Athol Murray College of Notre Dame

Athol Murray College of Notre Dame is a private, co-educational boarding high school located in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was founded by the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis in 1920 as St. Augustine school when they established Notre Dame of the Prairies Convent. The school was later renamed to honor Father Athol Murray. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that Athol Murray College of Notre Dame is situated on the traditional lands referred to as Treaty 4 Territory. These are the territories of the Cree, Ojibwe, Saulteaux, Dakota, Nakota, Lakota and on the homeland of the Metis/Michif Nation.

Athol Murray College of Notre Dame
Address
49 Main Street

Wilcox
,
Saskatchewan
,
S0G 5E0

Canada
Coordinates50.0988°N 104.7201°W / 50.0988; -104.7201
Information
School typePrivate, independent school, day, and residential boarding school
MottoLuctor et Emergo
(Struggle and Emerge)
Religious affiliation(s)Roman Catholic
Founded1920 (1920)
FoundersFr. Athol Murray and the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis
PresidentRob Palmarin
PrincipalKate MacLean
Grades9 through 12[1]
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment300[1]
Average class size16[1]
LanguageEnglish
Colour(s)  Red
  White
Team nameHounds
Websitewww.notredame.ca
Last updated: February 4, 2019 (2019-02-04)

History

In 1920, the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis opened the Notre Dame of the Prairies Convent and St. Augustine's residential elementary and high school for boys and girls at Wilcox, Saskatchewan—a small town on the Canadian prairies 49 kilometres (30 mi) south of Regina.[2]

Father Athol Murray was appointed to St. Augustine's parish in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, in 1927. The institution's name was eventually changed to honor his contributions.[3]

Black and white photo of man wearing a black robe and white priest's collar
Father Athol Murray c. 1930

In the beginning, the college had no running water or central heating. In 1930, fees were $18 per month, but many students couldn't afford to pay. Murray accepted students on the basis that they desired an education, not on their ability to pay. A side of beef, a chicken, a bucket of coal and produce were often accepted instead of money. Students came from everywhere and from every type of social, cultural and religious background.[4]

Murray was assisted by Sister Mary Edith McCullough, whose teaching career spanned 30 years at Wilcox. McCullough ran the elementary and high schools while Murray spent most of his time with the students in the Arts programs. In 1933, Père Murray succeeded in obtaining an official affiliation with the University of Ottawa.

The Institute for Stained Glass in Canada has documented the stained glass at the school, which include windows dedicated sixty-seven ex-students of Notre Dame College who served and died during World War II.[4] The stained glass window by Colonial Studios, Ottawa, circa 1948 depicts St. Augustine.[5]

Archives Museum

The Archives Museum established in 1993 includes a replica of the office of Father Athol Murray, a rare books vault,[6] and a display of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Athletics
Andrew Scheer with the Hounds of Athol Murray College

In addition to its academic programs, the college has many sports teams that the students play on. The most notable are the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Notre Dame Hounds. There are also a number of minor ice hockey teams affiliated with Hockey Saskatchewan, and as members of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL). Notre Dame currently fields three midget 'AAA' teams: two male teams (the Hounds and the Argos), and one female team (the Hounds). The Notre Dame Hounds are five time Telus Cup Champions and most recently won in 2018.[7]

Former Tampa Bay Lightning forwards Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards played together in the school's AAA Bantam program,[8] while numerous others have gone on to be drafted into the NHL.

Notre Dame also runs high school athletics programs in basketball, rugby, football, soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball, track and field and wrestling.[9]

Notable alumni

Hockey

Other sports

Music
Père plaques on the grounds of Athol Murray College of Notre Dame at Wilcox, Saskatchewan

The Prayer and Victory March

"Dear Notre Dame, We hail the Alma Mater. Thy loyal sons, Thy banners proudly bear. We pledge to thee, Our love and our devotion, We beg thee hear and grant our prayers. Oh guide our steps, And lead us safely onward, Through all the years, With love and care.

What though the odds be great or small, Old Notre Dame will win over all, While her loyal sons are marching, Onward to victory, Cheer, cheer for old Notre Dame, Wake up the echoes cheering her name, Send a volley, cheer on high, Shake down the thunder from the sky! What though the odds be great or small, Old Notre Dame will win over all, While her loyal sons are marching Onward to victory, Notre Dame!"[16]

Hazing controversy

On December 22, 2021, TSN broke a story about a Notre Dame student who claimed to have been the victim of "a series of vicious sexual, physical and psychological assaults during his time at Notre Dame" in 1986 and has been unable to get an apology for what happened to him since 1999. The hazing incidents included him being forced by other students to eat Kraft Dinner that had been cooked in human urine, to play a tug-of-war-like game wherein his genitalia were attached to those of another student and stretched, and to massage the buttocks of senior students. The student allegedly visited the school nurse at least twice each week because of the beatings, but the nurse never informed his parents of the incidents. A dorm supervisor who witnessed an alleged incident where students whipped the victim with wet towels while he was forced into a jetliner position allegedly ignored the incident. The student fled the school but was forced back inside. The next day, his mother arrived at the school to take him home, and the dorm supervisor informed him that he was being expelled for having left the school without permission, and that the alleged abuse was being investigated. The alumnus filed a negligence lawsuit against the school in 2018, which is ongoing. Notre Dame has not yet apologized for the hazing—which has resulted in mental health challenges and suicide attempts by the victim—and claims that the student's records went missing.[17]

References
  1. "FAQ". www.notredame.ca. Athol Murray College of Notre Dame. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  2. "University Information | StudentRoads". studentroads.com. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  3. "'Pere' Murray's legacy thrives in Wilcox". www.catholicregister.org. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  4. "Catholic College Chapel, Notre Dame of Wilcox". www.glassincanada.org. Institute for Stained Glass in Canada. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  5. "Notre Dame College Memorial Window". National Inventory of Canadian Military Memorials. Veterans Affairs Canada. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
  6. Shield, David, Sask. college home to some of rarest books in the world CBC News, March 10, 2021
  7. "Male and female U18 AAA Hounds both league champions". Regina. 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  8. "Sportsnet: Vincent Lecavalier - Tampa Bay Lightning". Archived from the original on 4 December 2007.
  9. "Athletics at Notre Dame". www.notredame.ca. Athol Murray College of Notre Dame. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  10. "Francis GERMANN Obituary". The Regina Leader-Post. The Regina Leader-Post. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2019 – via Legacy.com.
  11. "MacDonald, Cyril Pius 1928–2015". Saskatchewan Archival Information Network. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  12. "2011/2012 Fellows". Action Canada. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  13. Dupont, Kevin Paul (July 10, 2008). "Colborne grows on you ; Bruins have big plans after sizing up their No. 1 choice". The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  14. Houston, William (February 27, 1989). "Saskatchewan farm boy could be top draft pick". The Globe and Mail. p. C1.
  15. "Curtis Joseph Stats". www.hockey-reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
  16. Ducharme, Robert (July 15, 2015). "The Victory March". Athol Murray College of Notre Dame. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  17. Westhead, Rick (December 22, 2021). "For one hockey family, impact of alleged abuse at a top Canadian prep school lingers". The Sports Network. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  • Père Murray and the Hounds, the story of Saskatchewan's Notre Dame College, by Jack Gorman, ISBN 0921835043
  • Père - A Père Murray Compendium, compiled by Jack Gorman ISBN 0921835108
  • Legacy . . . the treasures of Notre Dame, by Jack Gorman
  • The Hounds of Notre Dame - a movie based on the compelling story of Père Murray and the Hounds
  • Tales from the Shacks : Pere Murray's Notre Dame College, by Richard Dukes ISBN 0921835248
  • Notre Dame of the Prairies, by Alice (Stefan) Henderson ISBN 0919829082
  • The Rink: Stories from Hockey's Home Towns, by Chris Cuthbert and Scott Russell ISBN 0670875503
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