The Phoenix Rising: The Story of St. Bonaventure’s College

David Naglieri

June 16, 2007
St. Bonaventure’s College in St. John’s Newfoundland
This Sunday at 9 pm ET (with an encore presentation on Wednesday June 20th at 9pm ET) "Eye on the Church" will focus on the true story of heroism and faith seen through the recent history of St. Bonaventure's College in St. John's Newfoundland.
Oftentimes we take things for granted. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the friends we keep and the religious freedoms we enjoy in our democratic tradition. For Catholics in Newfoundland the right to Catholic education for their children was something that was taken for granted. Since it's inception in the mid 19th century the denominational system of education involved shared powers between Roman Catholic and Protestant school boards and the Provincial government, and guaranteed the Church autonomy over the important task of forming young people in the morals and eternal values of the Christian faith.
However, as a result of a series of devastating sex abuse scandals which damaged the credibility of the Church, two referendums in the 1990s eliminated Catholic education. The first school to close as a result was St. Bonaventure's College, an elite school with a 150 year history, and an alumni roster that was a virtual "Who's Who" of Newfoundland.
This new edition of "Eye on the Church" explores the courage and commitment of a small group of parents and concerned individuals who forged a new independent Catholic school after the dark period of the 1990's.
It is a story about faith, hope and above all the taste we all can experience of Christ's Resurrection.
If you ever wondered if Catholic education was worth fighting for then watch this edition of "Eye on the Church." You will forever be humbled by a few passionate Catholics from Newfoundland, who were silly enough to believe the impossible, and who today stand as guardians of our greatest national treasure, our children and the ideas that will shape them.