June 5, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Eleven of Ontario’s 29 English Catholic school boards explicitly acknowledged June as “Pride Month,” even though “Pride” events are known for celebrating homosexuality, transsexualism, and other sexually deviant behaviors.
The Catholic boards acknowledged “Pride Month” in the context of assurances that Catholic schools are inclusive and welcoming to all and often used the tagline: “We are all wonderfully made,” with an illustration incorporating the rainbow, the symbol of homosexual activism.
While the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that unjust discrimination toward persons with same-sex inclinations can never be condoned, it also teaches that homosexual acts are gravely evil and that the same-sex inclination itself is objectively disordered.
“It’s unbelievable. This heresy has spread faster than the Wuhan virus, infecting one-third of Ontario’s so-called ‘Catholic’ school boards with a spiritually deadly disease,” commented Jack Fonseca, director of political operations for Canada’s national pro-life, pro-family lobbying group, Campaign Life Coalition.
“I’m sad to say it, but those boards can no longer be considered truly Catholic. They’ve moved into a different realm of spiritual belief, I’m not sure what, maybe pagan,” he told LifeSiteNews.
“All of the trustees and administration staff in those boards who were involved in approving this celebration of homosexual sin need to go to confession and then make reparations by recanting this anti-Christian stance.”
LifeSite reported earlier this week that Ottawa, Waterloo, Algonquin/Lakeshore, and Thunder Bay acknowledge June as “Pride Month,” with Toronto making a nod to it as the month that “manifests pride” for “those in our community who identify as LGBTQ+” in a reference to June as the month devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Now the Kenora, Simcoe-Muskoka, St. Clair, Niagara, York, and Wellington Catholic school boards have acknowledged “Pride Month” either on social media or their websites.
Dufferin-Peel and Northwest Catholic school boards also posted messages strongly signaling acknowledgement of “Pride Month” but stopped short of explicitly doing so.
“Catholic” version of pro-homosexual “Pride” flag
The York Catholic District School Board tweeted a message Thursday repeating almost verbatim the statement by Toronto’s Catholic board:
June is traditionally devoted to the sacred heart of Jesus which is a symbol of God's boundless ❤️ for all. June is also #PrideMonth.
We remain committed to nurturing safe & inclusive environments where every student & community member is welcomed, valued & respected.
— York Catholic District School Board (@YCDSB) June 4, 2020
The Niagara Catholic school board tweeted that it was “pleased to recognize Pride Month in Ontario.”
Niagara Catholic is pleased to recognize #PrideMonth in Ontario. We love and celebrate our students, staff and families for the uniqueness of who they are. #PRIDE2020 #pride @CatholicEdu @Sflecce pic.twitter.com/235jf2LtIh
— Niagara Catholic DSB (@niagaracatholic) June 4, 2020
The illustration it used depicts Jesus with His arms outstretched over an array of rainbow-colored figures and the words “We are all wonderfully made.”
This is the image on the flag Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) announced would fly at all schools during June to mark Pride Month.
However, the board changed its mind after backlash from pro-family groups as well as LGBT activists, who were upset that it was not flying the rainbow flag, LifeSiteNews reported earlier this week.
WCDSB’s schools will still display the “Catholic Pride” flag in entrances in the coming year, while the board consults with “the LGBTQ community” about next year, it said at that time.
WCDSB’s director of education, Loretta Notten, told local media the flag was one of a number of options designed by the Institute of Catholic Education.
LifeSiteNews contacted ICE to confirm this and to ask why Catholic boards are acknowledging “Pride Month” but did not hear back by deadline.
“We are all wonderfully made”
The Kenora Catholic District School Board announced on its website and Facebook that it “recognizes Pride Month,” along with a photo of the rainbow flag.
“While the global pandemic means things will look different this year, the month of June continues to be celebrated as PRIDE month in Kenora. This month, and each and every month, our Catholic schools are committed to nurturing safe and inclusive learning environments where every student and every member of the community is welcomed, valued, and respected. #KCDSBFamily #PrideMonth,” KCDSB stated on Facebook.
The Simcoe-Muskoka Catholic District School Board both tweeted and posted on Facebook on June 3:
June is #PrideMonth across Canada. As Catholics, we believe that we are wonderfully made in the image & likeness of God, who loves us unconditionally—just as we are. We're committed to nurturing safe & inclusive learning environments where everyone is welcome, valued & respected pic.twitter.com/OTLqa8YKEL
— SMCDSB (@SMCDSB) June 3, 2020
The St. Clair Catholic District School Board, headquartered in Wallaceburg, tweeted and posted to Facebook an almost identical message June 1:
The month of June is designated as PRIDE month in many communities across Ontario. This month, and each and every month, our Catholic schools are committed to nurturing safe and inclusive learning environments where every student and every member of the community is welcomed. pic.twitter.com/Co9BPmV8QP
— St Clair CDS Board (@SCCDSB) June 1, 2020
The Wellington Catholic District School Board, headquartered in Guelph, noted on its website that the “month of June is designated as PRIDE month in many communities. This month, and every month, Wellington Catholic is committed to nurturing safe and inclusive learning environments where every student and every member of our community is welcomed, valued, and respected.”
It tweeted out the illustration of the rainbow-colored fingerprint used by other Catholic boards with the tagline: “We are all wonderfully made” with prayers by Fr. James Martin.
An invitation for each one of us…
Jesus of the corners,
You saw all: those at the centre and those at the edge.
Guide us into all the corners of our wide world,
Because when you went into rooms,
You found life and love in the stories that others ignore.
Amen. ~Fr. James Martin pic.twitter.com/mSi5fbnnNi— Wellington Catholic (@WellingtonCath) June 3, 2020
The Ottawa Catholic School Board tweeted: “June is Pride Month! We continue to honour the dignity of every person, embracing diversity and creating welcoming places for all. We are all wonderfully made. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19).”
The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board, headquartered in Mississauga, tweeted an image of the rainbow with a message that LGBT students face discrimination and Catholic schools should be welcoming to all.
Students who identify as LGBTQ+ often face discrimination. We are all created in the image and likeness of God, deserving of dignity and respect. Discrimination undermines the dignity of individuals.
Let’s ensure that DPCDSB schools are safe, inclusive and welcoming for all. pic.twitter.com/mYYcCUhDpQ
— DPCDSB (@DPCDSBSchools) June 1, 2020
The Fort Frances–based Northwest Catholic School District posted on its website and Facebook a Facebook post of the LGBT activist group Borderland Pride declaring that the Catholic board is “one of our allies in the local education community!”
Bishops must act: Campaign Life
Fonseca called on the bishops of every “affected diocese” to “publicly condemn this counter-witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, while also speaking to the Board of Trustees behind the scenes to demand that they renounce their support for homosexual Pride celebrations.”
If the bishops do not act, faithful Catholic parents should “meet, in person, with their child’s teacher and school principal” in September “to express their expectation that their children will not be exposed to Gay Pride flags nor other Gay Pride Month celebrations, even if that it is requested by the administration,” he said.
“If teachers and principals are forced to meet face to face with enough parents, hopefully they will ignore the heretical demands of dissident school board trustees and directors of education.”