RCSD officially renames school in honour of St. Maria Faustina
Jean Vanier School has officially been renamed St. Maria Faustina School — a decision that came after a report earlier this year revealed its namesake had sexually abused six women.
Jean Vanier was the founder of L’arche International and a prominent Canadian Catholic figure well-known for his charitable work with people with intellectual disabilities. He died in May 2019 at the age of 90.
In February, a report commissioned by L’arche International said Vanier had “manipulative sexual relationships” with at least six women between 1970 to 2005.
“The alleged victims felt deprived of their free will and so the sexual activity was coerced or took place under coercive conditions,” the report read, noting the women felt Vanier “had used his power over them to take advantage of them.”
None of the women were disabled.
After hearing the news, the Regina Catholic School Division (RCSD) began having conversations with its school community about potentially changing the school’s name, and on Tuesday afternoon during a livestreamed school board meeting, it passed the renaming of the school.
“We’ve come to an age in our society where, when we recognize that injustices have been done and we need to be able to address things from the past that were inappropriate,” said RCSD board chair Bob Kowalchuk.
“It’s an acknowledgment that Vanier made mistakes in the past and we need to change (the name).”
“We’re pleased to have this new school name,” school principal Lesley Perrault said in a news release. “When we read headlines about Jean Vanier earlier this year, we were concerned about how the association might impact our community.”
The newly named St. Maria Faustina School is a specialized school that educates students with intensive needs.
The Catholic nun St. Faustina is the Patron Saint of Mercy. She died at age 33 in 1938 in Poland and was canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2000.