A 130-year-old Catholic high school in Montreal is giving up provincial funding rather than comply with Quebec legislation restricting religious instruction, prayer and worship in subsidized institutions.

Loyola High School announced that its governing board and Jesuit directors unanimously decided to become fully independent after concluding that compliance with Bill 9 would compromise the school’s Catholic mission.

The decision was first reported by LifeSiteNews.

“Quebec’s Bill 9 requires schools like Loyola to choose between government subsidy and our Jesuit, Catholic mission,” Loyola President Fouad Maroun and board chair Patrick Shea said in a statement.

The school said faith has been woven throughout its classrooms, chapel, athletics and community service since its founding in 1896.

“Under the new law, keeping the subsidy would require Loyola to change important aspects of how we live our Jesuit, Catholic mission,” the statement continued. “We concluded that we cannot make those changes and remain faithful to who we are.”

Bill 9, formally titled the Act respecting the reinforcement of laicity in Québec, received royal assent on April 2 after passing the National Assembly by a vote of 77–27. 

The law expands Quebec’s secularism rules across publicly funded schools, universities, daycares and health institutions. It restricts religious practices and instruction while broadening prohibitions on religious symbols worn by employees.

Quebec has invoked the notwithstanding clause to shield portions of its secularism regime from Charter challenges.

The Assembly of Quebec Catholic Bishops warned before the law passed that it would restrict fundamental freedoms without sufficient justification.

Loyola will relinquish its provincial subsidies and complete its transition to fully independent status according to the timeline provided under the law.

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