A new independent Catholic school opens its doors in Guelph, Ont., Sept. 8, offering students a classical, faith-steeped curriculum.

Open to students from Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8, Regina Caeli Academy will become the city’s first independent Catholic school, beginning its inaugural year by offering a classical liberal arts education to students while adhering to the truth and tradition of the Catholic Church and the Magisterium. Upwards of 13 students are currently enrolled, with more expected to follow in the coming weeks. Every student at Regina Caeli will receive instruction in subjects like language, math, natural and social sciences, Religion, French, Latin, physical education and music, all through the lens of a Catholic-focused curriculum.

Christina Broccolo, the president of the board of directors for Regina Caeli Academy, said the response has been astounding, and a far cry from her initial vision, which began with a movie screening in 2024. 

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“It started when the film Cabrini was released in theatres while my daughter was in Senior Kindergarten. My husband and I went to see it, and her story touched my heart — this woman who was weak in constitution but incredibly powerful in her faith and conviction,” she said, referring to the Italian-American founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

“I learned that she started a school in the back pew of the church for orphans, and kept thinking if something like that was even possible today. If she could open more than 60 institutions, could I manage even one with a team and a lot of prayer?”  

A few years prior, Broccolo and her husband had expressed their disappointment with some of the current offerings of publicly funded Catholic schools in the Guelph area, citing what they saw as a fundamentally non-existent Catholic curriculum in the local systems for Kindergarteners at the time. 

“I would call the principal asking about what the situation was like, but it was relegated to prayer tables with a Rosary on it or the crucifix hanging above the classrooms,” she said. 

Not wanting that environment for her own daughter, the family turned to the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at their local Holy Rosary Parish and discovered that other families were having to go outside the school system for their children’s faith formation as well. 

After constant novena prayers to Mother Cabrini, Broccolo sought out her parish priest, asking if her plan was too far-fetched to become reality. When the priest reminded her that their discussion was taking place on Mother Cabrini’s feast day, her confirmation of Regina Caeli Academy being a “divine project” was realized. 

“After that, my first step was figuring out who could help, knowing that if God sent the idea, He would also send the helpers. I told everyone about the idea, and those with the same passion — that Catholic education should have catholicity as the priority, not just for 30 minutes a day — answered,” she said. 

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From an article in The Catholic Register, she learned about the Consortium of Independent Catholic Schools, a network formed by independent, non-publicly funded Catholic schools and educators in Ontario. With the help of its chairman and co-founder Michael Aguiar, a small group has since multiplied into a community of members known as the Cabrini Club — 40 volunteer planning members who have taken the idea from startup to reality. 

“(Catholicity) encompasses everything we will do, from our weekly Masses with Eucharistic adoration to our textbooks containing sacred art, language studies starting from Kindergarten and the rest of our classical curriculum,” Broccolo said. 

With the project now grown from its infancy and days away from its first bell, the president of the board shared that perhaps the most surprising aspect is not the academy’s existence, but the unexpected demand, especially from young families, that has followed in such a short time. 

“What has struck me the most is the babies. I’m hearing from parents whose child is not even born yet or newly in their arms who are interested in our vision. There aren’t enough daycares and pre-schools to go around with Guelph growing, and still people from Toronto, ones who have not even moved here yet, are calling to learn more,” she said. 

“I think it has to do with community in addition to what we offer. We have found that is a big thing for parents, and we want to have that feeling of family and support for them and their children.”  

Regina Caeli Academy will officially welcome its first cohort with Holy Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady in Guelph, followed by a reception for staff, students, families and supporters.

As for how she thinks it will play out, both on Sept. 8 and for the foreseeable future, Broccolo predicts an emotional start to an education mission that, while at its climax for now, is still just beginning. 

“I plan on crying a few tears of joy,” she said. 

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“To have all the kids together in the pews for the first Mass is an amazing way to start. When we met with the former (Hamilton) Bishop (Douglas) Crosby, who gave us his blessing, he said it seems like this group is meant to raise the next generations of Catholic leaders, and that is what keeps giving me hope.” 

See reginacaeliacademy.ca.