The Path Towards Belonging: StFX’s Religious Inclusion Action Plan

On January 2nd, 2026, members of the StFX community were invited via email to participate in consultations, in which one could share personal perspectives, experiences, and general feedback regarding religious, spiritual, and non-faith inclusion operates throughout campus. The consultation period ran from January 2nd to January 15th and was formative in adapting the recently drafted Religious Inclusion Action Plan.

The current draft plan is an extension of StFX’s Anti-Racism Action Plan from the President’s Action Committee on Anti-Racism (PACAR) which was released in April of 2023.

The Religious Inclusion Action Plan primarily aims to address and better understand where and how multi-faith inclusion can be achieved, while also remaining grounded in the Catholic heritage of the university.

In an interview with Elizabeth Yeo, the Vice President of Students and Chair of the Religious Inclusion Working Group (RIWG), she provided an overview as to what this new plan is striving to do.

“StFX is a public university with a Catholic heritage,” Elizabeth explains. “So, there was an interest in having the President’s Action Committee think on how we can extend the work we started around anti-Black racism and anti-Indigenous racism, to people who have a variety of religious and faith backgrounds, but also people who are more aligned to spiritual or philosophical world views. So, they don’t profess to a specific religion, but they are interested in being included.”

Elizabeth continues, expressing the impact of inclusion on community wellbeing. “In student services, we look at this work from both the perspective of inclusion, but also from the perspective of wellness. Our philosophy around health and wellness is that spiritual wellness is one of the dimensions of overall wellness. For example, there’s academic, mental, physical, there’s financial, and there’s spiritual [dimensions of wellness]. So, as we started down this pathway, that was the basis of what we wanted to do.”

The Religious Inclusion Action Plan is being operated and overseen by the RIWG, a subcommittee of PACAR. The group is composed of Elizabeth, the committee Chair, alongside several faculty members. There are also positions for both faculty and students which have yet to be filled.

“We had lots of conversations,” Elizabeth said. “The committee (PACAR) has been researching and looking at what needs to happen for a number of years now. Being able to put the consultation document out to show the work and what we’ve arrived at so far, is an exciting time. It shows a great deal of cohesion.”

The document being referenced can be found here, or is accessible through an email sent to all StFX community members on January 2nd. This document summarizes the action plan and organizes it into four main areas. These are:

1. Teaching, Learning, and Research Environment.

2. Working and Organizational Environment.

3. Living and Social Environment.

4. Community Environment.

In addition to the subcommittee, an external consultant, and former VP of Student Affairs at Mount Allison University, Anne Comfort, was enlisted to conduct the one-on-one consultations with community members.

“Students, faculty, staff, everyone was really invited to take a look at the work so far and advise us on the next steps. We really wanted that voice,” she stated. “The consultation opened January 2nd. It was open for a couple weeks and ended on January 15th,” she explained. “She (Anne) has expertise in terms of facilitation and inclusion. She was on campus for a few days in early January and offered a range of appointment times. Those were all filled”

As well, Anne offered online appointments and general input and feedback from the campus community up until the consultation period concluded on January 15th, which also received a significant turnout.

“I was really pleased with the response, and so was Anne,” said Elizabeth. She continued, “I think we had really good perspective from the whole range of views on the topic. It's gone well, and right now she’s reviewing all of that data, and getting ready to share and inform us with the next steps.”

When asked for any general statements regarding the Religious Inclusion Action Plan, Elizabeth responded, “StFX strives to be a community where everyone feels belonging, where inclusion is the norm, because we believe that is an essential part of the experience here. For StFX to truly be the kind of community we aspire to be, all voices and all perspectives need to be recognized, and free to participate to the fullness of their potential.”

As StFX hosts a diverse and multi-faith campus community, the Religious Inclusion Action Plan is another step toward fostering a campus environment that encompasses the religious, spiritual, and non-faith perspectives that shapes a diverse population where all can be properly embraced, recognized, and respected.