Our Catholic schools provide a faith based education rooted in the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. We challenge each student to meet Ontario's Catholic Graduate Expectations by promoting their spiritual development with an emphasis on social justice and Catholic Social Teachings. We believe that this formation will not only serve our students today, but also in the future as they contribute positively to our society in the service of others.
Each year we identify an essential element of evangelization, through a spiritual theme, to focus our faith formation initiatives.
After reflecting last year on what it means to “listen with the ear of the heart,” we turn to the words of Pope Francis for this year’s Spiritual Theme. Noted during his message for the 57th World Day of Social Communications, 2023, he states, “It is the heart that spurred us to go, to see and to listen, and it is the heart that moves us towards an open and welcoming way of communicating.”
With these words in mind, the DCDSB community will be “Speaking With the Heart” in 2023-2024.
In reference to the synodal process and the kind of communication needed in the Church, Pope Francis writes, "listening without prejudice, attentively and openly, gives rise to speaking according to God’s style, nurtured by closeness, compassion and tenderness." This serves as an invitation to reflect on what it means to communicate “according to God's style”, welcoming encounters with others as “heart speaks to heart.”
We are also called to consider the many ways we communicate with one another. Beyond spoken words, we express ourselves through gestures, symbols, icons, body language, online communication, art, music, dance, and more. Even moments of silence can communicate meaning.
As we Listen, Learn, and Live in Faith this year, may “Speaking With the Heart” inform communication that “kindles hearts, is the balm on wounds and that shines light on the journey of our brothers and sisters.”
Grade 7-12 students across Durham Catholic District School Board were invited to apply to participate in the design process for the 2023-2024 spiritual theme poster.
In June 2023, 25 students attended a full day workshop at the City of Oshawa’s Arts Resource Centre. Throughout the workshop, students collaborated with central staff, Chaplains, and a professional graphic designer as they reflected upon what Speaking With the Heart means to them. Their ideas have been incorporated into this year’s spiritual theme poster.
Did you know that an “Easter egg” is a hidden message, image, or feature that is often used in video games, comic books, and movies? Our graphic designer used this contemporary design element to hide “Easter eggs” in the Speaking With the Heart poster.
There are also many other words and images to explore in this year’s design that help us to reflect upon how we can enter into an encounter with others in a spirit of open dialogue by Speaking With the Heart!
Our DCDSB staff, students, families, and communities are encouraged to use this spiritual theme design poster to reflect upon how Speaking With the Heart can guide our journey together in the 2023-2024 school year.
We partner with our local parishes to strengthen the relationship between school, home and church.
"Our Catholic schools offer an extraordinary contribution to the social and environmental fabric of our society and world. In partnership with parents, who bear the primary responsibility for the education of their children, all those who work in Catholic education are called upon to reflect, in a faithful and discerning fashion, God's presence in this world."
(Source: Renewing the Promise a Pastoral Letter for Catholic Education, May 2018)
Find the Pastoral Letter for Catholic Education "Renewing the Promise" here.
2022-2023 Listening with the Ear of the Heart |
As part of the Witnessing Faith pillar of our Strategic Plan, each year the DCDSB develops a spiritual theme to unite all members of our community as a people of faith. Our spiritual theme encourages us to make real, meaningful and faith-filled connections every day to build the kingdom of God. While we continue with our efforts to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, families, staff and communities, we recognize the need to rebuild, restore and renew the important relationships between home, school and parish that form the foundation of our Catholic education system. For this reason, our spiritual theme for this year will be crucial to guide our learning, reflection and actions in the year ahead. Pope Francis has called the Church to participate in a critical Synod of Synodality, and has outlined the importance of listening with the ear of the heart. In Pope Francis’ January 2022 letter, which we encourage you to read in its entirety, he reminds us, “It is only by paying attention to whom we listen, to what we listen, and to how we listen that we can grow in the art of communicating, the heart of which is not a theory or a technique, but the ‘openness of heart that makes closeness possible’.” Listening With the Ear of the Heart Poster DesignGrade 7-12 students across Durham Catholic District School Board were invited to apply to participate in the design process for the spiritual theme posters. In June 2022, approximately 40 students were given the opportunity to collaborate with one another and learn from a professional artist and graphic designer. Students attended a full day workshop at the Robert McLaughlin Gallery where they unpacked what this spiritual theme means to them and shared their ideas to help create the new poster design. Below is a brief overview of the various elements students incorporated into the spiritual theme design:
Listening With the Ear of the Heart Poster Design Process
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