| "Sr. Clare
challenged us to think about what Catholic Education means to each of us for,
as she put it, we are not human beings with a spiritual nature, but rather we
are spiritual beings with a human nature granted to us by God. Sometimes we
forget that in Catholic Education we are counter-cultural. Our message is one
that is in direct opposition to the predominant message of our current
society, namely that our God took on our human nature in the person of His
Son, Jesus, and that He delivered a message of salvation to all who choose to
hear it. It should not be strange then that we are not like the public schools
where God has been outlawed. We celebrate religious events openly and we never
stop teaching from a religious perspective, whether in a religious education
class or in a science class, or in the halls of the school. By remaining
different, we justify our existence for there would be little point in
maintaining two school systems supported by tax dollars if one could not see a
discernable difference."
... Jim Martin,
Principal, Regina Mundi Catholic College
"The notion of
stewardship as described, by Sister Clare is one of protecting this great gift
of Catholic education, promoting it for our students and working deliberately to
preserve it for those generations of Catholics who are sure to follow. In
applying some of Sister Clare's thoughts to our specific situation at St.
Joseph's Catholic High School, we have reason to be hopeful but must remain
vigilant and dedicated to the work of preserving Catholic Education. Sister
Clare' spoke of the need for 'clarity of thinking' in the work of Catholic
education. The message that must be consistent and strongly stated in our school
is one that is counter to the values of individualism and consumerism that
bombard us in the age of the fourteen second sound byte, advertising and music
videos. According to Sister Clare, our young people are looking for 'space and
time for the Sacred and the intellect.' It may be assumed that all schools
provide opportunities to develop, the intellect but we, as Catholic educators
are challenged to do so in the context of our Catholic faith. While the school
has the human and physical resources to teach children, we must also recognize
the parents as the first teachers and partner in the education of children,
particularly in Faith ... We must resist the temptation to engage in a
local popularity contest, however, and adhere to the Gospel values that guided
the Sisters of St. Joseph and other members
of the religious community in building the Catholic School system. Sister
Clare's message was one of challenge and hope and in talking to staff members
after the event, many felt rejuvenated and honoured to be Catholic
teachers."
...Peter
Cassidy, Vice-Principal, St. Joseph's Catholic High School
Other
Comments from October 24th Participants:
- I
found Sister Clare's passion for Catholic education
to be truly inspiring. She certainly prompted each
of us to give serious consideration as to what we're
currently doing - and what we could be doing - to
preserve this great, faith-based system of
education.
- For
me, it was her suggestion that we change around our
notion that we're human beings having a spiritual
experience to one in which we're spiritual beings
having a human experience for a short time.
- Her
total commitment to and enthusiasm for Catholic
education was inspiring. I was also struck by her
astonishment that our Catholic education system in
Ontario had survived the 90's. I hope and pray that
we will have a clear understanding of what it is
that makes our system different from a public system
so that we may be strong against any possible future
proposals to have only one publicly funded education
system in Ontario
- Such
a passionate, God-loving guardian of the Catholic
faith. What love for what is meaningful and true.
Her spirit will continue to inspire.
- What
I heard from Sister Clare was "fire within or
death without."
- She
was awesome. I'd love to just sit down and chat with
her for a while.
- Thursday
& Friday were amazing and I haven't stopped
talking about Sister Clare, as have all the teachers
I know.
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