Renfrew County Catholic District School Board is celebrating Catholic Education Week (CEW) from Sunday May 1 to Friday May 6, 2016. Special assemblies, displays, prayer celebrations and service activities in our schools will highlight the many ways we promote student learning in the light of Gospel values.
Board Chair Bob Michaud notes, “Catholic Education Week provides us with the opportunity to celebrate the precious gift of our distinctive education system, and to draw attention to the significant contributions our Catholic schools make to local communities.”
The theme for this year’s Catholic Education Week is Catholic Education: Opening Doors of Mercy.
Pope Francis declared 2016 a “Holy Year of Mercy” as a way for the Catholic Church to “make more evident its mission to be a witness of mercy”. The Holy Year, which began on December 8, 2015, with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome by Pope Francis, will end on November 20, 2016. The Holy Door is opened to evoke the concept of forgiveness, which is the main focus of a Holy Year.
The theme of God’s mercy is illustrated on fifteen of the Holy Door’s sixteen bronze panels, and there are seven such Holy Doors in the world, including one in Quebec City. Throughout the year, the Catholic Church will hold a series of jubilee celebrations on the theme of mercy for various groups including teenagers, deacons, the sick and disabled, prisoners, catechists and clergy.
In the spirit of this Holy Year, Catholic Education Week 2016 combines the theme of mercy and the act of opening doors of reconciliation, mercy and forgiveness to all. There are five sub-themes, one for each day of the week, aimed at helping staff and students reflect more fully on what the theme, Opening Doors of Mercy, asks of them.
The five sub-themes for the week are: Mercy that Welcomes, Mercy that Loves, Mercy that Forgives, Mercy that Lives the Gospel, and Mercy that Rejoices.
Director of Education Michele Arbour remarked on the Board’s close connection with the CEW theme. “The theme of God’s Mercy continues to be an important aspect of our planning, professional development and student learning initiatives throughout the year in the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board. Catholic Education Week is a special chance for us to highlight the many ways we seek to lead students to that joyful encounter with Christ and His mercy as they learn in an environment permeated by Gospel values.”
Details on local Catholic Education Week 2016 celebrations are available from each RCCDSB school. Parents, family and members of the community are encouraged to contact their nearest school for dates and times of celebrations, and are warmly invited to attend.
For further information, please contact:
Michele Arbour, Director of Education
Renfrew County Catholic District School Board
499 Pembroke Street West, Pembroke, ON K8A 5P1
Phone: 613-735-1031 or 1-800-267-0191