Board Theme

Reflections on the Board Theme: Because We Believe our Catholic Faith Comes Alive in our Hearts

The Bishops of Ontario in their document, This Moment of Promise point out that,  “a Catholic school can never be simply a place where (students) learn how to get ahead and sell their gifts on the open market”. The Bishops go on to reaffirm their commitment “to cultivating the special characteristics of Catholic Education”. This distinctiveness needs to imbue all aspects of the life of the school.

The foundation of the distinctiveness of our Catholic schools is Christ Himself. “Without constant reference to the Gospel and a frequent encounter with Christ, the Catholic school loses its purpose.” The vehicle to begin that encounter then, is prayer.

In the words of John Paul II’s Message of Peace:

“Prayer not only opens us up to a meeting with the Most High but also disposes us to a meeting with our neighbour, helping us to establish with everyone, without discrimination, relationships of respect, understanding, esteem and love…A prayerful spirit not only helps us to grow inwardly; it also enlightens us about the true meaning of our presence in the world…..Prayer encourages us to make an even more committed contribution to the building of a well-ordered society in which peace reigns… Prayer is the bond that most effectively binds us.”

Our Board theme unfolds in a three year cycle.

The first year calls us to bring our faith alive through our prayer life. Prayer is a time when we can listen to the call of God . Before we can act, we need to know what we are called to. We are called to be people of prayer and then transform our schools into houses of prayer. We are also called to say prayers such as the traditional prayers and devotions of our faith. We are also called to begin and end our day with prayer, observe the Liturgical cycle of the Church, celebrate feasts days and participate in the greatest prayers that we as Catholics have, the Mass.