Religious Formation at the Academy
Our goal is sound academic formation in an ambience that teaches students to develop an informed conscience, to act responsibly and to embrace their sacramental liturgical life. Goodness, truth, and beauty, which reflect God Himself, are three qualities that the students are encouraged to practice in their daily routine. Emphasis on personal accountability in fulfilling one’s duties and obligations is an essential part of Guiding Light Academy’s effort to build the student’s character.
The Spiritual Guidance is under the full responsibility of the Heralds of the Gospel. A basic element in St John Bosco’s method of education is that during the formative years of a child there must be an emphasis on cultivating a sense of happiness and joy in whatever one is doing. This attitude is for both the young and those who counsel them. For more information about our religion studies please email Br. Justin Bonyun at justin.bonyun@lumenveritatis.ca or Br. Gustavo Kralj at gustavo.kralj@lumenveritatis.ca
Sacramental Life
Daily Mass: Each student at Guiding Light Academy begins each school day with daily mass. The children and teachers attend 8:30am Mass at St Joseph’s Parish in Streetsville, Mississauga. Guiding Light Academy believes that this routine provides our students with introspective reflection time and promotes mindfulness and an exceptional moral foundation.
Reception of Sacraments: Although it is the responsibility of the individual parents in co-operation with their parishes to prepare students to receive the Sacraments (Confession, Holy Communion, and Confirmation), the Academy will continue to provide instruction to supplement preparation for these Sacraments.
Prayer: Staff and students pray the Creed and Morning Offering to start the school day. The brothers from the Heralds of the Gospel read and explain the Gospel of the Day to the students. Other devotions such as the Rosar, Divine Mercy, and Stations of the Cross are prayed throughout the liturgical year. The students pray the Angelus at noon and each school day ends with the Our Lady of Good Remedy Novena and the Salve Regina. Each class also begins and ends with a short prayer.
Our spiritual guidance and formation takes its inspiration from Msgr. João Clá Dias, the founder of the Heralds of the Gospel. Msgr. João Clá Dias was born in São Paulo, Brazil. His parents, António Clá Dias and Annitta Scognamiglio Clá Dias, were immigrants from Europe, in whom the Catholic faith was still very vibrant. This lively faith manifested itself early in João. In school, he sought to organize a movement among his classmates to help young people practice a virtuous life. He joined the Marian Congregations, and at the invitation of a teacher, entered the Third Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Strict Observance, on May 23, 1956 in the city of São Paulo. This event deeply marked his life. He completed his secondary studies at Colégio Estadual Roosevelt and studied law at the prestigious Largo de São Francisco Faculty in São Paulo. During his post-secondary studies he shone as an active Catholic university leader, in the turbulent years preceding the Sorbonne revolution of May 1968. Msgr. João S. Clá Dias is an honourary canon of the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major, in Rome, and Protonotary Apostolic. He has degrees in Philosophy and Theology from the Italo-Brazilian University in São Paulo and a Humanities Doctorate from the Pontifical Catholic University Madre y Maestra, in the Dominican Republic. He is also Master of Canon Law at the Superior Pontifical Institute of Canon Law in Rio de Janeiro and has a Master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the Catholic University of Colombia. Most recently, he received his Doctorate in Canon Law from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas, more commonly known as the Angelicum, in Rome.