On Oct. 26 Martin, who most recently served as director of Catholic education for the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association, received the award at the foundation’s annual Fr. Patrick Fogarty Awards Dinner.
“Noel Martin’s name was presented to the board and was unanimously endorsed as the recipient for the 2013 CEFO Medal of Honour,” said Michael Monk, a spokesperson from the Catholic Education Foundation of Ontario. “Noel has demonstrated not only remarkable leadership within the (Toronto Catholic District School Board) but also provincially as the director of Catholic education for OCSTA.”
“I am honoured by it and I am proud of it,” said Martin. “I am surprised that I was nominated when you see the list of people that have gone before me.”
Names on that list include Cardinal Gerald Emmett Carter, former Ontario premier William Davis, Archbishop Marcel Gervails and Msgr. Dennis Murphy.
Angela Gauthier, director of education for the TCDSB, where Martin spent most of his career, said the entire board is proud to say Martin was once theirs.
“We are extremely proud,” she said. “We see Noel as one of our own even though he has done many things outside of the board. We see him as an embodiment of what leadership ... should look like and can look like.”
Ordained a Spiritan priest in Ireland (he later left the priesthood but remains a faithful Catholic), he earned a bachelor of arts from the University College of Dublin and a master’s of education from Boston College. Martin took his first teaching position at Toronto’s Neil McNeil High School.
“My time at Neil was very foundational in my growth as a teacher, a Catholic teacher,” said Martin. “There is something about teaching that gets into your soul. The fact that on a daily basis you are able to look into the eyes of the future of this country and help them to realize how to kind of take the talents, their God-given talents, they have and use them in a way that benefits them and benefits society at large and does it in the context of what we would call our Gospel values.”
After 15 years at Neil McNeil, Martin moved to Don Bosco Catholic Secondary School on the other side of Toronto where, over the course of eight years, he advanced to vice-principal and then principal before being appointed the board’s superintendent of education.
Martin’s recognition came just days before he was set to retire for the third time. In 1997 he retired for the first time “and then I did it all over again.” In 2005 he was appointed director of education for the Toronto Catholic board.
“Then I retired again and when this job became available (with the OCSTA) I applied and successfully got it,” said Martin, who was to retire again Oct. 31.
Martin said he kept coming back to work with the school board because “Sometimes it is pointed out to you that you have some leadership capacities. That part of education is important as well. If somebody (says) can you come and help us with this I’m not going to sit at home and do nothing.”
Marino Gazzola, president of OCSTA, said the association is proud of Martin and wished him continued success.
“Our system will miss Noel’s insight, passionate dedication to faith formation and his wonderful Irish humour,” said Gazzola.
Despite the praise and recognition, Martin said all he’s ever saw himself as is a teacher doing what a teacher should.
“All that a vice principal, principal, superintendent (or) director of education is is a teacher with added responsibilities,” said Martin.
“You’re always a teacher no matter what role you are taking.”