September 10, 2025
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In preparation for the upcoming municipal election on October 20, 2025, the Catholic Bishops of Alberta encourage all Catholics to engage in the electoral process, especially in the election of Catholic school trustees. This is a matter of profound importance for the mission of the Church.
Alberta’s Catholic schools educate and form nearly 200,000 students, representing about one in every four children in the province. This offers a tremendous opportunity for evangelization and is integral to the mission of the Church in supporting parents. The existence of our Catholic schools is not the result of a gratuitous act of the provincial government, but rather a denominational right guaranteed to Catholics within the Constitution. Therefore, the fidelity of our Catholic school trustees, who are entrusted with the governance of our schools in collaboration with the Alberta Bishops, is of paramount importance.
The role of the trustees is to select the chief superintendent of the school division, approve the budget, develop policy, and advocate for their respective school division. Trustees who give an authentic witness of the Faith and who love Christ and His Church will ensure that our schools are places where Jesus is encountered, the Gospel is proclaimed, and children are formed in truth and virtue.
Even if you do not have children in the Catholic separate school system you are eligible and encouraged to vote in the Catholic trustee elections. Catholic schools are mission fields. As Catholics we are called to support and advocate for our Catholic school system and to ensure that our elected Catholic trustees are faithful leaders in the Church’s mission to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20).
We urge you in a spirit of prayerful discernment to actively participate in this upcoming election. Research candidates in your local Catholic school division, reach out to them and ask how their commitment to the Catholic Faith will guide their role as trustee so as to ensure the catholicity of our schools. Finally, pray to the Holy Spirit, that our schools would be led by public servant-leaders who faithfully and passionately follow Jesus and the teachings of the Catholic Church.
The municipal elections also include the casting of your vote for mayor and council members. Again, prayerful discernment is important in making such decisions to vote for candidates who most closely reflect the moral and social teachings of the Catholic Church rather than by ideology or political rhetoric.
Identify those men and women who seek to promote the common good of society, who respect the dignity of all human life, uphold marriage and the family, care for the most vulnerable, and who authentically strive to be virtuous in their call to serve. A municipal election is an opportunity to select individuals who desire to build communities which reflect the love and truth of Jesus Christ and glorify God.
Be responsible and courageous in the exercise of this civic duty: let our Catholic faith be your guide as you cast your vote. The Gospel is not meant to remain hidden, but proclaimed by every aspect of our lives. Christians are not people of apathy, but are called to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).
On October 20, may your vote for Catholic school trustee and all local offices be not only an act of good citizenship, but an act of faith, hope, and charity towards your fellow Albertans. We entrust this election to Mary, Mother of the Church, and to the Holy Spirit, who guides us to the Truth.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
✠The Catholic Bishops of Alberta
Download Letter To The Faithful Re. Municipal Election Oct.20,2025