On the Professional Development Day on September 30th, all employees of the Kenora Catholic District School Board gathered at Pope John Paul II school for Spiritual Development Day.
Father Gerry Ward started the day with a learning mass and invited staff to ask questions and participate throughout the mass to make it an interactive learning experience. Father Gerry Ward also invited everyone to participate in Eucharist, building a true sense of community.
The feedback from the learning mass was very positive and really set a comfortable tone for the day. "Why have we not done this before? Never have I been so interested or engaged," said one participate. "We need to do this with our kids. Think about how much more authentic our gatherings would be if they understood," commented another participant.
In the afternoon, Father Gerry Ward talked about the importance of making the classroom environment a community where everyone is accepted. Father Gerry Ward encouraged everyone to recognize each individual as a unique member of the group and offer children the opportunity to have a clean slate, accepting them for who they are. "We need to look outside the box when we are finding the balance in humanity and see the person behind the eyes."
"Coming together to nurture our spirits and our minds on Spiritual Development day is a long-standing practice of our board," says Phyllis Eikre Director of Education. "We are blessed to have this opportunity to renew, refocus and replenish so we can go into our schools and back to our roles and really bring our focus back to what is really important - our faith values."
Each year the Board allocates one Professional Development Day specifically for the spiritual development of all staff.