Community mourns ‘champion of Catholic education’

Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board trustees are voicing words of appreciation for the Sault’s Regis O’Connor.

A teacher and longtime school board trustee, O’Connor died Wednesday. He was 85.

As a trustee, O’Connor was the first chair of the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board in 1998 and held that role for six years.

He guided fellow trustees through the board’s transformation from the former Sault Ste. Marie Roman Catholic Separate School Board into the new Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board in the days of school board amalgamations in Ontario.

Amalgamation brought together the former Sault Ste. Marie, North Shore, Michipicoten and Chapleau Roman Catholic Separate School boards.

O’Connor had been a trustee for the former Sault Ste. Marie Roman Catholic Separate School Board. 

He served as Vice-President of the Ontario Separate School Trustees' Association and later as President of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association.

“Regis was truly a champion of Catholic education. His contributions to Catholic education were not just significant, they were transformative. Regis was a man of faith and honour and always made himself available to help others in our community and the Board. We thank him for his integral role in our education system as a long-standing trustee, serving as the H-SCDSB's first chair and for all the leaps he took for Catholic education," wrote Gary Trembinski, current H-SCDSB chair in an email.

“Regis was a man of faith and honour,” echoed H-SCDSB trustee John Caputo in an email.

“He was voted in as the first Chairman of our Board and led us through the amalgamation in 1998. He was a man of wisdom and a historian for our Board. He was instrumental in the creation of our Board's history book, Guardians at the Gate of Wonder authored by Robert T. Dixon,” Caputo recalled.

The book tells the story of the board through its various forms up to the amalgamation in 1998 and of many people who played pivotal roles with the board over the years.

“Whenever I needed advice, Regis made himself available to guide me through my first term as a trustee. Regis was well-respected provincially and nationally. He held the positions of director of our region provincially as well as President of OCSTA. He also held the position of president for the national board, CCSTA. He lobbied the provincial and federal governments for fair representation for funding,” Caputo wrote.

O’Connor was a first vice-president of the Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association (CCSTA) when the group held its Convention and Annual General Meeting in the Sault in 2007.

Almost 200 delegates from across the country attended.

Taking into account Sault Ste. Marie's location as a historic meeting place and its history of Catholic missionary work and education, the theme for that year's convention/AGM was Voyageurs In Our Faith...Gathering To Make A Difference.

“I remember the time when we held the national convention where Regis formulated the theme of the conference, Voyageurs in Faith. This conference is well regarded as the example other boards try to emulate. I have nothing but respect for Regis for he helped shape our board to what it is now,” Caputo wrote.

“I served with Regis O’Connor as a Catholic School Board trustee when I was first elected in 2000. Regis was a strong advocate for Catholic education not only in Sault Ste. Marie but also provincially with his involvement with the Ontario Catholic School Trustees’ Association and the Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association. Because of Regis’ involvement both locally and across our province and country, we, as trustees who served with him including current trustees Caputo, Liske and Terry Sheehan were witnesses to his commitment to fighting for Catholic education not only for our board but for our entire country,” wrote H-SCDSB Sandra Turco in an email.

O’Connor had a long career as a teacher and was also an active member of the St. Gerard Majella Catholic Church parish.

His family will be holding a celebration of life for O'Connor at Northwood Funeral Home Cremation and Reception Centre from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, September 6, a funeral service to take place at Precious Blood Cathedral beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 7.

To read family recollections of O'Connor, see his obituary here.