A patchwork of multi-coloured sticky notes is spread over a wall in the halls of St. Francis Xavier school. Underneath it, there sits a small memorial to the school’s chaplain, Mike Mireau.
Covered in drawings and Star Wars memorabilia, the small table honours a man who forged close connections with students, even in the face of a terminal cancer diagnosis.
“He was such a blessing in our lives,” said Grade 12 student Rebecca Lunde, who was saddened to hear about Mireau’s death Monday night.
“I’m so happy that I got the chance to meet him and know him.”
She says 42-year-old Mireau, who was affectionately known as “Father Catfish,” was a warm man who never failed to greet students in the halls of St. Francis Xavier. Lunde says the priest’s youth and love of pop culture allowed him to connect with his students easily.
Grade 12 student Rebecca Lunde says Mireau’s openness about his cancer taught a powerful lesson to his students. (CBC)
“He knew what we were going through,” she said.
The priest, who first started working at the Catholic school five years ago, was also social media savvy, a skill that he used to keep students and staff updated on his diagnosis. Rather than avoid speaking about the cancer that was killing him, Mireau blogged about the experience, telling students about his progress.
Sometimes he would even post Youtube videos of himself from the University of Alberta Hospital as he sat waiting for surgery.
“I thought he made it a lot easier for all of us to deal with, even though he was the one who was going through all of it,” Lunde said.
“You’ve got to continue on.”
St. Francis principal Dan Donnelly worked closely with Mireau, both in the school and through religious camps where the priest worked.
Donnelly says Mireau’s openness about his health was driven by a desire not only to help students confront the concept of death, but also to teach them about overcoming obstacles later in their lives.
“It was really difficult for them to know he was sick again .. and he wasn’t going to get better with this one,.” Donnelly said.
“He’s made it a very big learning experience. That, you know, you’ve got to continue on. You’re going to be faced with lots of struggles in your life. You’re going to be faced with death, but you have to keep moving on.”
While people at the school knew how ill Mireau was, Donnelly says they were nonetheless hit hard by the death. Teachers were told the news first, and they passed it along to their students.
“We wanted to make it a little more personal, instead of just getting on the intercom or calling all the kids down for one big announcement.”
In addition to being remembered by the students and staff at St. Francis Xavier, Mireau is also being honoured by the Edmonton Catholic School Board; the board announced Tuesday that a new school in the Summerside neighbourhood, set to open in 2016, will be named after the priest.
