St Patrick’s National School is a Catholic school under the patronage of the Bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise. At the heart of our Catholic ethos is the central message of the Christian faith: love of God and love of neighbour. Through our religious education programme – Grow in Love – and the daily life of our school, we seek to develop and nurture a lived relationship with God among our pupils, one which clearly communicates not only their great dignity and worth in the eyes of God, but also the great dignity and worth of others. It is important to us that children are deeply respectful of others, regardless of their background, ability or whether they share our belief in God or not. Thus, though we teach the Catholic faith in our school, we also promote and model respect for the beliefs of others.
Relatedly, through our Religious Education programme and the daily life of our school, we help children grow in their understanding of what it means to show love to our wider community. As well as promoting community engagement, our endeavours also go further afield. Every Christmas, for instance, we take part in the Shoebox appeal, which brings Christmas presents to poor children throughout the world; and every Lent we support and promote the annual Trócaire campaign.
Formation in prayer and liturgy is also important to our school community. We pray together, teach children about Scripture, and celebrate the liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter. We celebrate and commemorate the feast days of saints, especially St. Patrick and St. Brigid, and enjoy exploring how their great witness of holiness brought great good to the world. As moments of great encounter with God where he communicates his great love for us and strengthens us to live a joyful Christian life, the sacraments are central to the Catholic life. Thus, sacramental preparation and regular attendance at Mass as a school community, are intrinsic to our school year.
Religious Education and Formation are not, of course, confined to school life. We greatly value our community of parents and grandparents, who facilitate the effective implementation of our Grow in Love programme and aid the process of sacramental preparation. We also enjoy strong links with Kilronan Parish who greatly support our work.
Finally, in recognising that God desires fullness of life for each one of us, our Catholic ethos seeks to nurture and affirm children in their talents and abilities, to develop knowledge and skills which will empower them to achieve their greatest potential in life, and enable them to make very positive contributions to society.
