St Catherine's College,
Armagh
Cor Unum – One Heart
A future focused, faith based school which nurtures children through educational excellence
Sacred Heart Ethos
St. Catherine’s College’s Sacred Heart Ethos is embodied in the rich and meaningful lyrics of our school anthem, ‘We Are Children of the Sacred Heart’. Written by the school’s Subject Leader for music, Dr Eunan McCreesh, pupils enjoy learning the anthem in Year 8 and its melody often resonates on school trips, on Leavers’ Days and on important school occasions, like the annual celebration of mass for the new academic year in Armagh Cathedral.
Our dedicated Ethos Team recognises that values alone mean little. Actions speak louder than words.
Consequently, we have developed our Ethos Team, a group of Y13 pupils who are determined to promote the 5 Goals amongst their peers and the wider school community. These senior pupils are supported by The Sacred Heart Goals Coordinator Mrs Deirdre Hegarty and Mr. Matthew Mc Fadden, Director of Chaplaincy Services. Throughout the year the Y13 pupils work on a variety of projects which they feel are relevant to the particular Goal being targeted in that academic year. Carrying out community service, volunteering and organising events to thank those who have supported their personal development and learning throughout secondary level education.
The activities and campaigns led by the Ethos Team aim to weave inner values such as love, compassion, justice and appreciation into our pupils minds and hearts.
Throughout the Year there are several competitions related to aspects of school life.
Goal Art Competition
Each year pupils are asked to design a piece of art which reflects the focus Goal. One piece is chosen from each Key Stage and is entered into a competition with other Sacred Heart Schools from Ireland, Scotland and Malta. We have had great success with two of our pupils winning 1st place in their age category.
Grandparents Coffee Mornings
Over the past two years our Y13 Ethos Team have invited Grandparents in for our Christmas Coffee morning. This is a little time for grandparents to meet each other and experience the school environment where their grandchildren spend seven years of their lives. It is a way of thanking grandparents who support our pupils' learning and development. Pupils and staff welcome grandparents and thank them for their support and love.
Men’s Shed Keyring & Cross Project
During the Year of Faith pupils from our Ethos Team spent 6 weeks on an after-school project. We used this time to create key rings. We sourced wood from the Technology Department and worked in partnership with Armagh Men’s Shed to produce beautiful heart keyrings. The pupils sanded, varnished and decorated the key rings over a 6 week period. These were presented to staff in appreciation for the outstanding pastoral and academic work carried out each day in our Sacred Heart school. A plain Cross was also presented for classrooms.
Goals Book Marks
Each year the Y13 Ethos Team works with the Goals Coordinator to choose appropriate icons, quotes and inspiring characters to design a bookmark for our school community. These promote the Sacred Heart Goal for the academic year and are used to stimulate mindfulness and reflective moments.
