About St. Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure Catholic School is named after one of the first great scholastic thinkers of Christianity. Bonaventure was born in Italy and lived from 1217 to 1274. He entered the Franciscan order as a simple Friar around 1234 and began his studies at the University of Paris. Over the years, Bonaventure became an outstanding lecturer, philosopher, theologian and doctor of the church. In 1273, Pope Gregory named Bonaventure as a Cardinal. Bonaventure died suddenly in 1274 while preparing material for the second council of Lyons. His feast is celebrated on July 14.

St. Bonaventure Catholic School opened in January 1957 as an eight-classroom school. The first class graduated from Grade 8 in 1957. Among the graduates that first year were David Collins (who would later become pastor at St. Bonaventure Catholic Church) and Eileen Kearney (who, today, teaches at our school).

Did you know that the trees, which line the front of the school, were hand-planted by our first principal, Mr. Joe O’Connell?

As the Don Mills community developed, and the school population increased, the need for more space became apparent. In 1962, an additional seven classrooms and a library were built. A second addition, containing a gymnasium, change rooms and a stage, was built in 1969.

The school has, over the years, established strong ties with the church of the same name and with the community at large. Students presently enrolled in our school, have parents who are former school graduates. There are families that have grandchildren attending St. Bonaventure Catholic School, tradition and family ties are important aspects of life.

 

Biography
James T. Mulligan, CSC

Father James T. Mulligan is a member of the English Canadian Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Father Mulligan is from Welland, Ontario. He studied at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, (Philosophy) and at the Gregorian University in Rome (Theology). He was ordained to the priesthood in 1968. Father Mulligan has a Matrîse in Catechetics from the Institut Catholique in Paris and a Doctor of Ministry from the University of Toronto. His ministry as a Holy Cross Father has largely focused on Catholic education. He taught religious education at the secondary level for twenty-five years and has extensive background in working in faith formation with teachers in Ontario’s Catholic school system.

Father Mulligan has written four books on Catholic education, all published by Novalis: Evangelization and the Catholic High School – 1990; Formation for Evangelization – 1994; Catholic Education: The Future Is Now, 1999; and Catholic Education: Ensuring a Future, 2005. He has collaborated on a number of Catholic education endeavours in Ontario and has lectured on Catholic education and evangelization in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Newfoundland.

From December 2000 to September 2004, Father Mulligan served on the General Administration of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Rome where he had responsibility for the education and social justice portfolios for his congregation. Since November 2004 Father Mulligan has been ministering as Pastor of St. Kevin’s Parish, Welland, ON.