At the annual general meeting of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA), held in Toronto in March this year, an attempt was made to eliminate existing school chaplains (priests or sisters) or chaplaincy team leaders and members if they were not qualified OECTA “teachers’ and ‘branch affiliate members.’

Fortunately it lost: For – 308; Against – 200.  Probably OECTA members figured it would be impossible to rewrite existing contracts.

Resolution passed

However the next resolution, basically the same only that it called for newly appointed chaplains/chaplaincy team leaders and members, to be qualified teachers from now on did pass.  There was no recorded vote.

Hence, OECTA executives still seem determined to seek complete control over chaplains, despite being rebuffed at two previous arbitration hearings held in Toronto on September 14, 1990 and February 12, 1991, when they challenged the Dufferin-Peel Roman Catholic School Board and lost. (Two to one.  Their nominee voted for their silly position.)

Tom Reilly, superintendent of the Dufferin-Peel Roman Catholic Board, estimates this useless exercise cost the taxpayers an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 dollars.  Too bad OECTA didn’t have to write out a thousand times on the blackboard the axiom: “A chaplain does not necessarily have to a professional teacher.”

What OECTA seeks is total control of the schools.  Instead of allowing the diocese to make the appointments, they want to fill up the chaplaincy posts with people who think as they do, people such as the Coalition of Concerned Canadian Catholics (CCCC) types, which is like bringing a hungry fox into the chicken house.  The CCCC is now clearly a fifth column of radical feminists challenging the Church on a variety of moral and doctrinal issues.  They promote guest speakers in Catholic schools that have such opinions on their agenda.  Weak-kneed trustees help gain access to the schools for them.

Suspending members

What OECTA seeks is to have the same kind of control that they have over the rank-and-file member denying them individual opinions on such things as “work to rule” or the right to strike.  Recently a 150-member OECTA Council of Presidents voted to suspend seven members for between three and five years for strike-breaking.  Under this Stalinist mentality, these teachers will not receive any services from the association but they will still be obliged to pay their staff $640 annual union dues.

OECTA services include financial assistance for professional development, counselling, support in filing a grievance, legal advice and help in the event of disciplinary action or in the face of a complaint from a parent or student.  Apparently OECTA would just love to force Catholic priests and sisters into this straightjacket.

OECTA claims that these teachers still benefit from the goodies that they wring out of the school board and the taxpayers.  Freedom is worth a bit more than that though.

If OECTA wins, who will be in charge of the spiritual programs in the Catholic Schools in Ontario?  Who would be the boss?  Archbishop Ambrozic?  The school boards?  Or the CCCC?

That shouldn’t be too hard to figure out.