August/September 2024 Message
Welcome to the 2024-2025 School Year! A new school year brings another chapter in our Catholic educational journey, with new opportunities to walk together in goodness, truth, and beauty.
BEAUTY. Our theme for this year – “People of Hope” – flows from Romans 15.13: “May the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” To celebrate the beauty of our theme, we incorporated traditional symbols into this beautiful and meaningful graphic.
We emphasized green because it is the colour of springtime, growth, and renewal – which is fitting for our theme of hope. The graphic integrates traditional symbols for faith, hope, and love – which are the cross, anchor, and heart respectively. The hands represent our ECSD community reaching towards love, cradling hope, and raised in praise. The graphic is then surrounded by olive branches as a symbol of peace and goodwill.
GOODNESS. Our “People of Hope” theme is part of a much larger celebration of hope within the Catholic Church. As many of you are aware, Pope Francis declared 2025 to be a Year of Jubilee, with the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”. In the official declaration, he stated, “In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring… Often, we come across people who are discouraged, pessimistic and cynical about the future, as if nothing could possibly bring them happiness. For all of us, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope.” You can learn more about the Jubilee Year and follow the related events by clicking here.
TRUTH. As we enter the second year of our Division Plan for Continuous Growth 2023-2026, we continue to build on the strong foundation established last year. This plan is designed to inspire our students and ensure their success by giving them the tools they need to succeed. It is grounded in the four priorities, which were established by the Board in response to multiple engagements:
- Living our Faith
- Learning Excellence
- Organizational Excellence
- Embracing Diversity
Of course, at the heart of the plan is our mission to provide a Catholic education that inspires students to learn and that prepares them to live fully and to serve God in one another. You can explore the Goals and Key strategies of this plan on our website.
In closing, I would like to thank you for choosing Edmonton Catholic Schools. We are honoured you have entrusted us with providing a Catholic education for those in your care. It is a priviledge to walk with our students on this journey – filling their minds with truth, their hearts with goodness, and their souls with beauty.
Have a wonderful school year!
Lynnette Anderson
Chief Superintendent
- To see our upcoming Division events, visit ecsd.net/calendar.
- Read Feast of Our Lord’s Transfiguration, written by Bishop David Motiuk, Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton