We Are Many, We Are One: PVNC Catholic Schools Celebrate Catholic Education Week (April 30 to May 5)
During the week of April 30 to May 5, 2023, the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board will celebrate the significant contribution that Catholic education has made to the community, the province and to Canada.
Our Catholic Graduate Expectations challenge students to articulate in society those fundamental values that underpin Catholic education.
“Catholic Education Week affords us a perfect time to pay tribute to our students, staff and families and reflect on the importance of faith in our lives, and the role it plays in Catholic education,” Board Chairperson Kevin MacKenzie said.
In a video address to all students, staff and families, Peterborough Bishop Daniel Miehm reflects on the importance of Catholic Education Week.
“It is with great joy that we prepare to celebrate another Catholic Education Week in our province, a time for us to give thanks for the great gift of publicly funded Catholic education,” Bishop Miehm said. “It is also a time to recommit ourselves to maintaining our schools as places of strong Catholic values, academic excellence and places of true welcome.”
The theme for this year’s Catholic Education Week is:
Catholic Education: We are Many, We are One
L’éducation catholique: À plusieurs, nous sommes un
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.
There are five sub-themes, one for each day of Catholic Education Week and they are aimed at helping staff and students to reflect more fully on what Rebuilding, Restoring, Renewing Together means to them. The five sub-themes are:
- Monday, May 1: When we see / En voyant
- Tuesday, May 2: When we listen / En écoutant
- Wednesday, May 3: When we reflect / En réfléchissant
- Thursday, May 4: When we learn / En apprenant
- Friday, May 5: When we act / En agissant
Catholic Education Week is marked by special activities at all grade levels, including prayer celebrations and service activities. PVNC Catholic will host its annual Catholic Student Leadership Awards night in-person at Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School in Peterborough on Wednesday, May 3 at 7 p.m.