Superior North Catholic District School Board

Catholic Education Week

Each year, the Catholic community of Ontario engages in a week-long celebration of the unique identity and distinctive contributions of Catholic education during Catholic Education Week.

This year’s celebration is entitled, "Catholic Education: We are Many, We are One" and will be celebrated during the week of April 30 – May 5, 2023.

The five sub-themes for Catholic Education Week illuminate the path to being many and one. We achieve this unity…

• Monday: When we see / En voyant
• Tuesday: When we listen / En écoutant
• Wednesday: When we reflect / En réfléchissant
• Thursday: When we learn / En apprenant
• Friday: When we act / En agissant

With the complexities of our world and our communities today, we can stray from the peace that comes when we are in communion with each other. In our unity, we celebrate our diversity, all uniquely created by God. We read in Corinthians that if one member suffers, we all suffer. Unity brings us to peace and understanding. The theme for Catholic Education Week 2023 was inspired by the following considerations:

• The Church worldwide has embarked on a synodal process, “a synod on synodality,” which centres on intentional listening: listening to each other and listening to the Holy Spirit. We have each been asked to actively reach out and listen to the voices and experiences of people where they are at and consider what steps the Holy Spirit is inviting us to take as we walk together. As the Catholic Bishops of Ontario highlighted in Renewing the Promise, “It is about taking the time to walk alongside one another, to listen and to teach, and in doing so, to transform.

• Ongoing recognition of the Truth & Reconciliation Commission and the importance of Indigenous culture and spirituality as we move forward together.

• The Ministry of Education’s focus on Inclusion and Equity resonates with all educators and administrators as we desire to serve all of God’s children and Pope Francis’ encyclical entitled, Fratelli Tutti, will guide us in this good work.

• The challenges to personal and spiritual well-being posed by the uncertainty of the current global crisis makes the timing and the concerns of Mental Health Week, which takes place during the same week as Catholic Education Week, all the more relevant.

For more information visit http://www.goodnewsforall.ca/

Catholic Education Week Prayer

We are many, we are one; we all form one body in Christ.
Lord,
when we see the one before us, let us reverence your presence within;
when we listen to one another, let us hear with our hearts;
when we reflect on each encounter, may we discern to understand;
when we learn from those around us, let us respect our differences with joy;
and when we act, may we be kind and generous to all,
for each person is a member of your body, with all that they are.
We are many, we are one.
Amen.