Latest news with #OurLadyofMountCarmel
CBC
26-05-2025
- CBC
Student cyclist airlifted to hospital after collision in Mississauga school parking lot
A Grade 9 student at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School was airlifted to hospital Monday morning after being struck by a driver in the school's parking lot, officials say. Bruce Campbell, spokesperson for the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, told CBC News that the student, 15, was riding his bike when he was hit by a car on school property. "We pray for our student and for a complete recovery from his injuries," Campbell said. Peel police said in a statement that the student's injuries are considered serious, but he was conscious and breathing. His parents were notified of the incident and he was taken to hospital before being airlifted to a trauma centre, police said. The driver remained at the scene, police said. Campbell said many students at the school would have seen the incident and the response from emergency crews as it happened before the start of the school day. "This will be upsetting for some and we have encouraged those who may need support to connect with any member of the school's administration team or student support services team," he said.
The Guardian
09-05-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Chicago reacts to hometown Pope Leo: ‘Like the Cubs winning the World Series'
As white smoke billowed from the Vatican in Rome, yellow papal flags whipped in the crisp Lake Michigan breeze in front of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy on Chicago's North Side. Screams of 'Habemus Papam!' echoed throughout the cafeteria at the Catholic school on Thursday afternoon, when news broke that Chicago's Robert Prevost had become Pope Leo XIV. Prevost was born on Chicago's South Side and attended Catholic school at St Mary of the Assumption, a now defunct parish on the city's far south-east side. Prevost studied divinity at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, and taught at a local Catholic high school, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Despite spending his formative years in Peru, where he worked as a missionary and later archbishop of Chiclayo, Chicagoans celebrated their native son at churches and schools around the city. Seventh-grader Vincent Wall and eighth-grader Ava Broz were in the cafeteria at Mount Carmel, where students were waving US and city of Chicago flags. 'It really feels like a 2016 Cubs World Series,' said Wall, referring to the baseball team that endured a long drought before a triumphant victory in 2016. 'It's just like, a pope from Chicago is just global, and so is the World Series. It's crazy.' Allison Foerster, who teaches Spanish and religion at the school, was getting lunch when she saw students climbing on their desks to take a look at the computer screen playing a live feed of the white smoke. She found out the pope's identity while monitoring recess. 'I'm supervising the kids playing soccer and then there's five [of them] over my shoulder trying to watch,' said Foerster, who played the news on her phone. On Tuesday, Wall and Broz participated as narrators in a mock conclave at Mount Carmel. Younger students dressed in scarlet robes and paper hats filed into a makeshift Sistine Chapel, the school's auditorium, and discussed the qualifications for the next pope over snacks. The small cardinals were even flanked by a mini Swiss Guard, dressed in a suit that teacher Dominic Moretti had ordered from Italy. 'So they knew [today] was a moment of joy and a moment of celebration,' says Foerster. Like Boston, Chicago boasts one of the strongest Catholic contingents in the United States. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, immigrants from Germany, Ireland, Poland and Italy formed vibrant parishes. Today, church spires are as prevalent in Chicago's urban landscape as art deco motifs and skyscrapers. Chicago's Catholic community has faced many of the same headwinds the church has weathered across the US. In 2022, the Chicago archdiocese unveiled plans to slash its number of parishes by 123. Financial pressures, fewer priests and dwindling mass attendance pushed the diocese to consolidate. This March, data from Pew showed a 12% drop in the number of Chicagoans who identify as Christian, compared to data from a decade ago. Meanwhile, the Church's continued battle with sexual abuse scandals comes at a time when secularism is on the rise in America. But throughout the city on Thursday, the news of a hometown pope had people in high spirits. Ragen Eggert, a worker at the local hot dog stand the Wiener's Circle, joked with patrons. 'It's officially a sin to have ketchup on a hotdog,' he said, a nod to the city's famous Chicago-style recipe. At Holy Name Cathedral, the imposing Gothic Revival church that rose out of the ashes of the Great Chicago fire of 1871, tourists and locals stopped to pray and to honor the new pope. Attendees were buoyed by the news it would be an American, who they believed would continue Pope Francis's progressive vision for the church. Janet Fink, a parishioner at Holy name, was optimistic that Leo would follow in Francis's footsteps. 'I loved that he [Francis] just embraced everyone, especially the poor and downtrodden, and he was a people's pope,' she said. 'I hope Pope Leo continues to be the people's pope.' Fink added that she was shocked to see not only a pope from Chicago, but one from the United States. Leo was widely considered a dark-horse candidate before the conclave, given a historical bias against choosing a pope from the United States. 'It's just amazing. I didn't think I would see it in my lifetime. It's a wonderful surprise,' Fink said. 'I think they're [the Church] listening to the lay people and I think they want to progress and not go backwards.' Young adult Catholics at Holy Name expressed exuberance. Clara Downey, a 24-year-old PhD student at Loyola University and a biographer for a cardinal, had been waking up at 3.30am each morning waiting for news from the Vatican. Downey acknowledged that Leo is more moderate than Pope Francis. But she noted that Francis must have had confidence in him, since he appointed him as prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops, which supervises the selection of new bishops. 'Wonderful news that it is Bob Prevost. He's a wonderful man, great pick,' Downey said. 'It is I think indicative that the college [of cardinals] is looking to not rupture much from where Francis is taking the church.' Like Francis, Leo is quickly following in predecessor's footsteps as the most meme-able pontiff, at least in the Chicago area. 'I already saw somebody post an AI image of him with a bottle of Malört,' Downey said, referring to the bitter wormwood liquor popular in Chicago. For some agnostics, Pope Leo's announcement was a call back to the church. Kara Baekey, who was visiting Chicago for her daughter Charlotte's graduation from Loyola, said their family was not religious but was following the conclave and appreciated Pope Francis's ideologies. The news felt personal to Baekey, whose parents met in Chicago, and signaled hope in a time of political uncertainty in the US. She wanted to find a Catholic church where she could pray for her country, adding that she was concerned about the 'atrocities' Donald Trump is bringing. 'I feel like it's kind of magical to be here in Chicago today,' Baekey said. 'I hope that this pope will help to take our country on the correct path.'
CBS News
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Students at Chicago Catholic school learn valuable lessons in mock conclave
As cardinals in Rome get ready for the papal conclave, some kids in Chicago got an idea of their job ahead with a special activity Tuesday. At Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy, at 720 W. Belmont Ave. in Lakeview alongside the English Tudor Gothic-style Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, youngsters were all dressed up as cardinals and Vatican Swiss Guards. And a school assembly room became the Sistine Chapel as the kids held their own mock conclave. Suddenly, fourth grader Cameron Smith felt the weight of a cardinal in Rome, as he interviewed candidates for pope with notebook in hand. "There's so many good options," he said. Cameron and the other elementary school cardinals all donned scarlet cassocks, birettas, and mozzettas for the occasion — and they had to vote like cardinals, and think like them too. Teachers, parents, and the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish helped plan the mock conclave. It was up to 20 kid cardinals to pick their pope. "They need to be humble," said sixth grader Evan Broz. "Be a pope of the people." "I think you've got to be kind, respectful," said Cameron. "What makes a good pope is a pope that's holy, and has a good heart for everyone," said another kid cardinal, Angie. As the cardinals campaigned for each other, frontrunners cropped up. The young cardinals went through multiple rounds of voting — with a snack break of Goldfish crackers before round three. "We're getting very close to a pope and everyone's freaking out," Cameron said as the voting went on. "It could be anyone!" But the palpable papal suspense finally lifted. Cardinal Augustus Wilk — also known as fourth-grader Augie Wilk — was elected "Pope Augustine" with two-thirds of the vote. "I also learned it's good to have a little bit of fun, but also to stay humble," Auggie said. White smoke billowing from a pipe out a window signaled the news to the entire school. And the new kid pope came to another window and waved to an exuberant cheering crowd of youngsters — just like the real pope in St. Peter's Square.
New European
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New European
Dilettante: On embracing hometown glory
What did I do last weekend, I hear you ask? Christ! What didn't I do! On Friday I finished work early and went to exercise at my studio near Old Street, in east London. After that I decided to walk, meanderingly, all the way back to Soho. I went through Clerkenwell, and visited the Museum of the Order of St John, in the City of London, as well as St Peter's. The church is Roman Catholic and gloriously Italian; a hangover from when the area was known as 'Little Italy', and home to a 12,000-strong community. Joseph Grimaldi, the famous 19th-century clown, was born there; every year, they still host a procession for Our Lady of Mount Carmel. From there, I ended up at the Contemporary Ceramics Centre, because I'd originally wanted to go to the British Museum but realised, once there, that I couldn't really be bothered with it. I'd never heard of the place before, but found it charming. Finally, I walked to the Photographer's Gallery, in the heart of Soho, and looked at Peter Mitchell's beautiful pictures of Leeds. On Saturday I looked up, realised it was wonderful and sunny outside, and decided to take a boat along the Thames, from Vauxhall, near where I live, all the way to Greenwich in south-east London. Once there, I lovingly gazed at the Cutty Sark, the great clipper ship now serving as a museum, then went to walk around the Old Royal Naval College. On Sunday, I travelled east again, this time towards the Isle of Dogs. I walked through the metallic, unfamiliar lands of Canary Wharf, and eventually landed at my destination – Mudchute City Farm. There, I petted the cows and the sheep, and watched the pigs grumpily eat their slop, and the chickens merrily run around their enclosure. After that, I walked along the Thames path for some time, eventually ending up at the oddly charming Isle of Dogs sewage pumping station. No, really, Google it. By the end of the weekend, I was exhausted and content. The weather had been nice and I'd made the most of it. Perhaps most importantly, my jaunts had reminded me of just how much I do actually love living in London. It's an easy thing to forget, isn't it? It applies to wherever you happen to be living; like an old marriage, you become so used to your spouse's presence that you start taking them for granted. Hell, you don't even really see them any more. They've become such a part of your life that you nearly forget things could be different. If anything, you end up mostly noticing the negatives; the annoying things, and the things you wish were better. If you've been reading this column for a while, you'll know that this is something I've been feeling quite acutely for some time now. In 2024, I escaped to New York for a few months, because I just felt too bored; earlier this year, I ran to Marrakech for a while, for similar reasons. This time, however, I've decided I need to make my marriage work. In order to do so, I started looking back at times when I've truly loved London. What many of them had in common was that I was showing the city to visiting friends or relatives. Able to look at London through the lens of tourists, I suddenly found it thrilling, beautiful, and full of promise. My question was: why couldn't I do that by myself as well? What was stopping me? Armed with this epiphany, I started walking around neighbourhoods I know like the back of my hand and really, truly looking at my surroundings. I looked up at the buildings, and I peered into the windows of old, little independent shops. I walked along the Thames and gazed at all the bridges, and I made an effort to visit all the attractions I'd previously dismissed as basic, overly done or simply too far away to bother with. I went to a city farm despite not having any children to bring with me, as cover, and after I finish writing this column I'll be joining a friend and going to another one. Apparently there are no limits to the number of animals I'm willing to pet in the space of 24 hours. All in all, I'm having a great time, and am now hugely looking forward to the days getting longer and warmer, so I can do even more. At risk of stating the obvious, my new approach to life doesn't have to be centred around London at all. Whether you live in a city or a town, or even in the country, there must be places and things you know are near but never really think about. My question to you, then, is: why not? Why not treat your own surroundings like you're proudly showing them to people you care about? It won't cost you a thing, and I can guarantee that it'll make your life better – heaven knows we need all the cheap joy we can get right now.
