“We must fan the flame of HOPE
that has been given to us.”
(Pope Francis)
Celebrate Catholic Education
Each year, the Catholic community of Ontario engages in a week-long celebration of the significant contribution that Catholic Education has made to the community, the province and to Canada. This year’s celebration is entitled, Pilgrims of Hope and will be celebrated during the week of May 4th – May 9th, 2025.
Message for Catholic Education Week from Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI
The theme for Catholic Education Week this year echoes the theme of the Universal Church as we celebrate the Jubilee Year as “Pilgrims of Hope.” Pope Francis encourages us to “fan the flame of hope that this been given to us,” (Letter on the Jubilee of Hope, February 2022) proclaiming the joy of being people who walk in friendship with Jesus and who find hope in His death and resurrection.
Catholic Education is a source of hope for staff, students and families who go to our Catholic Schools. Our educators serve as anchors for the proclamation of the Gospel, with Jesus who serves as the Master Teacher in the classroom each day. Our students are examples of hope alive, bringing creativity, energy and wisdom into their learning. Families echo this hope as first teachers of the faith, making connections between academics and Catholic virtue that help nurture saints for the Church of today and tomorrow.
Videos for Catholic Education Week
We encourage you to reflect on these daily, beginning on Saturday, May 3rd and continuing until Saturday, May 10th.
Each video represents a different school board within our Diocese.
DAY ONE: Saturday, May 3rd, 2025
Catholic Education Week 2025 begins tomorrow!
What is Catholic Education Week? Hear what the students at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Elementary School in Binbrook have to share about this important week in the life of our faith community.
#HWCDSB #CEW2025 #PilgrimsofHope
DAY THREE: Monday, May 5th, 2025
We are pilgrims of hope by honouring human dignity. The students of St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School in Kitchener help us reflect on the theme of dignity, rooted in empathy and love for others.
DAY TWO: Sunday, May 4th, 2025
Catholic Education Week 2025 celebrates the theme, “Pilgrims of Hope,” aligning with the Universal Church’s celebration of the Jubilee of Hope. The students of École secondaire catholique Père-René-de-Galinée in Cambridge help us unpack this theme, and their living out of it daily. How are you called to be hope for others?
Share your reflections online this week using the hashtag #CEW2025 #PilgrimsofHope.
DAY FOUR: Tuesday, May 6th, 2025
We are pilgrims of hope by caring for creation. Meet the students of Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board from our elementary and secondary panel in Owen Sound, as they reflect on stewardship of the earth as a sign of hope.
DAY FIVE: Wednesday, May 7th, 2025
We are pilgrims of hope by responding to the poverties in our world. Today we share reflections from the students of St. Cecilia Catholic Elementary School in Oakville. Enjoy a look into this beautiful learning community which recently opened in the fall of 2024!
DAY SIX: Thursday, May 8th, 2025
We are pilgrims of hope by serving in solidarity. Today we highlight the voices of young adults in the Diocese of Hamilton, all undergraduate students at St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo.
St. Jerome’s is the only Catholic University within the Diocese of Hamilton. Federated with the University of Waterloo, St. Jerome’s undergraduate and graduate level studies, as well as a Certificate in Catholic Leadership. Learn more about St. Jerome’s here.
DAY SEVEN: Friday, May 9th, 2025
We are pilgrims of hope by living as peacemakers. Meet the beautiful students of Holy Family School in Paris who bring joy to their community each day through their faith-based learning and service to one another. May our Catholic Schools always be a source of hope for our world!
DAY EIGHT: Saturday, May 10th, 2025
We conclude our celebration of Catholic Education Week with the students of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School in Guelph, sharing this year’s Catholic Education Week Prayer.
Thank you for joining us in a showcase of our Catholic Schools over this past week. We encourage you to continue to pray for the gift of our publicly funded Catholic Education System, and all those who call it home.
We are called to be pilgrims of hope, and our Catholic Schools are with us on the journey!
Resources
Pilgrims of Hope
Pilgrims of Hope
Pilgrims of Hope was written by Canadian Singer-Songwriter Nancy Bodsworth for Catholic Education Week 2025 in celebration of the Church's Jubilee Year. The song was recorded/produced at AME Studios in Kitchener Ontario by Andrew Horrocks. Graciously supported by The Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association (OCSTA).
Catholic Education Week Prayer
Hope is our calling, O Lord,
and the destination of our pilgrim journeys.
As we mark this Jubilee Year of hope,
keep our eyes focussed on Jesus,
and on the hope he reveals to us.
May our hope lead us to love genuinely and to live generously.
In the dignity of every human being, may we honour your presence.
In our stewardship of creation, may we care for your creatures, large and small.
As we strive to respond to the poverties of our world, may we be bearers of your compassion.
As we live as people of solidarity, may we help to heal the divisions of our world.
In our lives as peacemakers, may we share the “Shalom” which is your gift to all people.
Hope is the flame that has been entrusted to us;
may we keep it burning brightly,
to enlighten the path of our pilgrim journey.
All our hope is in you, O God,
in the name of Jesus our Lord and companion.
Amen.
