OCSTA Newswire

Upcoming Events:

Catholic Education Leadership Speaker Series
Topic: Catholic Trustees: Well-Being
When: Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Time: 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Format: Live Virtual Presentation (via Zoom)
Presented By:
Kelly Lazure Valconi, Senior Manager Pastoral Care and Employee Assistance Program
–Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board
Fr. Jim Mockler, OCSTA Chaplain
REGISTER NOW

Catholic Trustees Seminar

When: January 16 to 17, 2026
Where: Delta by Marriott Toronto Airport Hotel – 655 Dixon Rd., Toronto
Program Information and Registration

2025 OCSTA Catholic Virtual Ontario Forum

Anne O’Brien, Director of Catholic Education

On October 22^nd and 23^rd, the OCSTA/CVO welcomed almost 100 Catholic educators to the 2025 Annual Catholic Virtual Ontario Forum.  CVO Manager, Rose Burton-Spohn welcomed all gathered to what was a faith filled, visionary and informative professional development opportunity.  In words of welcome, OCSTA Executive Director, Patrick Daly thanked Rose Burton-Spohn, the CVO Steering Committee and Catholic teachers from across Ontario for contributing to the remarkable accomplishment of the development and release of 131 distinctly Catholic on-line learning courses.  He especially thanked OCSTA Director of Catholic Education, Anne O’Brien for her vision and tireless work leading the mission of CVO.  He expressed appreciation to those present and to Ontario’s 29 Catholic school boards for their support of the important work of CVO.

The 2025 CVO Forum included the following sessions:

• Featured presentation “Ilumined by Faith and Sacramentality in Catholic Online Learning” presented by Dr. Anne Jamieson, Executive Director, Institute for Catholic Education
• Featured presentation (and also subsequent workshop) “Artificial Intelligence in the Catholic Online Context” presented by Dr. Tom D’Amico, President, AI Leadership Consulting
• Panel Discussion: “The Critical Role of Guidance Teams in Catholic Online Learning”
• Presentation: “Coordinating Catholic Course Offerings Using Student Voice and Data”

Catholic Education Foundation of Ontario

OCSTA President and CEFO Board Member Michael Bellmore with Principal Fiorina Christina Raso-Howard and student – representing St. Albert Learning Centre, Sudbury Catholic DSB – Recipient of the Michael Monk Award for 2025.

On Saturday, October 25, President Bellmore, Executive Director Patrick Daly, Director of Catholic Education, Anne O’Brien and Director of Communications, Sharon McMillan, attended the annual Father Patrick Fogarty Catholic Education of Ontario awards banquet where more than 140 Catholic school students from across Ontario received recognition for their inspiring Christian service and academic and co-curricular achievements.

York Catholic DSB Chair Elizabeth Crowe and Trustee and OCSTA Director Jennifer Wigston with CEFO Award recipients from their board.

OCSTA Director of Catholic Education Anne O’Brien participated in the presentation of CEFO awards to students from across the province.

Executive Director Patrick Daly with Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District Board award recipient, Joshua Canzio.

Bill 33 Update

Together with the strong support of Catholic School Boards throughout Ontario, the OCSTA continues to advocate for the withdrawing of or significant changes to Bill 33, Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025.  In recent communications with member boards, President, Michael Bellmore and Executive Director, Patrick Daly expressed appreciation to Catholic School Board Chairs and Trustees for their efforts to date and encourage continued vigilance with MPP’s, Catholic ratepayers, parents, and local Catholic organizations.

Both with regard to Bill 33 and the possibility of the reform of Education Governance in Ontario, OCSTA will continue to highlight the crucial role of locally elected Catholic School Trustees and make clear our commitment to protect and promote the constitutional and denominational rights of Catholic school boards.

We invite Catholic school boards to continue to do likewise and in their conversations with others comment on:

1. Catholic School Trustees as the local connection to publicly funded Catholic education and as neighbours and fellow parishioners who understand the schools and communities they serve;
2. How Ontario’s Catholic school systems and schools work best when governance decisions are made by individuals who live in the communities they serve;
3. How Catholic School Trustees make decisions in support of the mission of the Catholic school systems they serve and that reflect local priorities and realities;
4. How Catholic School Trustees are; accessible and provide oversight, invite input into decision making, oversee the development of transparent budgets and are accountable to Catholic ratepayers.

“He or she who seeks the office of Catholic Trustee is seeking an honourable office.” ~ G. Emmett Cardinal Carter

Thank you, Catholic School Trustees, for your faith filled leadership, dedicated service and inspiring commitment to publicly funded Catholic education in Ontario.

Called to Serve – Catholic Trustee Highlights

Over the next few months, we will be highlighting the countless ways Catholic School Trustees from across the province are generously responding to God’s call to serve as; advocates, stewards and political and servant leaders of the gift of publicly funded Catholic education. We invite you to view and share these highlights at the links below.

Wellington Catholic Trustees

Sudbury Catholic Trustees

Pope Leo Releases Apostolic Letter on Catholic Education