For 50 years, CEFO fights for Catholic education

The Catholic Education Foundation of Ontario (CEFO) marks a milestone 50 years of steadfast support for Catholic education across the province this year.

On Oct. 24, its enduring commitment will be honoured and celebrated through a special Mass and the 40th Fr. Patrick Fogarty Awards Gala, bringing together current student leaders and Catholic partners to renew the foundation’s vital work for the next generation.

Founded in 1976 amid a hard-fought campaign seeking full Catholic secondary school funding — until 1984, Catholic schools were only fully funded until the end of Grade 10 — CEFO has endured through decades of change and has shifted from mere advocacy to fully preserving the rich history of Catholic schools, promoting their distinctive mission and celebrating the faith-filled leadership of students and educators.

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It is from its origins as an advocacy voice that helped secure funding for Catholic secondary schools that CEFO could then turn its attention to preserving that hard-won history of Catholic education, promoting its Gospel-centred mission and, perhaps most notably, celebrating the outstanding young people who put faith into action in their schools and communities. Through past research volumes and even a 2017 documentary film honouring the religious orders that built the schools, and decades of awards recognizing both individual students and school-based projects, CEFO has helped keep the legacy of Catholic education in Ontario alive and inspiring.

Those celebrations will reach a high point later this month when Bishop Robert Kasun presides at a special anniversary Mass ahead of this year’s Patrick Fogarty Awards Gala. There, current Catholic student award winners will be honoured as part of an evening that offers the wider faithful a chance to give thanks for 50 years of faithful service and to look ahead with a renewed hope for the next half-century of Catholic education in Ontario.

Mary Eileen Donovan, president of CEFO explained the grand scale of past Fogarty Award Galas, which have become a staple event in CEFO’s work.

“ We have got close to 160 or more Catholic secondary schools in the province right now, and so that night usually brings together 100 or more graduating award winners. Around a decade ago, we had the students pick three things that they were most proud of or that they did towards their Catholic School Award, and it has been so unbelievable to witness their outreach and involvement in their churches, schools and the local communities,” she said. 

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CEFO is also known for its Michael Carty and Michael Monk awards, which support and celebrate innovative, faith-based initiatives within Ontario's Catholic schools. Schools can receive up to $2,000 for approved projects, and Donovan says many strong initiatives have been funded by these awards over the years.

However, in this special anniversary year, the Fogarty Gala at the Delta Hotels Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre is set to be particularly impactful, with past award winners and their families set to join in on the celebrations. 

While challenging to reach these alumni, outreach has been happening through personal networks and similar Catholic gatherings.

“I bumped into Luke Stocking and, funnily enough, I asked him if he happened to be the Catholic student of the year at his school. He turned out to be, and so I told him to write Oct. 24 in his calendar,” Donovan said, referring to the Register columnist and Development and Peace-Caritas Canada director. 

One alumni winner is also set to speak to the current student award recipients, a “full-circle” moment showing how faith can be lived out in various careers after high school. 

Donovan, who has been involved in Catholic education for 70 years, including with CEFO directly since the 1990s and as president since 2013, knows the meaning of keeping the Catholic community, past and present, connected. This month is perhaps the epitome of that kind of special occasion, one that encapsulates the best of 50 years of one of Catholic education’s staunchest supporters.

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“ Working with our Catholic partners to see each student's passion and dedication makes me so incredibly hopeful in a world where we desperately need hope. What these students accomplish is pure faith in action — and that is how we can make this world a better place. Through Catholic education, that difference can be made,” she said. 

For more information, visit cefontario.ca.

A version of this article appeared in the October 18, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "For 50 years, CEFO fights for Catholic education".