P.M. Monday, October 19, 2015 Swimming Program after school Friday, October 23, 2015 Lunch Program Mr. Collins Class to Black Creek Pioneer Village Monday, October 26, 2015 Swimming Program after school Wednesday, October 28, 2015 Mr. Collins class to Crawford Lake Friday, October 30, 2015 Lunch Program

October, 2015 CHOIR SCHOOL NEWS

DIRECTOR: MS. ANGELA GAUTHIER

SUPERINTENDENT:

Mr. J. Shanahan

(416) 222-8282 Ex. 5371

TRUSTEE 2014-2015

PARTNERS IN EDUCATION

WARDS 1. JOSEPH MARTINO 2. ANN ANDRACHUK 3. SAL PICCININNI 4. PATRIZIA BOTTONI 5. MARIA RIZZO 6. FRANK D’AMICO 7. MICHAEL DEL GRANDE—CHAIR

8. GARY TANUAN 9. JO-ANN DAVIS (416) 512-3409 10. BARBARA POPLAWSKI 11. ANGELA KENNEDY 12. NANCY CRAWFORD—VICE-CHAIR

STUDENT TRUSTEE

Allison Gagacad and Karina Dubrovskaya

TRUSTEE FOR ST MICHAEL’S CHOIR SCHOOL

[email protected] - www.jo-anndavis.ca


St. Michael’s Choir School Advisory Board

Rev. Ivan Camilleri, Chancellor of Spiritual Affairs

Mr. Jim Milway, Chancellor of Temporal Affairs

Mr. William Dunlop, Comptroller, Archdiocese of Toronto

Rev. Michael Busch, Rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral

Rev. Brian Clough, SMCS alumnus, , Judicial Vicar

Rev. Larry Leger, Chair Nominating Committee

Dr. Constance Price

Dr. Joseph Gasser, SMCS alumnus— Chair

Ms. Patricia Parisi, Chair Governance committee

Ms. Anne Bolger

Mr. Stephen Handrigan—Director

Mr. Barry White - Principal

Dr. Paul Gauvreau, Parent

Mrs. K. Lagroix - chair of finance

SMCS 2015-2016 CSPC REPRESENTATIVES

Jennifer Danahy - Co-Chair

Pina Povolo - Co-Chair

Angela Racco - Secretary

- Treasurer

ARCHDIOCESE OF TORONTO

Chancellor: Cardinal Thomas Collins

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.jo-anndavis.ca

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