Our School Saints
St. Patrick
On the feast day of St. Patrick's we have a whole school Mass and every class is reminded about the life of St. Patrick and all the wonderful things he did for others. And - of course - we all wear green and the shamrock is a central part of our day!
As with many other early saints, we know little about St Patrick for certain, although we do have two letters that he wrote. Patrick was born a Roman Briton. His parents were Calpurnius, a deacon, and Conchessa. It is believed that, when he was about 16, he was captured by a raiding party and was taken as a slave to Ireland, where he herded sheep for six years. During that time he learned the language and customs of the Druid people who lived there. Shortly before escaping, Patrick had a vision that he would soon return home. He escaped, walked 200 miles to a port, and returned to his family in Britain. In a dream, however, he heard the people of Ireland calling him, “We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more.”
Patrick trained as a priest, and later became a bishop. He returned to Ireland to seek reconciliation and to spread the Gospel. Many people, including kings and their families, converted to Christianity, and Patrick and his disciples built many churches, and helped to establish Christianity in Ireland.
St Patrick is well known for explaining the doctrine of the Trinity using a shamrock: the little leaf has three parts, and yet is one; in the same way God is three persons, and is still one God. St Patrick is known as a humble and gentle man who loved God deeply. He feared nothing, not even death, because of his trust in God.
He died in Saul, where he had built the first church. He is believed to be buried in Downpatrick, in Northern Ireland. There is a famous prayer known as the Breastplate of St Patrick, which is believed to have been used by St Patrick and his followers to pray for protection as they travelled across Ireland. Part of this prayer reads:
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Our House Saints
Our House Saints are really important to us. Each represents an individual who lived a life of humility, serving others until their death. At St Patrick's, each pupil is assigned to a House, each representing one of the four House Saints listed. Pupils take pride in belonging to their House. Along with the Patrick's points that are regularly awarded for good choices, excellent work and kindness, there are Inter-House events planned throughout the year, along with our annual Sports Day when the winning house is presented with a trophy. You can learn more abut our House Saints by clicking on their names .
Other saints who are special to our school:
St. Martin de Porres, St. Josephine Bakhita, St Simon of Cyrene, St. Oscar Romero
During 2024/25 our Subject Coordinators are going to choose a patron saint for their subject and share the information about their lives on this page.