Our Saints

Our Patron Saint – St Hugh of Lincoln

Every year on or around 17^th November, we celebrate the feast day of our patron, St Hugh of Lincoln, with a special whole school Mass and events during that week where the children learn more about St Hugh and how they can show some of the qualities and values he embodied.

Hugh was born in 1135 at Avalon Castle, Burgundy, France. He was the son of William, Lord of Avalon. Hugh was cared for and educated at a convent, following the death of his mother, Anna, when he was just eight years old.

Hugh became a monk when aged 15, and four years later he was ordained Deacon. In 1160, Hugh joined the Carthusian order, and then, five years later, he was ordained Priest. In 1175 he became abbot of the first English Carthusian monastery, which was built by King Henry II.

Hugh’s reputation for holiness spread through England, and many people were attracted to the monastery. He was made bishop of Lincoln on 21 September 1181. Lincoln Cathedral was destroyed by an earthquake in 1185, but it was rebuilt under Hugh’s leadership.

Hugh spoke out against the mass persecution of Jews in England in 1190-91. He put himself in great danger, standing up to armed groups, making them release their victims. In the year 1200, during the reign of King John, Hugh became ill with an unknown ailment, and on 16 November 1200, he died.

Hugh was canonised by Pope Honorius III, on 18 February 1220.

St Hugh’s Swan

Hugh’s main emblem is a white swan, in reference to a story of a swan with whom he had a deep and lasting friendship. According to the story, the swan would even guard Hugh while he slept.  Our children are particularly fond of the St Hugh swan and when we established our wrap around care it was inevitable that we named it ‘Swans@Play’.

House Saints

 

    Bernadette                   Newman                        Romero                            Therese

 

St. Bernadette

Bernadette Soubirous was born in Lourdes, France, into a very poor family and she herself was in poor health.

One Thursday, February 11th 1858, when she was sent with her younger sister and a friend to gather firewood, a very beautiful lady appeared to her above a rosebush in a grotto called Massabielle. The lovely Lady was dressed in blue and white. She smiled at Bernadette and then made the sign of the cross with a rosary of ivory and gold. Bernadette fell on her knees, took out her rosary and began to say it.

The beautiful lady was God’s mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. She appeared to Bernadette seventeen other times and spoke to her. She told Bernadette that she should pray for sinners, do penance and have a chapel built there in her honour.

Many people found it hard to believe Bernadette until miracles began to happen when people used the water from the spring Bernadette had dug.

Bernadette became a nun when she was older. Although she was favoured by the Blessed Mother, she remained very humble. More than anything else she desired not to be praised, saying, “The Blessed Virgin only chose me because I was the most ignorant.”

Millions of visitors now flock to Lourdes each year to drink from the spring water, visit the sanctuaries, and experience the spiritual atmosphere of this special Christian shrine.

‘If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces .. never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again’

 

 St. John Henry Newman

John Henry Newman was born in London 1801. He studied at Trinity College, Oxford, going on to become an Anglican priest and a leading theologian. Newman was a founder of the Oxford Movement, set up to revitalise the Church of England, before his controversial conversion to Catholicism in 1845.

Newman went on to establish a congregation called the Birmingham Oratory and was appointed the first rector of the institution that would become University College Dublin. Late in Newman's life, Pope Leo XIII made him a cardinal. Newman died in Birmingham in 1890. His remains lie in a closed sarcophagus at the Oratory.

"Newman is very well known in the Church as a theologian, a teacher and an educationalist," said Father Francis Gavin, from the Birmingham Oratory. "But he was also a priest and a pastor. He visited the sick, the imprisoned, and those human qualities of care and friendship are as relevant now as they were in his own time."

Newman was beatified in 2010 by Pope Benedict before tens of thousands of people in his home city of Birmingham after the first miracle was recognised.

John Henry Newman became a saint on Sunday, October 13, 2019, when Pope Francis canonized him in a ceremony in St. Peter's Square. The canonization made him the first English person since the Reformation to be officially recognised as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. 

 

‘I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do His work’

 

St. Oscar Romero

Oscar Romero (15/09/17 - 24/03/80) was a prominent Catholic priest and Archbishop in El Salvador during the 60s and 70s. After witnessing numerous violations of human rights he became a spokesperson for the poor and for victims of terrorism by the government of El Salvador. This led to numerous conflicts of opinion, both with the reigning government in El Salvador and with the Catholic Church. After speaking out against American military support for the government of El Salvador, Archbishop Romero was assassinated during a celebration of Mass in his cathedral. St. Oscar Romero was canonised by Pope Francis on Sunday 14 October 2018

‘Aspire not to have more, but to be more’

 

St. Therese of Lisieux

Therese was born on January 2^nd, 1873. She was a French Discalced Camelite who is widely venerated in modern times. She is popularly known in English as the Little Flower of Jesus.

St. Therese had a simple yet powerful message that still resonates in the hearts of millions today. Her letters, autobiography, and other recollections of her life help us understand her “Little Way” and use it in our daily lives.

She died at the age of 24, believing that her life was really just beginning for God, promising to spend her heaven doing good on earth.

Therese saw herself as a child of God. She liked to keep things simple and focused as a child does. Trust, especially trust in God, is a childlike virtue. Therese’s spirituality is simple and she calls it her “little way.” She believed and taught us that life presents enough challenges and opportunities for grace. She teaches us that God is everywhere – in every situation and person – and in the ordinary, simple details of life.

We celebrate the feast of St. Therese, the Little Flower, on October 1st each year. This date was chosen because Therese died on September 30th. Following the ancient custom of celebrating their entrance into heaven the next day, October 1st was chosen as the day to celebrate Therese’s life and eternity.

 

‘Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God.

Do all that you do with great love’