Our Faith

"There are no borders, no limits: he sends us to everyone. The Gospel is for everyone, not just for some. It is not only for those who seem closer to us, more receptive, more welcoming. It is for everyone. Do not be afraid to go and to bring Christ into every area of life, to the fringes of society, even to those who seem farthest away, most indifferent. The Lord seeks all, he wants everyone to feel the warmth of his mercy and his love."   - Pope Francis

New Evangelization is the Catholic Church's response to changes in our society during the past decades. The Church is now called to bring the love and mercy of God in an environment that is not always receptive.

New Evangelization

The Catholic Bishops of Canada recently released a document on New Evangelization, entitled "The Essential Elements of Evangelization Today." This document offers us a description of New Evangelization and strategies to promote the Gospel message.

Strategies
From September 2015 to June 2018, our Board will make each one of these ministries a theme and focus. The three main strategies are:

• witness;
• community; and
• service.

Community (2016 - 2017)

In September 2016 we launched the second ministry in our three-year plan, through the theme of community.  Just as our Church is called to be an effective messenger of the Gospel, so too must our school communities mirror the message that is preached in the Gospel.  As members of a Christian community, St. Paul reminds us that all members of our communities have something important to contribute to the whole body, and Christian communities empower all members to utilize their God-given gifts and talents for the greater good.  A Christian community remains bonded together through love and understanding, despite inevitable challenges.

This year, a statue of Jesus engaged in joyful play with children representing youth from around the world, will travel to each of our schools.  As the school receives this special gift, they will plan their own unique community celebration.  We look forward to documenting the journey of this statue, and the Christian community spirit that is evident in each of our schools, through social media.

Year of Community Celebration Calendar

Below are the dates that our school communities will celebrate the Year of Commmunity.

Witness (2015 - 2016)

In 2015 - 2016, our school board began a three-year initiative, emphasizing different aspects of new evangelization, with a focus on the theme of witness.  We reflected on how, as a board and as individual schools, we could be witnesses to the love of Jesus Christ and message of His gospel.  Among other activities, we witnessed our faith by carrying the cross through the neighbourhoods and streets of our schools.  The cross moved from west to east, across Durham Region, as a demonstration of our belief in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Watch both our launch video and commemorative slideshow to experience this expression of faith in action.

Opening the Doors of Mercy

Watch our video and learn how Durham Catholic secondary school students share how they are opening the Doors of Mercy and helping others in our local communities.

Our parishes

We partner with our local parishes to strengthen the relationship between school, home and church.

Contact us

To learn more about New Evangelization, call us at 905-576-6150 ext. 22238.