Class Saints
Not a great deal is known for sure about our school saint! What we do know is that Saint Patrick was born a long time ago, about 385 AD in the United Kingdom. When he was 16 years old, he was kidnapped by a group of bad Irish raiders and forced to become a slave in Ireland. After six years being a shepherd, he finally escaped to France and became a priest, then later a bishop. When he was about 60 years old, Saint Patrick returned to Ireland to spread the Good News about God. He used the shamrock, which is on our school badge, as a symbol to explain the idea of God being three people in one-Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Saint Patrick was important, because it’s said he brought Christianity to the Irish people. Today, we ask that we too can be like Saint Patrick and spread God’s message of love and service to others. We pray Patrick’s special prayer:
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,
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.
St Patrick's Feast Day is a special event and every year we celebrate in a number of different ways:
- Prepare and attend Mass
- Explore the life and work of St Patrick
- Learn about the Holy Trinity
- Have a special celebration lunch
- Take part in creative activities; arts, crafts, textiles, music
RECEPTION
St Bernadette
Bernadette Soubirous (January 7 1844 - 1879)
She was a young girl that had religious visions at Lourdes, France.
During 1858 she said she saw the Virgin Mary 18 times.
The Roman Catholic Church later made her a saint, and Lourdes has become one of the most visited places for pilgrims.
We are very lucky that our class Saint is within the church grotto. We visited the grotto in Autumn to learn about Saint Bernadette and we visit her regularly to prayer and for reflection times.
YEAR 1
St Elizabeth
Feast Day: November 17th
St. Elizabeth is the patron saint of bakers; beggars; brides; charities; death of children; homeless people; hospitals; Sisters of Mercy; widows.
St. Elizabeth is often depicted with a basket of bread to show her devotion for the poor and hungry.
She is also painted in honour of the "Miracle of Roses" and "Crucifix in the Bed."
St. Elizabeth has been praised by Pope Benedict XVI as a "model for those in authority".
Our learning
- We acted out the story in small groups
- We baked bread
- We wrote the story of St Elizabeth and the miracle of the Roses
- We wrote prayers
YEAR 2
St Paul
Saint Paul was originally known as Saul. He fought against the early Christians but experienced a powerful vision that caused him to convert to Christianity. It was then that he was baptized and took the name Paul. He travelled the world, preaching the word of God and His Son, Jesus. It is thought that he wrote many of the stories that are now in the Bible. His feast day is on 29th June, when he is honoured with Saint Peter.
We acted out the story of how Saul was converted to Saint Paul.
We have thought about how we can follow in the same footpath as Saint Paul. These are examples of our work:
YEAR 3
St Vincent De Paul
Feast Day: September 27th
YEAR 4
St Francis of Assisi
Feast Day: October 4th
YEAR 5
Saint Peter
Died between AD 64 and 68 on the Vatican Hill,
also known as Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, Cephas, or Peter the Apostle.
He was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ,
and one of the first leaders of the early Church.
Feast day: 29th June
YEAR 6
St John the Baptist
Feast day: June 24