Celebrating Faith Leadership Across KCDSB
Faith formation is at the heart of everything we do in our KCDSB schools, and this year our Faith Leaders are finding creative, heartfelt, and meaningful ways to help students connect with God, with one another, and with the world around them.
We are grateful for the dedication and leadership of Chantal Ouellette (SMB), Laurel Dufresne (SJPII), Ashley Nason (SJS) and Kerri Favreau (STL), who guide students and staff in living our Catholic values every day, nurturing school communities rooted in compassion, service, prayer, and joy.
ST. LOUIS LIVING ARTS SCHOOL: Faith Through the Living Arts
At St. Louis, Faith Leader Kerri Favreau is helping students discover how the Living Arts can lead them deeper into their relationship with God. The school believes this work is truly “work of the heart,” and students have been exploring their faith through hands-on, meaningful experiences.
At the beginning of the school year, students reflected on how their school beehives symbolize what it means to live in community with God and others. Each class considered their call to serve at school, at home, and in the greater world. Students extracted honey from the beehive frames, and the honey was later blessed by Father Allen during a special school Mass. Afterward, students used the honey to make honey cakes, which were shared in celebration.
A major focus this year is increasing meaningful student involvement in school liturgies. Each class now takes turns serving as “hosts,” giving students a chance to help plan and lead Masses and Prayer Services. Members of the school choir have also begun taking on the role of cantors, confidently leading Mass parts and psalms. With students so actively involved, the school has seen a wonderful increase in family attendance and participation.
The school also celebrated Thanksgiving in a special way this year. Each class prepared part of a communal meal that included turkey soup, homemade buns, pies, and even freshly churned butter, thanks to the help of volunteers from the community.
As the school moves into November, students are preparing a new faith-filled project inspired by the book Cooking With the Saints. Each class will choose a saint and a recipe to cook together, then share what they’ve learned about their saint during a school-wide assembly.
SCHOOL COMMUNITIES UNITED IN FAITH
Across all of our schools, Faith Leaders continue to create welcoming, prayerful environments where students feel connected, supported, and inspired. Whether it’s through liturgical celebrations, social justice initiatives, classroom reflections, or community-building activities, Chantal, Laurel, Ashley, and Kerri are helping students see how faith is lived out each day in big and small ways.
Their leadership reminds us that faith formation isn’t just something we talk about, it’s something we experience together, as a family of schools.