Father Leo J Austin Catholic Secondary School

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Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School (also known as Father Leo, Leo J. Austin, FLJA, or Austin for short) is a coeducational, Catholic, secondary school located in Whitby, Ontario, Canada and it is managed by the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB). Today, it is an active school and is open for students grade 9 to 12. It offers programs such as the Extended French program, drawing students around the Durham Region.HistoryFather Leo J. Austin was a priest born in Toronto on June 3, 1939. He was a priest at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church located in Giffard Street in Whitby. Before coming to Whitby in 1956, he served in several Toronto parishes. Catholic education was of particular interest to Father Austin: in 1959 he brought the Grey Sisters, a teaching order of nuns, to Whitby; under his guidance, St. Theresa Catholic School was built, and St. Leo Catholic School in Brooklin; he build four additions to St. John the Evangelist Catholic School, and started Archbishop Denis O'Connor Catholic High School in 1964 in Whitby (was moved to Ajax in 1984). Because of his great contribution to the community of Whitby, the school, Father Leo J. Austin Catholic Secondary School, was created and named after him.The building currently housing Father Leo J. Austin was officially opened following the Thanksgiving weekend of 1990, though classes had been ongoing since the Labour Day weekend of 1989 in 2 separate temporary locations.In 2014, the school celebrated the 25th anniversary of its opening in 1989.