Our School Namesake:

St. Catherine of Siena (March 25, 1347 - April 29, 1380)

Our patron saint was born in Siena, Italy. She was the daughter of a dyer and the youngest child in a family of twenty-five children. At the age of six, she had a vision of Christ in glory, surrounded by His saints. From that time on she spent most of her life in prayer and meditation, over the opposition of her parents, who wanted her to be more like the average girls in her social class. Eventually they accepted her requests, and at the age of sixteen she joined the Third Order of St. Dominic, where she became a nurse, caring for patients with leprosy and advanced cancer who other nurses disliked to treat. Though always suffering in terrible physical pain, living for long intervals on practically no food, except for the Blessed Sacrament, she was ever radiantly happy and full of practical wisdom.

St Catherine began to acquire a reputation as a person of insight and sound judgment, and many persons from all walks of life sought her spiritual advice, both in person and by letter. She persuaded many priests who were living in luxury to give away their worldly goods and to live simply.

In her day, the popes did not live in Rome, but had been living for about seventy years at Avignon in France, where they were under the political powers of the King of France. In 1376 Catherine visited Avignon and told Pope Gregory XI that he had no business living away from Rome. The Pope heeded her advice and moved back to Rome.

St. Catherine is known (1) as a mystic, a contemplative who devoted herself to prayer, (2) as a humanitarian, a nurse who undertook to alleviate the suffering of the poor and the sick; (3) as an activist, a renewer of Church and society. She took a strong stand on the issues affecting society in her day, and never hesitated (in the old Quaker phrase) "to speak truth to power". She was also known as an advisor and counsellor, with a wide range of interests, who always made time for troubled and uncertain persons who told her their problems – large and trivial, religious and secular.

Religious Education

All of the Schools in the Edmonton Catholic School District use a Religious Education Program that is prescribed by our Alberta Bishops and provided through the National Office for Religious Education in Ottawa. The Program ranges from Kindergarten to Grade Twelve, and offers students with an overview of our Catholic faith as well as grade specific themes.

Parish 

St. Andrew

Parish email:

StAndrew.Edm@caedm.ca

Parish address:

12810 - 111 Avenue
Edmonton, AB, T5M 2N7
Canada
Phone: (780) 451 - 6601
Fax: (780) 454 – 8545

Celebrations

Dates of school events and celebrations can be found using the following school link: /8212/page/5089/calendar