This week, we celebrate in solidarity with all Catholic school systems across Ontario, the gift and blessing of publicly-funded Catholic education. This is a week specially set aside to celebrate our Catholic schools and why the triple connection of home, school and parish is an important and integral part of Catholic education. This triad emphasizes for our children, the reality of our wider Catholic community that collaborates on their faith formation and education.
This year’s Catholic Education Week theme is, “Nurturing Hope” and our Scriptural inspiration comes from the Prophet Isaiah: “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Our Catholic schools are, by definition, faith-based schools, firmly birthed in the gospel values of Jesus Christ. It was this conviction, that at the very beginning of publicly funded education in the province, that the Catholic population, under the leadership of the Bishop John A. Boissonneau and some very dedicated Catholic trustees, doggedly sustained a fight for the right of Catholics to their own publicly funded Catholic schools. What we enjoy today, is due to a history of sacrifice and determination and the extraordinary works of Bishops, Sisters, Brothers, priests and lay men and women, to build and preserve Catholic education in the face of all forms of opposition, both political and legal. The challenges to the existence of publicly funded Catholic education are alive today. In an increasing secular Ontario, there are those who see publicly funded Catholic education as anachronistic and discriminatory. But, Catholic education has contributed significantly to Ontario and to Canada in the contributions of all those wonderful graduates of our Catholic system.
This week we continue to celebrate a school system, which celebrates and defines itself on faith and mercy and embraces the message of salvation for all peoples preached by Jesus.