About Our School

Our patron saint is Mary the Blessed Virgin. 

The Mother, of God, Mother of Jesus, wife of St. Joseph, and the greatest of all Christian saints. The Virgin Mother "was, after her Son, exalted by divine grace above all angels and men". Mary's life and role in the history of salvation is prefigured in the Old Testament, while the events of her life are recorded in the New Testament. Traditionally, she was declared the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne. Born in Jerusalem, Mary was presented in the Temple and took a vow of virginity. Living in Nazareth, Mary was visited by the archangel Gabriel, who announced to her that she would become the Mother of Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. She became betrothed to St. Joseph and went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was bearing St. John the Baptist. 

The belief that Mary's body was assumed into heaven is one of the oldest traditions of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII declared this belief Catholic dogma in 1950. The feast of the Assumption is celebrated on August 15.

Mary possesses a unique relationship with all three Persons of the Trinity, thereby giving her a claim to the title of Queenship. She was chosen by God the Father to be the Mother of his Son; God the Holy Spirit chose her to be his virginal spouse for the Incarnation of the Son; and God the Son chose her to be his mother, the means of incarnating into the world for the purposes of the redemption of humanity. This Queen is also our Mother. 

As Catholic educators, we live according to our Father's code and to lead our students, by example, to live the basic truths of the gospel message. This is an awesome, yet inspiring challenge which we share with the parents of our young men and women.

Children learn what they live. Each day we have the opportunity to teach our students:

• to love by the way we love;
• to be generous by our generosity;
• to be passionate by our compassion; and
• to be forgiving by the way we forgive.

However, a person cannot give what he or she does not have. Unless we are living the Gospel message, we cannot lead our students to do so.

There are many hallmarks of a Catholic educator, including:

• Prayer - The challenges of our vocation, and indeed life in general, are great. To meet them we need to follow Christ's advice that we "ask the father in My name". Each Catholic educator has a duty to expose students to his or her particular style of prayer in order to assist students to recognize the value of prayer in daily life.
• Eucharist - Parish, school, and staff liturgies provide opportunities to celebrate our faith. Our example can testify to the Eucharist as a joyful source of strength and community building.
• Social Justice - This is the heart of the Christian message, that we "love one another as I have loved you". As our brother's and sister's keepers, we must be concerned about the aged, the poor, the oppressed, and any other marginalized group - both at home and abroad.

Our school colours are grey and blue. These colours were chosen to honour our Blessed Mother, asking for her guidance and love. 

St. Mary Catholic Secondary School opened in 1988, following a pioneering first year in temporary facilities at Holy Cross Catholic School while its Whites Road campus was under construction. As the first new secondary school built by the Durham Catholic District School Board after the introduction of full provincial funding for Catholic education, St. Mary Catholic Secondary School quickly became a cornerstone of Catholic learning in Pickering and the surrounding region. Named in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the school is rooted in faith, service, and academic excellence. Over the years, St. Mary has grown into a diverse and vibrant community known for its strong traditions, outstanding academic and extracurricular achievements, and its commitment to nurturing students in an environment inspired by the values of love, leadership, and service.

The Assumption of Mary is celebrated on August 15.

The St. Mary Catholic Secondary School motto is Amare et Servire, translated this means "To Love and To Serve".

St. Mary School Crest

The symbols in the school logo/crest includes: 

• The Crown - symbolizes the honour of the Blessed Mother Mary as the Mother of Jesus Christ and our spiritual Mother and Queen.
• The Cross - serves as a reminder of Christ's death and resurrection.
• The Shield - represents the courage needed to make wise and honourable choices and the protection acquired through prayer and devotion to our Blessed Mother.
• The Vines - symbolize our communion with Christ and reliance upon His grace.

Loving God, with grateful hearts, we acknowledge all the blessings you have bestowed upon this community in your glory. We know that everything that comes from You is good. Through all the challenges and opportunities we are presented with, we look to You and depend upon You to be our Guide. Whenever we are in doubt, help us to seek You. Continue to bless our school, that it will be an inspiring centre for learning, new discovery and the pursuit for wisdom and faith. Grant us opportunities to develop our special gifts that we may love and serve those in our community and those who are in need around the world. Give us the courage to always do what is right and enable us with strength to forgive others and ourselves. Help us to accept ourselves and others unconditionally. Enable us to fight through temptations and show us the way to everlasting happiness and joy. Teach us to be like our Mother Mary, our patron saint. Accept our daily praise and continue to love us unconditionally. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savour. Amen  

Our board's calendar is now available. We encourage students and parents to stay informed of upcoming school events, we ask that you please visit our school year calendar webpage to lear more about activities happening at school.  

We welcome your questions, comments and concerns.

St. Mary Catholic Secondary School
1918 Whites Road
Pickering, ON L1V 1R9

Phone: (905) 420-7166
Fax: (905) 831-1778