Pastoral Plan

An Overview of our Pastoral Plan 2018-2021

Catholic schools are built on the relationships between our families, our parishes, our staff and our students and all of us who share a strong commitment to Catholic education.

Our next three years will continue to nurture the close ties of ‘Family, Parish, and School’ in support of our MYSP, Catholic Graduate Expectations and Catholic Social Teachings.

Inspired by St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, our new pastoral plan strengthens our sense of belonging to God and one another, expresses our belief in God through our vision and mission, and works to achieve our goals as people on a common mission.

Our new pastoral plan uses the images of a tree which signifies the enduring strength, hope and life of every one of us. Jesus says in John 15, “I am the vine you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit because apart from me you can do nothing”. Each school was provided with a sapling to plant as a long lasting reminder of our pastoral plan, and the continued growth of our faith, our school communities and Catholic education.

Our First Year: Rooted in Christ we Belong

In creating us, God expressed his love for us as members of his family and calls us to share that love with one another. Belonging describes our membership that gives us assurance of inclusion, acceptance and sense of satisfaction as members of one another.

The roots of the tree spread out underneath the soil, speaks of our common belonging because we recognize and appreciate the beauty of our origin from diverse social and cultural backgrounds regardless of gender, race or social status. We come together as one family.

As Catholics, we believe that the Sacrament of Baptism is the source of that new life in Christ. We are invited to begin our faith journey toward full communion with Christ’s body, the Church.

Our Second Year: Rooted in Christ, We Believe

We acknowledge that our belonging to God also shapes our perspectives on what we do and how we do it. As a community of believers, we celebrate Christ who is always present with us as the source and summit of our Christian life. Christ is present as the one around whom we build relationships; we celebrate our dignity, heal our differences, reconcile conflicts and move on to a better future for all.

Around him, we build a community of disciples united in love. The tree symbolizes that this relationship is not one dimensional, but has both vertical and horizontal dimensions, mirroring the Cross. Therefore, our belief connects us to the two sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

As people of faith, we must believe in who we are. These perspectives help to define our beliefs in Catholic values, family values and ultimately, belief in our Catholic education system.

Our Third Year: Rooted in Christ, We Become:

Following the Great Commission of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew – “Go and make disciples of all nations”, we shall focus on our vocation as people called to Christian discipleship, to service and to mission.

Our vocation is defined by our belonging as members of God’s family and by what we believe. Our belonging and our beliefs define what we become in the world and in our environment, and invite us to become all God has created us to be. Just as the tree’s branches bear fruit and provide shelter, the Holy Spirit stirs us to use our gifts in joy to meet the world’s greatest need. By creating and redeeming us, God is inviting us to become vessels of unity, witnesses to communion, and agents of reconciliation to the world.

At the heart of our pastoral plan is Christ himself. We experience each aspect of this pastoral plan, belonging, believing and becoming, in our celebration of the holy Eucharist. We gather as family, we celebrate our faith, and we are sent out into the world to “live the gospel by our very lives.”

Rooted In Christ: we Belong, we Believe, we Become reminds us that we are called to continue to strengthen our sense of belonging to God and one another, to express our belief in God through our vision and mission, and to work to achieve our goals as people on a common mission.