On Friday, Nov. 7, the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) celebrated Faith Day and Catholic education with the faith theme of Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift (2 Corinthians 9:15): Journeying as Pilgrims of Hope, and in doing so, saved hundreds of thousands in cost.
As opposed to a regular November Faith Day, which would’ve included a large, district-wide gathering with guest and keynote speakers, the district hosted opportunities for staff to attend mass at their local parish, a video address on Hope and Pilgrimage and time for fellowship together. Additionally, on a per-location basis, leaders were able to accommodate time for individual staff work, reflection, and small group working sessions.
“We had our first Faith Day shortly after the teachers resumed work after labour action and you can see it would be very sensitive and we’re very proud of how we pivoted as a district to give our teachers a faith-based experience on that day,” Dr. Bryan Szumlas, CCSD Chief Superintendent, said during the Nov. 26 Board of Trustees meeting.
“We also gave them a gift of time so that they could do some planning and try to figure out the path forward, having been off work for a number of weeks.”
The school and local community-based gatherings allowed teachers to build and rebuild some of the relationships within their school communities, John Wasch, Director of Catholicity, said during the meeting.
According to the meeting’s agenda, at the end of the day, a feedback survey was offered, receiving 484 responses. More than 96 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “The content and activities prepared for Faith Day (Day 1 of 2) were meaningful and helpful in furthering my faith journey.”
More than 95 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “Faith Day (Day 1 of 2) provided ideas to incorporate expressions of faith into my daily work and with my site and school-based community.”
Other recurring feedback themes included the exceptional quality of the video and content, the deep appreciation for the spiritual observance of mass and diverging opinions surrounding the format.
“The district-produced video was frequently cited as the ‘BEST Faith Day presentation ever’ and “hands down, the best Faith Day video.” Staff found the content—particularly the focus on local pilgrimage sites and the theme of Hope—to be highly engaging, informative, inspiring, and beautifully produced,” the agenda reads.
In the feedback, many district staff debated the alternative format, with many appreciating the gift of time and the half-day format and the opportunity to connect with their immediate school staff, an equally strong number of comments lamented the loss of the “one Family” feeling from the full district-wide gathering, according to the agenda.
“Many staff urged the committee to “reintroduce Faith day as a whole” to restore the sense of excitement and unity. The afternoon time granted for catching up on work and collaborating was widely seen as a “gift” and a “thoughtful” response to current workloads,” the agenda reads.
Large events, large costs
Staff and community reaction aside, Szumlas said typically, the large Faith Day events cost around $400,000 to host.
“As stewards of the money, we felt that that ($400,000 costs) more than four teachers, we could invest in four teachers rather than having that (Faith Day) experience,” he said.
“We’ve pared it way down; now our Faith Day probably costs less than $50,000 to make it happen district-wide.”
Faith Day will always be about people and spiritual connection, Szumlas said, but the bang for buck of the smaller, school-based experiences is tough to match.
