The London District Catholic School Board announced Tuesday that Jean Vanier Catholic Elementary School will be renamed effective September 2021.
Starting next academic year, the school will be known as St. Rose of Lima Catholic Elementary School, named after the first person from the Americas to be canonized as a saint.
Jean Vanier, a once highly respected Catholic figure, was posthumously found to have sexually abused at least six women.
Vanier died in 2019 at age 90 and a report from the France-based charity he founded, L’Arche International, was released in February 2020.
According to that report, the women’s descriptions provide evidence enough to show that Vanier engaged in “manipulative sexual relationships” over a period from 1970 to 2005, usually with a “psychological hold” over the alleged victims.
Superintendent of education Kathy Furlong told Global News that the renaming process involved consultation with all stakeholder groups with name submissions from parents, parishes, staff and students. The names were presented to trustees on Dec. 14 and trustees chose the name St. Rose of Lima, which was submitted by both students and staff.
She added that the school community also studied current LDCSB school names and decided that the renaming of Jean Vanier Catholic Elementary School “must bring voice to those who are underrepresented, marginalized, women, people of colour and those from the global south.”
“St. Rose of Lima was born in 1586 in Peru. Her mother was Indigenous, and her father was Puerto Rican,” Furlong said.
“St. Rose of Lima exemplified family, inclusion, diversity, hospitality and faith throughout her life.”
At this time, there is no estimate available for the total costs associated with changing the name.
In July, the LDCSB confirmed it would be moving to rename Jean Vanier elementary. At the same time, King’s University College confirmed plans to rename its virtual Jean Vanier Research Centre. It is not yet clear when the research centre will be renamed.