Catholic Education Coalition - Building the Spirit of Community...


The Catholic Education coalition is a group of partners from across our eight counties serving to support the Vision, Mission and Motto of the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario. 

Vision: Inspired by the Good News of Jesus Christ, we transform the world through justice and peace through Catholic education.

Mission: We proclaim our Catholic Faith by:  Nurturing and celebrating the hearts, minds, bodies and souls of our students.  Learning through faith, living with hope, loving in Christ.  Teaching wisdom, teaching love...creating a world in God's image.

Goals of the Catholic Education Coalition:
-To improve the link between school, family and the parish
-To gather system/government support for our Catholic system
-To work with our students and teachers to promote, protect & proclaim Catholic education

Coalition Initiatives:

In discussions with the greater Catholic community and Coalition members, including students, parents, teachers, clergy, principals, OECTA, CUPE, Trustees and Board staff, the Coalition has launched these practical initiatives to promote Catholic education:

Building of the Board Cross: Inspired by the World Youth Day Papal Cross that journeyed through Eastern Ontario in 2002, a Cross was selected as the Board symbol. A 7-foot wooden Cross was designed and built by technology teacher Steve Rymal and Grade 12 students Jamie Broadbent and Skylar Nicholson at St. John CHS in Perth. The Cross now circulates across the Board to celebrate the gift of Catholic education.

Board-Wide Mass: In conjunction with the Religious Education Department, the first Board-wide Mass was held on April 27, 2003, at Holy Cross Church in Kemptville to celebrate Catholic Education Week. Archbishop Emeritus Francis Spence acted as celebrant and Father Rob Arsenault delivered the homily. Representatives from every school in the Board were given Board Prayer plaques and tree seedlings for their schools.
 

Beacons of Faith - The Story of Our Schools:  One of the Coalition's major projects has been the creation of a book to 'tell the story' of our Catholic schools with the belief that, 'You don't know who you are, until you know where you came from'.  Coalition members, School Story Coordinators, volunteers and Board staff remarkably gathered materials and finished the entire writing process in just over one year.  Entitled, 'Beacons of Faith - The Story of Our Schools', the final draft was ready for printing in the summer of 2004.  The completed 450-page hardcover book chronicles the beginnings of 57 Catholic school communities in the Board, from the formation of Upper Canada's first

two English Catholic schools - Iona Academy in St. Raphael's (1816) and St. John School in Perth (1818) - to the evolution of our present-day schools and school system.  The book also contains a section on each school's patron saint and namesake.  Former CDSBEO Director Greg McNally, who helped guide the project to fruition, said 'Beacons of Faith' is a testament to all those who shared in the vision of Catholic education throughout Eastern Ontario during the past 200 years.  The book was officially launched in September of 2004.  To order a copy of 'Beacons of Faith' at a cost of $25.00, please contact Carole Flaro at the Board Office in Kemptville (1-800-443-4562, ext. 210).

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