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St. Gregory’s a great place to learn

By James Duong
May 5,2006

St. Gregory’s Catholic School is a great school to learn at and live in the Catholic faith. Although it is 147 years old, it is still a great learning environment for students. It is a community of children, friendly staff, parents and clergy, whose goals are to help us to achieve success while still valuing the Christian faith.

St. Gregory’s is an active school with fundraisers to help all in need, like our ShareLife campaign. The sports here are very well-organized; the students put forth a great effort. The parent council plays a big role in helping to raise money for trips, sacraments, etc., through events like raffles and hot lunches.

Our breakfast and snack program provides the students with healthy foods to get through the day. St. Gregory’s is also involved with the community like visiting the library, art gallery, having many guests, etc. The educators here have high expectations for their students, who take pride in their work to achieve their goals.

At St. Gregory’s, we take care of each other; we are like a family. St. Gregory’s Catholic School is an inspiring school with many opportunities for children and adults alike and you are welcome here any time.
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St. Gregory dates back 147 years in Oshawa


Apr 24, 2007 By: This Week staff

May 5, 2006

OSHAWA -- St. Gregory Catholic School is a familiar landmark near the corner of Adelaide Avenue and Simcoe Street.

But did you know that the school, which serves kindergarten to Grade 8 students has had a facility on its current site since 1859?

The school predates Confederation by eight years and was built just a few years after the village of Oshawa was declared.

The current school is actually the third version of St. Gregory and dates from 1912, the date placed on a stone near the front entrance. And the school is part of a larger St. Gregory's community which includes the well-recognized church, built in 1891, a rectory for the parish priest and an auditorium.

St. Gregory is also the school where Joseph Venini was educated. Father Venini later went on to become a missionary and had a school in north Oshawa named in his honour just before he was martyred in Guatemala in 1972.

The school celebrated a proud anniversary in 2002 marking the 90th anniversary of the 1912 version of St. Gregory.

It gets its name from St. Gregory the Great, a renowned Pope who sat on the throne of St. Peter's from about 590 to 604 AD. Pope Gregory was famous for establishing peace in central Italy and for keeping in contact with Eastern churches. He wrote many pastoral letters and is considered one of the founding fathers of the Western Church along with St. Augustine, St. Ambrose and St. Jerome.

Over the decades St. Gregory has been blessed with faculty from the Sister's of St. Joseph, the Christian Brothers and many lay teachers and principals.

The school has had a vibrant athletic life with plenty of students participating in school sports like hockey, volleyball and softball.

But it is the spiritual component which makes the school special. Over the past 147 years, countless boys and girls have received their first Holy Communion, have taken penance and been confirmed while learning about the life of Christ and attending the church next door. St. Gregory's has been a proud partner in the local Catholic community and looks forward to many more years of scholarship and life in the Lord.