Lumen Veritatis Academy 3.5

Mission

Based on the sublime commandment of Jesus Christ: Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect, (Mt. 5:48) the mission of Lumen Veritatis Academy is to provide an educational atmosphere that fosters love and practice of the truths of the Holy Catholic Church.

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 studies. Emphasis on personal accountability in fulfilling one’s duties and obligations is an essential part of Lumen Veritatis Academy's effort to build the student’s character.

The Spiritual Guidance of Lumen Veritatis Academy is under the full responsibility of the Heralds of the Gospel.

Our Origins

At the request of some parents and families of the Heralds of the Gospel, whose children were participating in their weekend and occasional educational programs, Lumen Veritatis Academy was inaugurated in 2007.

These parents desired to form their children according to the commandments of God, working together with the Heralds of the Gospel as to strive to provide an extension of the ideal Catholic family as a reflection of the Holy Family.

Religious Formation

The educational philosophy of Lumen Veritatis Academy is based on St. John Bosco’s pedagogic system, fostering religious, cultural, and academic formation for young people.

A cornerstone in the foundation of Lumen Veritatis Academy is to answer young people’s profound desire to know and love God. We address this by offering students a complete religious formation, which includes not only the study of Catholic Doctrine and Sacred Scripture; but also encourages the frequenting of the sacraments, prayer, and the practice of virtue.

A school has to appeal to the natural generosity in youthful hearts, to awaken in them a Christian conscience, leading them to take pleasure in good, fraternal, ethical, and responsible behaviour.

Staff at Lumen Veritatis Academy seek to impart to students the ideal that the Church desires for all Catholics: “It is ever more urgent that today all Christians take up again the way of gospel renewal, welcoming in a spirit of generosity the invitation expressed by the apostle Peter to be holy in all conduct’s (1 Peter 1:15)” (Christifidelis Laici, 16).

A basic element in St John Bosco’s method of education, in the growth process of the young consists in a great 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 at: justin.bonyun@lumenveritatis.ca

Our Inspiration Msgr. João Clá Dias

Lumen Veritatis Academy 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, which they had received from their forefathers, 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.

Student Development

Teachers and staff are available for academic, religious and social enrichment. Students will be encouraged to seek help whenever necessary. After-school clubs for music, homework and fun are encouraged. These are dependent on the desire of the families. Working closely with parents in the enrichment of their children’s education is important to Lumen Veritatis Academy.