​​​​​​​​An Introduction to Our Pastoral Themes 
2020-2025

The vision of the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board is that we imagine a world where every person is empowered to reach their full potential through faith and service.  Our mission is the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board builds faith-filled learning communities where each member is loved, inspired, and successful.  The new annual pastoral themes for the ALCDSB call us to express our faith through our vision and mission statements. 

Catholic education is nurtured by the home-school-parish relationship.  The annual pastoral themes will support the ALCDSB's Multi-Year Strategic Plan and will continue to nurture the members of home, school, and parish.  Each annual theme is enriched with connections to Scripture, song, prayer, the Renewing the Promise pastoral letter, Catholic Social Teaching, the Ontario Catholic School Graduate Expectations, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The ALCDSB pastoral themes were intentionally selected in a particular sequence.  Each subsequent theme is intended to build on the previous theme.  The first theme, “All Are Welcome in This Place" reminds us that as a Catholic education community, our first step is to establish relationships and ensure that every person feels a genuine sense of belonging.   Once this is established, we can learn more about what it means to be valued as “Beloved Children of God", called to celebrate the inherent dignity of each person who is created in the image and likeness of God.  We then respond to God's invitation to be “Formed in the Faith", seeking God, growing deeper in our relationship with God, and accompanying each other along our faith journey.  Recognizing that faith is a gift from God, we are “Blessed Beyond Belief", thankful for all of the gifts and blessings that we receive, which all come from God.  Finally, once we are equipped with the tools that we need, we are “Called to Witness", fulfilling the Church's mission to carry out and continue the work of Jesus Christ on Earth.

2020-2021

All are Welcome in This Place

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The first of five pastoral themes, “All Are Welcome in This Place", calls us to welcome every person who we encounter in our school communities and beyond.  Before we can accomplish any other goal, we must ensure that everyone in our community feels welcomed, feels safe, and feels a genuine sense of belonging.  As a Catholic education community, we welcome each other into God's loving embrace and meet each other where we are at, just as Jesus did to every person that he encountered in the Gospels. 

Hospitality and welcome help lay the foundation for faith.  We manifest Christ's presence in the world by welcoming, inviting, and reverencing the dignity of the people we encounter.  We are called to be charitable, to be helpful, and to be encouraging as a people of God.

When a student, a staff member, a community member, or a guest enters an ALCDSB site, do they feel welcomed?  Do they feel included in the school community?  Do they feel like they belong?  How can we ensure that each person who we encounter experiences God's love and compassion?   Our goal is to ensure that each member of the ALCDSB community feels welcomed and a sense of belonging. 

Logo: 
The “All Are Welcome in This Place" logo is represented by the image of a circle of friends with Christ at the centre.  The people remind us that we are all members of the Body of Christ.  The circle is essential to the design in that it represents an inclusive community in which everyone belongs.  The cross in the middle of the circle reminds us that Christ is always at the centre of our lives.  The diversity of people reminds us that to be welcoming means to be inclusive of all people.  As faith-filled communities, we are called to welcome all people into our midst, and it is our duty to ensure that everyone belongs.  

Overview: 2020-2021

All are Welcome in This Place