Pastoral Plan
2015-2016
PASTORAL PLAN
School Name:
School Mission Statement:
We believe that by providing children with a forum to develop their faith and increase their
knowledge of Christ, they will continue to grow as learners and builders of
Christian communities. We believe that through a cooperative partnership among the school,
family and the church, every learner will be provided with the opportunity to become a valued
and contributing member of society. We believe that it is only by involving and fostering an
appreciation for their learning that the children who are entrusted to our care will become
lifelong learners. We believe that we must foster an atmosphere of mutual respect in order to
help children grow in self-esteem and self -confidence. We believe that a supportive,
nurturing Catholic environment will help each child grow into a positive role model for other
members of the community.
School Motto: Faith in God and Service to Others
Pastoral Plan Links to Strategic Plan/Catholic Board Learning Plan:
 Link: Strategic Plan 2014-2019 Strategic System Plan
 Link: Catholic Board Learning Plan CBLP 2013-2016
Our Parish: St. Anthony of Padua
Pastor: Rev. Joseph Pham, Administrator
Parish website: www.stanthonyofpadua.ca
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Message from the Pastor:
I hope you all had a great summer and welcome back to the Church as we start our new school
year as of Sept. 7/2015. My name is Father Joseph Pham and together with Fr. Mani Zacharias,
we are both new to the parish. The Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto has sent us
here to serve at St. Anthony of Padua Parish. We are both very happy to be here and we are
here to live among you and to serve you. So, please pray for us so that we can be the faithful
priests in order that we can serve you, the faithful.
As we begin the month of September things are going to get busy here at the parish and I am
sure it will be busy at your home as well. Our parish community at St. Anthony of Padua, we
believe that the Lord is always present here with us. Jesus gathers us together as a family every
Sunday so that we can be fed by the Word and the Eucharist. Indeed the Eucharist is "the
source and summit of the Christian life." We are gathering here to be nourished with the Word
of God and the Eucharist so we can be sent out into the world and be a living presence of Jesus
to our brothers and sisters. We really encourage your family to attend Mass on
Sundays. Besides coming to Mass on Sunday, I also encourage your family to spend a few
minutes daily to pray together. When a family prays together, they will stay together. We
invite the Lord to come into our family and share with us our joy and
sorrow. Parents/Guardians are called to be the example of faith for your children. Indeed,
parents/guardians are the first teachers of faith to your children. The children can look up to
you as examples of faith for them.
I also ask you to join a parish ministry. Here at St. Anthony of Padua we have so many different
ministries you can join: Choir, Lector, Eucharist Minister, Altar Server, Pastoral Care Team,
Hospitality Committee, Ushers, Teacher volunteers..... It is important to share your gifts and
blessings with the parish community and together we can turn our parish into a place of love
where all people are welcome.
This year, thanks to volunteer teachers, we will have a tutoring program at our parish on
Saturdays, beginning in October. More details will be announced soon. You can bring your
children from grades 2-12 if they need help in Math, English or Science. Also every Saturday we
also have a music class offered for free. We hope to train some of our young people so that
later on, they can play music for the church. I also need more volunteer teachers, and if you
can help us one hour a week on Saturdays, the children in our community will really appreciate
it. I am also happy to announce that we have just hired a Youth Director.
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Starting in October, we will have confession and 7pm Mass every Tuesday evening with the
Devotion to St. Anthony of Padua our parish Patron Saint. I would like to ask you to come and
we give praise and thanksgiving to God and ask St. Anthony of Padua to intercede for us.
We need to come together as a family so that we can help to build up our parish
together. Together we can make a difference with the help of God. I ask you to please keep
me and Fr. Mani in your prayers. And May God bless you and your family always.
Message from the Catholic School Council:
The St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School Council supports our community in developing
and strengthening our faith. Our council supports various faith activities throughout the year
including but not limited to, funding First Communion Retreats and hosting Shrove
Tuesday. We are committed to collaborating with our school in developing a faith filled student
body.
Catholic Education Week Theme: Opening the Doors to Mercy
Throughout Catholic Education Week, we ask you to reflect on the significance of Catholic education’s
presence and contribution in our Church, and in our society.
May 1 – 6, 2016 is 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. Catholic schools are Catholic faith communities. We grow in faith through the
nurturing atmosphere of our Catholic community, be that of our local parish, our home and
our Catholic school community.
May 1-6th, 2016
Opening the Doors of Mercy
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Theme: Opening the Doors of Mercy
Pope Francis has 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 year will be celebrated from
December 8, 2015 - November 20, 2016.
Five sub-themes, one for each of the five days of Catholic Education Week, help students to
understand the rich meaning of this year’s theme:
Day 1 Mercy that Welcomes - (Jesus and the Woman at the Well)
Day 2 Mercy that Loves - (The Good Samaritan)
Day 3 Mercy that Forgives - (The Prodigal Son)
Day 4 Mercy that Lives the Gospel - (Zacchaeus)
Day 5 Mercy that Rejoices - (Healing of the Paralytic)
The staff and students of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School will be demonstrating a
spirit of awareness and reflection during Catholic Education Week on the significance of
Catholic education’s presence and contribution in our church, home and school community.
We invite all members of our community, to participate in the activities that will mark the
celebration of Catholic Education Week 2016 in our school.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” ~Matthew 5:7
Faith Formation:
Forming ourselves in our Catholic faith is a foundational element in helping each of us
understand and live in the example of Christ.
The impact of our rich traditions and faith experiences is the focus of our Pastoral Plan.
Centered on the faith formation of the students we serve, our goal is to guide our students
on their faith journey from the moment they enter our school until their graduation as young
Catholic adults, prepared to live out the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations.
Celebrating masses throughout the Liturgical calendar, ‘Liturgy of The Word’ in our monthly
Virtue Liturgies and praying the Rosary monthly with our Rosary Apostolate in the Schools
Program, are some of the many spiritual experiences planned for this school year. We will
continue to pray to our Patron Saint, St. Marguerite Bourgeoys for guidance.
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Sacramental Preparation:
As Catholic we understand sacraments to be "outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace."
Together in partnership with our parish, we support the preparation of God’s children in
receiving the sacraments.
Event
Grade 2
Sacrament of Reconciliation
January 25, 2016
Sacrament of 1st Holy Communion April 10, 2016
Sacrament of Confirmation
Grade 7 and 8
December 21, 2016
February 20, 2016
Liturgical Celebrations:
The Liturgical calendar is marked by the gathering in community to celebrate the Eucharist and
share in prayer.
Celebration
Opening & Thanksgiving
Advent Mass
Easter Mass
Closing Mass
Date
October 2, 2015
December 7, 2015
April 6, 2016
June 6, 2016
Social Justice / Outreach Activities / Charities:
Catholic Social Teachings of the Church root our actions in supporting human dignity and the
preferential option of the poor which calls us to serve the most vulnerable in the world.
As a school community we are committed to supporting those among us who are in
greater need. Our school motto is “Faith and God and Service to Others”. Through our Youth
and Adult Faith Ambassadors, we will ensure that funds and food items that are raised
through various charitable fundraising events will be directed to agencies such as United
Way, Share Life, St. Anthony of Padua Parish and the Terry Fox Foundation. Also, being Silver
Eco Certified, our Bee Green Eco Team continues to organize a wide variety of Eco initiatives
throughout the school year as we take pride in being stewards of the Earth.
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Recognizing Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations:
Framed by the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations (OCSGE), our graduates will be
effective communicators, reflective thinkers, lifelong learners, collaborative contributors, caring
family members, responsible citizens and discerning believers formed in the Catholic faith
community.
We begin every day at St. Marguerite Bourgeoys School with our National Anthem, the
Gospel Reading of the day and prayers/reflections led by our students that focus on the
Virtue of the Month and/or the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations. Students in
FDK through to grade 6 come to understand the Ontario Catholic School Graduate
Expectations through their work in their Creating Pathways to Success Portfolio and the
grade 7 and 8 students have the opportunity to do so as well as they work on My Blue Print,
in preparation for transition to Secondary School.
Celebrating Virtues:
A virtue is a habit or established capacity to perform good actions according to a moral
standard. When we practice these virtues we strengthen them and thereby make the presence
of God more and more visible in the world around us.
Through teacher modeling of our Catholic faith and the virtues program, each child
develops spiritually, emotionally, physically and academically. Virtues education is
celebrated during morning announcements, classroom activities and at monthly liturgies.
We gather in prayer and recognition of our students exemplifying the Virtue of the Month.
Visible Signs of our Faith:
Through symbol and service, we are instruments of God’s love whose work within our
communities stands as a witness to our faith.
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Our school has many signs to signify our faith including a cross in each classroom and an
interactive Sacred Space. Our school alter is a prominent focus in our front foyer of the
school as well as a portrait of our Patron St. Marguerite Bourgeoys and Pope Benedict. We
also have “Our Story. Our Tradition. Our Journey” on display, open to the history of
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys school, available for the community to learn about the history of all
Catholic Schools in the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.
Resource List for Parents:
 Religious Education Curriculum - Ontario Religious Education Curriculum
 Family Life Curriculum - Ontario Family Life Curriculum
 Fully Alive Program information - Ontario Bishops' information on Fully Alive
Resource List for Schools:
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
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
Auditing Our Catholic Schools By John Bradley Kostoff
Words for the Journey for Kids Ten- Minute Prayer Services for Schools By Lisa
Freemantle and Les Miller
Words for the Journey for Teens Ten-Minute Prayer Services for Schools By Lisa
Freemantle and Les Miller
Words for the Journey Ten-Minute Prayer Services for Teachers and Administrators By
Lisa Freemantle and Les Miller
Board
 Vocations Units
We have Vocations units as part of the Grades 2, 5, and 8 curriculum. The goal of these
supplementary units is to deepen one’s understanding of God’s call – the “vocare” – to
various forms of life within the Church.
 History of the Parish
Through the resource book Our Story, Our Tradition, Our Journey, grade 7 students have
the opportunity to learn about the history of our parish.
 Enduring Gift Video
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School-Based
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School
1984
St. Marguerite Bourgeoys Catholic School first opened in 1984. Over the years the school has
been dedicated to helping children reach their potential and to respect diversity.
Our school believes that the Catholic faith, as expressed through Gospel values, is the driving
force in the school’s community of learners. The school strives to be a Christ-centered system in
which all may work and learn in a supportive, inclusive, meaningful and respectful environment.
Within the context of an authentic Catholic learning community, St. Marguerite Bourgeoys
Catholic School strives “…to provide students with the opportunity to realize their potential and
develop into highly skilled, knowledgeable, caring citizens who contribute to society.” The
Board is further committed to:
 deepening the understanding, appreciation and practice of the Catholic Christian
lifestyle, with Jesus as role model;
 aligning a system-wide approach to Catholicity, whereby all educational practices are
implemented through a Catholic lens;
 developing graduates who are fully alive in Christ, “not only in terms of knowledge and
skills, but in terms of values, attitudes and actions”;
 encouraging unique approaches to support system priorities and the principal strands of
faith education: prayer and liturgy; sacramentality; morality and justice; and scripture
and church.
As a diverse educational community responding to God’s call, St. Marguerite Bourgeoys
Catholic School, fosters and nourishes an inclusive atmosphere rooted in tradition and
scripture. The school continues to commit to the guiding principles of Learning for All: K-12
(draft) and to Dufferin-Peel’s Equity and Inclusive Education Policy (developed in accordance
with the provincial Equity and Inclusive Education Strategy), while:

being authentic witnesses to our Catholic faith;

being responsible stewards of God’s grace in the world;

respecting human dignity;

modelling all learners after Jesus, as ministers of compassion and service.
To strengthen its Catholic identity, our school will continue to develop opportunities for faith
formation of students and staff, together with an educational program which strives to
integrate the board’s fundamental beliefs and values into all of its endeavours.
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