We present this week, in our semi-annual education issue, our Gallery of Excellence (pages 11-20). These are just a few of the people, from across the province, who make us proud of our Catholic education system. And make no mistake, it is only a few. To show you all examples of excellence in our Catholic schools, well, we couldn’t. There just would not be enough space on these pages.

Our Gallery of Excellence was conceived by Associate Editor Michael Swan. He has enlisted Youth Editor Carolyn Girard and Reporter Sheila Dabu in finding a small sampling of the excellence demonstrated in our schools, from the fields of athletics and engineering, to social justice advocates and chaplaincy leaders, teachers, principals, parents and more.

It is quite a team they have come up with.

And really, that is the key — it is a team effort in educating our young. As the old African proverb says, “It takes a village to raise a child.” The system succeeds because everyone is focussed on a common goal — to do what is in the best interests of our children.

But that’s just the people who make our system excellent today. We mustn’t forget those who fought for the right to Catholic education in Ontario, dating back to the days when the province wasn’t even known as Ontario. The priests, the religious brothers and sisters. How many people reading this right now were educated by the Basilians? The Spiritans? The Sisters of St. Joseph or the Notre Dame Sisters? The Jesuits? And more. Countless.

Today, the religious communities are not so prominent in our schools, but their legacy remains.

And let’s not forget the immigrant families who have come to Canada over the past two centuries and have strived to continue to live by their faith and pass it along to their children, through their parishes and in the schools. Their courageous stories in fighting for the right to celebrate and pass along this faith are endless.

More recently, how many hours were spent by Catholic school trustees and such luminaries as the late Cardinal Gerald Emmett Carter in fighting to have Catholic schools funded at the same level as their public counterparts? Again, countless.

Yes, this has been quite a team over the years. And with a team like that, how can you lose?

So enjoy reading our Gallery of Excellence. And think of your own community and the people who are just as worthy as those profiled on these pages. And please, remember those who have made it all possible.