October 24, 2010
Dear Faithful of the Archdiocese of Toronto,
I strongly urge you to vote Monday in the municipal elections. The political leaders who serve at the municipal level have an immediate, practical, and profound influence on the well-being of the whole community; it is vital that each citizen vote for the candidate he or she considers most qualified to serve the common good.
As I mentioned in my pastoral letter of September 12th, it is especially important that Catholics vote, and vote wisely, in the election of Catholic School Board Trustees. I stated in that letter:
A Catholic School Trustee should be a faithful practicing Catholic.
A Catholic School Trustee should be exemplary in personal integrity and conduct, always striving to foster the good of the children, and not personal interest. We need to elect trustees who will represent us with honour and dignity, as worthy stewards of Catholic Education, so that we may all be proud of their stewardship.
A Catholic School Trustee should have a well developed understanding of Catholic Education, and of the role of the board of trustees in setting the policy that advances the common good of the whole Catholic School District, and of all of the children entrusted to it. Competence, wisdom, maturity, fiscal responsibility, respect for the law, and the capacity to work effectively with fellow trustees for the common good of Catholic Education - these are essential qualities in a Catholic School Trustee.
I urge each eligible parishioner to assess rigorously the candidates for the vitally important position of Catholic School Board trustee, holding them accountable to the highest standards, and to vote conscientiously on Monday, October 25th.
Thomas Collins
Archbishop of Toronto
