On Saturday, June 22, 2019, the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board will celebrate 30 years of giving, helping, and learning through the Dominican Republic Experience (DRE).
The celebration will take place at our Lady of Lourdes Church in Pembroke, beginning with Mass at 4:30 p.m., followed by presentations and a late lunch in the hall.
More than 150 guests are expected, including eight members of the Grey Sisters, who established a ministry in Yamasá in 1951.
“We have followed the Grey Sisters’ model, spending a week, learning the culture and helping in any way we can,” shares Mark Conrad, RCCDSB DRE Coordinator.
Among the invitees to the celebration are past and present participants in the experience and their families, priests, principals and supporters who have been involved over the years.
“The community has been very good to support us,” notes Conrad, who became involved after his daughter took part in 2003.
For the inaugural school trip in 1989 three students from Bishop Smith Catholic High School (BSCHS) participated, taking some school supplies and staying with the nuns. The mission has grown to include as many as 20 students from BSCHS and St. Joseph’s High School, taking clothing, bedding, and medical supplies, and staying with Dominican families in order to fully experience the culture.
Yearbooks and photos of the students’ work and play in the Dominican Republic over the last 30 years will be on display at the anniversary event.
Photo: RCCDSB Dominican Republic Experience contingent 2019!
June 12, 2019
For further information, please contact:
Jaimie Perry, Director of Education
Renfrew County Catholic District School Board
499 Pembroke Street West
Pembroke, ON K8A 5P1
Phone: 613-735-1031 or 1-800-267-0191
