Preface
1.1 Character Education in Ontario
1.2 Finding Common Ground: Ontario’s Character Development Initiative
1.3 Responses by the Catholic Community
1.4 Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario: A Call to Promote the Virtues
2.1 Catholic Education: A Tradition Rooted in Character Formation
2.2 The Gift: A Call to Re-tell our Story 2.3 Character and Virtue in Catholic Schools
2.3 Character and Virtue in Catholic Schools
2.4 The Virtues: Catholic Education’s Key Link to Character Development
1. Why This Resource?
1.1 Character Education in Ontario
This resource was developed by Catholic educators in Eastern Ontario. It is a response to the call for character development in Ontario’s publicly funded elementary and secondary schools. Its contents draw on 
our deepest values as a Catholic educational community – values which shape the character of all who teach and learn in our schools. These values are rooted in the language of Scripture and Tradition – the language of our story.
The language of our story is rich with terms and images which point to Jesus Christ, the eternal Word made flesh – the origin and fulfillment of our sacred story. All that we say and do in Catholic schools is a means for supporting our students’ pilgrimage to fullness of life in Him. From the vast language of our story, we have chosen the virtues as our points of reference. Faith, hope, love (the Theological Virtues), justice, prudence, temperance and fortitude (the Cardinal Virtues) are thetouchstones for this document's contents.
1.2 Finding Common Ground: Ontario’s Character Development Initiative
The character education mandate was formally announced by Ontario’s Ministry of Education in the fall of 2006. At this time, the Ministry’s Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat released their discussion paper, Finding Common Ground: Character Development in Ontario Schools, K-12. The paper called for the creation of character education programs based on shared values that transcended diversities such as ethnicity and creed (hence the title, Finding Common Ground). The Ministry directed school boards and their communities (students, staff, and ratepayers) to identify character attributes they wished to see fostered in their young people. These were to be infused into every subject area and school activity. The character education initiative had two key goals:
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to improve student learning in the cognitive, affective, attitudinal and behavioural domains
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to prepare young people for civic engagement and global citizenship in an increasingly interdependent world
1.3 Responses by the Catholic Community
The Ministry’s 2006 launch of Finding Common Ground was received with mixed reactions from Catholic educators. Many recognized that Catholic schools have always been about intentionally building character – in every subject area and school activity. This includes Religion and Family Life education, Sacramental preparations, retreats, community outreach initiatives, athletic programs, and much more.
As our conversations deepened, Catholic educators began to ask: Why not embrace this initiative as an opportunity to underscore the distinctive Catholic character of our schools? Why not showcase our successes in ways that resonate with Finding Common Ground in the
language of our story?
Catholic school boards across Ontario soon began developing Catholic character education programs. Some were based on the gifts of the Holy Spirit; others incorporated the fruits of the Spirit; still others focused on cultivating various virtues found throughout the bible or borrowed from other sources.
1.4 Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario: A Call to Promote the Virtues
In the fall of 2008, the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario (then, the Ontario Conference of Catholic 
Bishops) released Character Developand the Virtuous Life: A Position Paper. This was a formal response to Finding Common Ground. It provided clear direction to Catholic school boards and professional associations for producing Catholic character education resources. The Bishops remind us that promoting the virtuous life already lay at the heart of our language and story. If anything seemed new, it was the return to the language of virtues and its distinguished, time-tested standing within our Catholic Tradition.
In effect, the Bishops reminded us, “You are already doing this - this is part of YOUR language and YOUR story. Reclaim it in your practice.
Our Language, Our Story is a response to this direction. It provides practical tools and strategies for integrating the language of theological and cardinal virtues into the culture of our Catholic schools. Educators and administrators will find it useful across the curriculum in its broadest sense.
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2. Character Education - Part of our History
2.1 Catholic Education: A Tradition Rooted in Character Formation
Formation of character has always been a vital part of Catholic education. Our common ground of shared values is rooted in the Gospel of Jesus and the living Tradition of our faith. Catholic education addresses the cognitive, affective, attitudinal and behavioural domains through a formation of the whole person - spiritually, physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially. In this way, we help shape the character of young people that they will reason and act according to the mind, heart and will of Christ. These students will go on to influence the common good and contribute to the building of a just society based on Christ’s Law of love, which summarizes the entire Gospel. (See: Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 1970)
2.2 The Gift: A Call to Re-tell our Story
The call for Character development programs in Ontario schools is therefore a gift to Catholic education – an opportunity for us to re-tell our story as a people of faith. It has the potential to strengthen our staffs and students as followers of Christ, bringing new vitality into our system at a province-wide level. Re-telling our story in this way allows us to proclaim our distinctiveness and importance to society. This is crucial in a time when many are questioning the importance of multiple publicly-funded education systems in Ontario.
2.3 Character and Virtue in Catholic Schools
So what is character, and why would we teach its importance in our Catholic schools? Ontario’s Bishops refer to character as “something that is constructed, something I choose more or less deliberately. (OCCB, Character Development and the Virtuous Life: A Position Paper, 2009. P. 2.) This is different from personality, which is something more permanent, who I am. Character, on the other hand, deals with how I respond to life’s challenges and blessings or interact with others. While personality is more ethically neutral, character has a definite moral aspect. There are good and bad ways of responding to life and relating to our neighbour. Applying the best of our faith heritage to these areas can help us become the persons God has called us to be – what many great Christian writers would term, a person of virtue.
2.4 The Virtues: Catholic Education’s Key Link to Character Development
The Ontario Bishops propose that virtue, “a concept central to Catholic moral doctrine, is key in linking the Character Development Initiative to the Catholic school education project.” (Ibid., underline added)
The language of virtues has been associated with character formation since the time of Plato and Aristotle. From the fourth century onward, the virtues have been an important part of Christian education, which in turn, has played a primary role in shaping Western civilization’s foundational values.
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3. Acknowledgements
A sincere debt of gratitude is owed to the Literacy and Numeracy Secretariat of Ontario’s Ministry of Education. Their grant to fund this project ensured the writing of this resource was made possible. Without their financial assistance, this resource would not exist.
The guidance of the Bishops of Ontario and Bishop Paul-André Durocher, in particular, has been vital to this project. Their knowledge and inspiration have facilitated the realization of this Catholic school resource.
Leadership for this project was provided by the Eastern Ontario Catholic Curriculum Cooperative. A special thank you is extended to Lorne Keon, EOCCC Executive Director for his constant and unwavering support for the project, and to project manager, Tony Cosentino, whose steady hand has guided the creation of Our Language, Our Story, from its inception. A note of sincere appreciation to Fr. Michael Ryan of the London, Ontario Diocese. His guidance and suggestions regarding our work on the virtues played an important role in the development of this resource.
Our Reviewers: Suzanne Wishak (Northern Ontario Catholic Curriculum Cooperative), Fran Craig (Catholic Curriculum Corporation) and Peter Crane (Catholic Curriculum Corporation) provided important feedback and direction for this resource in its initial stages. A sincere note of thanks to them for their helpful insights and suggestions.
The creative efforts of the core development team have been significant. They include:
Kellie Behm
Janet Bentham
Ann Boniferro
Tony Cosentino
Lynn Denault
Dale Henderson |
Bronek Korczynski
Stephanie Korczynski
Teresa McDonald
Angela McGrath
Bradley Moleski
Mary Ann Oosterman |
Many other members of the Catholic educational community have enriched this project in a variety of ways: from contributing materials to offering constructive criticism in its development. Though their names may not appear in print, the fruit of their experience and selfless commitment to Catholic education is imprinted in spirit throughout.
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Final Comments
This initial release of Our Language, Our Story represents a beginning in the EOCCC’s effort to create a bank of character development resources for Catholic educators. What is here represents an initial collection of best practices. It is truly our hope that this collection will grow as future contributors add their successful practices and ideas.
And finally, to all who will make contributions to this resource as it grows in the future. The usefulness of Our Language, Our Story will continue through such ongoing contributions. Its impact on the students and staff of our Catholic schools for many years to come will help ensure that we remain faithful to our share in the Church’s evangelizing mission. This is why parents send their children to us. They value the faith-based education and character formation for discipleship that we provide, and expect nothing less.
Ad maiorem dei gloriam
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