Members of the St. Clair Catholic family gathered at the building sites of two new schools – the south Chatham Catholic elementary school and the new Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School – to ask God’s blessing on the ground. The ceremonies were held in Chatham and Sarnia on Wednesday, October 5, 2022. Indigenous partners from the Kettle and Stony Point and Walpole Island First Nations were invited to perform smudging ceremonies.
“When we smudge, we speak prayers,” said Cedric Isaac of the Walpole Island First Nation. “We smudge to bring good things. We pray that everything with these new schools will be good; that it will be positive for all the students and teachers.”
In Chatham, Trevor Jones, Chatham-Kent – Leamington MPP, brought greetings from the Government of Ontario; while in Sarnia, Bob Bailey, MPP for Sarnia-Lambton spoke on behalf of the government.
“I bring greetings from the Premier and the Ontario government,” said Mr. Jones. “This investment is critical – not because of the bricks and mortar – but because of the precious people that are going to be inside this building,” said Mr. Jones. “I want to thank the Board’s senior administration, students and staff for being here today and being part of something very special, and of our future success.”
“On behalf of the Premier and Minister Lecce, we are proud to be able to invest in Catholic education here in this community,” said Mr. Bailey. “The Catholic school board is doing a great job in leadership here – your board, your trustees – and I look forward to the opening when we cut the ribbon on this beautiful new building.”
In Chatham, the $19,538,014 project to build a new 564-pupil place elementary school includes $2,083,114 in funding for a three-room child care centre. Additional capital funds from the Ministry in the amount of $1,048,675 for Full Day Kindergarten and a further $2,007,440 in Board funds, are also included.
The new Gregory A. Hogan Catholic School in Sarnia is an investment of $21,833,171 and includes a new 659-pupil place elementary school, with $4,589,154 in funding for a five-room child care centre. Also included in the funding is a $200,000 donation from the Hogan Family, to support an expanded 900 square foot community room in the new school.
“I want to extend my great appreciation, on behalf of the Board of Trustees and the entire St. Clair Catholic system, to the Government of Ontario and the Ministry of Education, for the significant funding that makes these projects possible,” said Scott Johnson, Director of Education.
Students from the Gregory A. Hogan school community in Sarnia, and the St. Ursula, Georges P. Vanier and former St. Joseph communities in Chatham, attended Wednesday’s blessing ceremonies and provided beautiful and moving songs of worship.
The blessing ceremonies were led by Father John Jassica of the Chatham Catholic Family of Parishes and Father Paul Kim of the Sarnia Bluewater Roman Catholic Family of Parishes.
Mr. Johnson also thanked the Board’s senior administration, including Amy Janssens, Associate Director – Corporate Services & Treasurer; Superintendents of Education Lisa Demers and Laura Callaghan; and Manager of Facility Services Tony Montanino and Manager of Risk and Supply Chain Tony Prizio along with their staff, for all of the great work that has brought us to this day.
With a great deal of work still to come, the Board looks forward to school openings in December 2023 for Gregory A. Hogan and February/March 2024 for the new south Chatham Catholic elementary school.
New South Chatham Elementary School
New Gregory A. Hogan Catholic Elementary School
