Our School


At St. Mary Catholic Secondary School, it is our mission to be an inclusive Catholic learning community that inspires every student to achieve their full potential through faith and education. We recognize our call to love and serve from our Master teacher Jesus Christ, and we are committed to creating a Catholic learning community under the protection of Mother Mary.

The Catholic Graduate Expectations are our foundation as we strive for academic excellence and the acknowledgement of those who achieve it. We recognize God as the source of all life and actively work to focus on social issues within our local and global communities.

We celebrate the diversity within our community with a collaborative approach to learning, in cooperation with parents, the Catholic faith community, and other organizations that recognize the value of our mission. Within the context of Catholic teaching and Sacramental living, our school community strives to demonstrate respect and reverence for all life, thus nurturing a safe, Christian environment for the entire school community. 

School Year Calendar 
Our board's calendar is now available. We encourage students and parents to stay informed of upcoming school events, we ask that you please subscribe to our school calendar web page to receive the latest updates and emails on activities happening at school.  
Our logo 

The St. Mary Catholic Secondary School motto is Amare et Servire, translated this means "To Love and To Serve".

St. Mary School Crest

The symbols in the school logo/crest includes: 

  • The Crown - symbolizes the honour of the Blessed Mother Mary as the Mother of Jesus Christ and our spiritual Mother and Queen.
  • The Cross - serves as a reminder of Christ's death and resurrection.
  • The Shield - represents the courage needed to make wise and honourable choices and the protection acquired through prayer and devotion to our Blessed Mother.
  • The Vines - symbolize our communion with Christ and reliance upon His grace.

 

 
School Colours 
Our school colours are grey and blue. These colours were chosen to honour our Blessed Mother, asking for her guidance and love. 
Our Patron Saint


St Mary posterOur patron saint is Mary the Blessed Virgin. 

The Mother, of God, Mother of Jesus, wife of St. Joseph, and the greatest of all Christian saints. The Virgin Mother "was, after her Son, exalted by divine grace above all angels and men". Mary's life and role in the history of salvation is prefigured in the Old Testament, while the events of her life are recorded in the New Testament. Traditionally, she was declared the daughter of Saints Joachim and Anne. Born in Jerusalem, Mary was presented in the Temple and took a vow of virginity. Living in Nazareth, Mary was visited by the archangel Gabriel, who announced to her that she would become the Mother of Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. She became betrothed to St. Joseph and went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was bearing St. John the Baptist. 

The belief that Mary's body was assumed into heaven is one of the oldest traditions of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII declared this belief Catholic dogma in 1950. The feast of the Assumption is celebrated on August 15.

Mary possesses a unique relationship with all three Persons of the Trinity, thereby giving her a claim to the title of Queenship. She was chosen by God the Father to be the Mother of his Son; God the Holy Spirit chose her to be his virginal spouse for the Incarnation of the Son; and God the Son chose her to be his mother, the means of incarnating into the world for the purposes of the redemption of humanity. This Queen is also our Mother. 

 
Our Philosophy 

As Catholic educators, we live according to our Father's code and to lead our students, by example, to live the basic truths of the gospel message. This is an awesome, yet inspiring challenge which we share with the parents of our young men and women.

Children learn what they live. Each day we have the opportunity to teach our students:

  • to love by the way we love;
  • to be generous by our generosity;
  • to be passionate by our compassion; and
  • to be forgiving by the way we forgive.

However, a person cannot give what he or she does not have. Unless we are living the Gospel message, we cannot lead our students to do so.

There are many hallmarks of a Catholic educator, including:

  • Prayer - The challenges of our vocation, and indeed life in general, are great. To meet them we need to
        follow Christ's advice that we "ask the father in My name". Each Catholic educator has a duty to expose
        students to his or her particular style of prayer in order to assist students to recognize the value of prayer in
        daily life.

  • Eucharist - Parish, school, and staff liturgies provide opportunities to celebrate our faith. Our example can
        testify to the Eucharist as a joyful source of strength and community building.

  • Social Justice - This is the heart of the Christian message, that we "love one another as I have loved you".
        As our brother's and sister's keepers, we must be concerned about the aged, the poor, the oppressed, and
        any other marginalized group - both at home and abroad.
 
Our Prayer 

 

School Prayer 

Our Values 
School Values 
Student Agenda
Read our student agenda for information on school procedures, dress code, and more.
Links 

Below are links to resources to help you achieve success while at St. Mary Catholic Secondary School.

 
Contact Us 

We welcome your questions, comments and concerns.

Principal: Mr. John DiVizio

St. Mary Catholic Secondary School
1918 Whites Road
Pickering, ON L1V 1R9

Phone: (905) 420-7166
Fax: (905) 831-1778

 

 

The Story of St. Mary C.S.S.

The Story of St. Mary C.S.S. - Student Animation
Film & Original Animation Created By: Emily Baik, Alicia Kastanis, Julia Benedetti & Cameron Reyes (ASM4M1 Students; December 2016)