There is something beautiful about the communion of multiple generations in a room. It holds even more significance and beauty when that gathering is the celebration of a new school year. That was the occasion on Friday morning, September 5, as Mount Saint Agnes Academy (MSA) students in Grades Kindergarten to Five, along with their grandparents, participated in a Mass to begin the school year and bless their grandparents.

The Welcome Back Mass, held at St Theresa’s Cathedral, was presided over by Fathers Paul Voisin, Joseph Morley and Julio Blazejewski. It is an ongoing tradition at MSA. In recent years, the Mass has served as a celebration of grandparents, who officially celebrate Grandparents’ Day the first Sunday after Labour Day.

The purpose of Grandparents’ Day is threefold: to honour grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children’s children and to help children become aware of the strength, information and guidance older people can offer.

In the spirit of these three goals, there was a reception for grandparents following the Mass, after which they were invited to join their grandchildren for lunch and to spend the afternoon in class with them.