Who Is Defending Separate School Students Trying To Live the Faith?

'Separate schools' in Ontario are taxpayer-funded, governed not by the Church but by elected boards of lay trustees. The Bishops have no control over them.

From Everyday For Life Canada

Who will protect the faithful students and teachers in Ontario's Catholic school system? Are there "safe spaces" for those in schools who stand firm in the faith against gender identity, critical race theory and inclusive education? The entire school by definition should be that safe space. In 2018, Grade 11 student Kelty Barel made a strong presentation to the Halton Catholic District School Board Board in defence of faith and life. But today it's students like Barel who are likely to be called names and even persecuted for just trying to live the faith. 

Trustees make every effort to listen to activist students while often ignoring the majority who are afraid to speak in this secular and progressive climate of division and fear. These young people pushing equity education and critical race theory don't represent the majority of students. Their loud voices must not be confused with democracy. Catholic school administrators and trustees have a duty to support students like Kelty Barel who deserve a Catholic education without the threat of being bullied and even oppressed for their traditional views. We do. So, it's very much worth looking at Barel's speech again:

Hello My name is Kelty Barel, and I’m a grade eleven student at St. Ignatius of Loyola. 

First of all, I would like to thank the board of trustees for having me, and for allowing me to speak at this meeting. It means a lot that the school board is open to hearing and taking into account the opinions of students. I would also like to thank you for all the work you do for our school board on a daily basis. Thank very much.

I’d like to start off with this: The decisions that we make today, will affect our tomorrow. The decisions that we make today will affect our tomorrow. That’s a quote that I heard from a speaker at the diocese of Hamilton youth rally about a week ago. And it’s really quite interesting how many areas in which that can be applied. If one decides not to do their schoolwork one night, they have to face the consequences the next day in class. If one decides to go to bed late, they’ll be tired all day the next day. If one apologizes for a mistake that day, they may find their relationship with the affected person is more repaired the next. But especially when you’re in a position of power does this apply. Because for every decision you make today, it will affect all of our tomorrows. 

Growing up in a family deeply rooted in faith, I’ve always had a certain set of values, and things that I believe to be true. Don’t lie, steal, be jealous, hurt others, or swear. These are all things that as loving, and good people, we should avoid. They’re all things that seem obvious. And that’s because they are! They should also sound familiar. This is because each one is rooted in the 10 commandments, one of the very pillars of Christianity. They’re all also things that we do for the other person. Because we love the other person, we don’t lie to them. We don’t swear at them. We don’t steal from them. We don’t hurt them. A golden rule of Catholicism that we learn all the way back in kindergarten, is ‘love your neighbor as you love yourself’. As Catholics, we’re all called to love and respect all those around us. Everything that I’ve just said, is also what it means to be pro-life. 

That may come as a surprise to some of you. But really, at the core of the pro life movement, is love. Because we care for and love our neighbor, we don’t want any harm to come to them. No matter how small they may be. 

For me, being pro-life isn’t just about attending events, speaking to others, or opposing abortion and assisted suicide. It’s about a mentality that I live by day to day. 

It’s about deciding to treat that person sitting next to me, who just glared at me for no reason, with kindness, respect, and love. It’s about caring for the other from their conception all the way to their natural death. About doing what God calls all of us to do. But of course, it's also about my work and the difference that I can make. Things like going to the march for life that I attended about a month ago. Things like speaking to you today. You know, the very first time that I attended the march in grade 9, there was a speaker that said something truly profound. I can’t remember it exactly, but it was something along the lines of that when he dies and goes to heaven, he believes that Jesus will reach out to him, welcome him, and ask, “What have you done for the weakest of your brothers and sisters. What have you done for the vulnerable, who can say nothing for themselves. What have you done for my father's children, who’s time came before it even started”.

How can we, as Catholics, say that we give to the less fortunate. Say that we donate to help those in need, when the places we donate to harm children, as much as help them. 

How, as a Catholic school system, have we let it get this far. So far, that there are students being brought up in our Catholic system, that will open discriminate against their faith filled peers. 

When I was in grade 3, I was invited to a Christmas party. At this party, there was one point where all the kids were running around screaming, and the mother of the girl who threw this party was trying to get everyone to settle down, so we could go upstairs for pizza. No one would listen. No one would give this woman the time of day. So, I stood up on the sofa and shouted, “Hey! We’re supposed to be celebrating Christmas! Is this what Jesus would have wanted?”. And everyone stopped, stared at me for a second, and the girl whose party it was said, “Oh shut up!”. And everyone went back to what they were doing.

I’ve noticed, in three years of high school, that people are scared. pro life students are scared to say that they’re pro-life, because they want acceptance from their peers. As Catholics, we’re all called to love and respect life. So why is it that acting according to our faith is so unpopular amongst my age group?

 What currently sets us apart from the public or private school systems? What makes us different? Why do we exist? Faith. The answer is always faith. The one thing that all of us have in common is the religion that we follow. So I say, take pride in being Catholic! Make decisions and come to conclusions that are supported and encouraged by Catholicism. Set a strong and inherently Catholic example for students and staff to follow. Don’t be flimsy, be courageous. Each one of you is here not because the people are ashamed of you, but because they believed in you enough to vote for you. To pick you. 

There is another side out there. Another voice that’s begging to be heard. As a catholic, pro life student, I come before you today to represent that side. This is me, putting my hope, trust, and faith, in all of you and the conclusions that you come to, as our elected board of trustees. 

The decisions that you make today, will affect all of us tomorrow.

Thank you