Governance

MANITOBA CATHOLIC SCHOOLS - RELATIONSHIP & COMMUNICATION STRUCTURE CHART

  School Level

Each Catholic School in Manitoba is incorporated under civil law and has a Board of Directors which is responsible for the governance and financial accountability of the school. The Board of Directors is either elected or appointed according to the by-laws of the school. Members are often parents or members of the parish community. The school Pastor/President and Principal are ex-officio members of the Board of Directors.

In Canon law, each Catholic school operates under the jurisdiction of an ecclesiastical public juridic person and has a Canonical Administrator. In the parochial and interparochial schools, the Pastor is the Canonical Administrator. The Archbishop of Saint Boniface is the Canonical Administrator of St. Boniface Diocesan High School. St. Mary’s Academy, St. Paul’s High School, and Immaculate Heart of Mary School are operated by Religious Orders, and their Congregational Leader is the Canonical Administrator while the Board of Directors of Gonzaga Middle School has this role through a letter of recognition by the Archbishop. The Canonical Administrator in cooperation with the Board of Directors is responsible to the Archbishop for the Catholicity and good governance of the school as a Christian community.

The school Principals and Presidents are responsible for the administration of the schools. They look after the day to day management of the school communities.

  Archdiocesan Level

The Board of Consultors is a consultative body to the Archbishop of Saint Boniface and the Archbishop of Winnipeg to assist them in fulfilling their responsibility under Canon law (Canons 796-805) for Catholic schools in the respective Archdiocese. It is the role of the Board of Consultors to make recommendations to the Archbishops. An Archbishop as per Canon 806 has the right to issue directives concerning the general regulations of Catholic schools. These directives apply also to schools conducted by members of a religious institute, although they retain their autonomy in the internal management of their schools.  The Board of Consultors makes recommendations to the Archbishops in the following areas; Vision, Planning, Policy Development, Public Relations, and Political Advocacy. The Board of Consultors consists of the following ex-officio members; Archbishop of Saint Boniface, Archbishop of Winnipeg, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, and the Manitoba Representative to the Canadian Catholic Schools Trustees Association as well as 9 other members who are school Pastors, Directors or Members at Large appointed by the Archbishops.

The Board of Consultors is not responsible for the governance or management of individual school communities.

 The Superintendent is the delegate of the Archbishop in all matters pertaining to the Catholic School System in his Archdiocese and is responsible directly to him. The Superintendent will liaise with and make reports to the Board of Consultors. The primary responsibility of the Superintendent is to monitor concordance with the Directives and approved Archdiocesan policies issued by each Archbishop. The Superintendent may also issue guidelines to assist and promote their implementation. The Superintendent in cooperation with the Manitoba Catholic Schools Office will assist the Pastors, Consultors, Directors, Presidents, and Principals in carrying out their respective responsibilities. The Superintendent is not responsible for the management of local school communities.

Manitoba Catholic Schools – Board of Consultors 2024-25

Most Rev. Albert LeGatt, Archbishop of Saint Boniface

Most Rev. Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg

Robert Praznik, Superintendent, Manitoba Catholic Schools 

Giuseppi Caligiuri, Manitoba Representative to the Canadian Catholic Schools Trustees Association 

Marion McKenzie, Board Director, St. Alphonsus School

Reis Pagtakhan, Former Board Chair, St. Edward’s School

Michelle Klus, Interim President, St. Mary’s Academy

Michelle St. Croix, Retired Teacher, St. John Brebeuf School 

Fr. Chrys Agu, Christ the King Parish & School

Fr. Eric Giddons, St. Charles Catholic School

Jason Brennon, Board Chair, Immaculate Heart of Mary School

Teresita Chiarella, Director of Manitoba Federation of Independent Schools