Creating Communities of Belonging

Edmonton Catholic Schools recognizes that all people are created in the image and likeness of God. As such, every human being is sacred and must be treated with dignity and respect. Our efforts to create inclusive, safe, and caring learning and working communities are guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church and grounded in a holistic understanding of the human person.

Our Division is committed to ensuring that our mission to provide a Catholic education in a faith-filled, Christ-centered learning environment is inclusive of every child of God. Rooted in Catholic Social Teaching, our approach to equity and inclusion reflects our call to love and serve one another, with particular care for those who have been marginalized or excluded. These guiding principles sustain our steadfast commitment to uphold the inherent dignity of every human person.

In keeping with our Catholic tradition of universal inclusivity, Thomas Groome reminds us that the word Catholic comes from the Greek word Katholos, meaning “welcoming all,” just as Jesus did. This call to radical inclusion remains one of the foundational tenets of Edmonton Catholic Schools.

A nurturing and inclusive community is one in which each individual is welcomed, accepted, and supported as a child of God. For this reason, discrimination of any kind is unacceptable and will be addressed. All students, staff, and families of ECSD will be provided with an environment that is welcoming, respectful, safe, caring, and authentically Catholic—one that promotes the well-being of all and strengthens community support in achieving this goal.

Land Acknowledgement 

We acknowledge that we are on the traditional land of Treaty 6 and homeland of the Métis. We also acknowledge the Inuit and other diverse Indigenous peoples whose ancestors have marked this territory for centuries, a place that has welcomed many peoples from around the world to make their home here.

We, at Edmonton Catholic Schools, commit to restoring and honouring the Truth and Reconciliation calls to action; we strongly believe that truth must be acknowledged to move forward to reconciliation. Together, we call upon all our collective communities to build a stronger understanding of all peoples who dwell on this land we call home.