Introducing Our Spiritual Theme 2025-2030: “A Listening Presence Changes Hearts”

As we begin a new chapter in our journey of Catholic education, the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario is proud to introduce our new spiritual theme which complements the new 2025-2030 Multi-Year Strategic Plan: “A listening presence changes hearts.”

This theme emerged from a synodal process that invited students, staff, families, and community members from across our Board to share their voices, their hopes, and their lived experiences. Through this collective discernment, we came to understand that deep listening is not only a practice of empathy, but a sacred act of transformation. When we truly listen without judgment, without interruption, we create space for healing, for connection, and for change. We believe that when deep listening happens, hearts are changed: our own, and those of the people we serve. We honour the dignity of all.

This spiritual theme calls us to be present to one another in our classrooms, our offices, our homes, and our communities. It reminds us that belonging, faith, and nurturing are not abstract ideals, but daily commitments we make through our words, our actions, and our attentiveness. As Pope Francis reminds us, we are called to walk together – “todos, todos, todos” – in communion and co-responsibility.

Let this theme guide our hearts and minds as we co-create the conditions for learning, growth, and grace. May we each strive to be a listening presence in the lives of others, and in doing so, help shape a more compassionate, innovative and faith-filled world.

Shelley Montgomery
Director of Education
Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario