Our House Saints: Living our values
At St Mary’s Priory, our school community is divided into four houses, each named after an inspiring saint. These saints are not just names from history; their lives serve as powerful role models that guide us daily in our journey of faith.
We look to their stories to help us live out our four core school values: Respect, Resilience, Ambition, and Compassion.
St Josephine: Living with Resilience
- Patron Saint of: Hope during suffering (Feast Day: 8th February)
- Her Story: Kidnapped into slavery at just seven years old, Saint Josephine Bakhita endured twelve years of extreme hardship before earning her freedom. Guided by what she believed was her guardian angel, she dedicated her life to helping those most in need.
- How we live her values: In St Josephine's, we practice resilience. When faced with difficult challenges in our learning or personal lives, we do not give up. We look to Saint Josephine's courage to find hope and strength, knowing we can overcome obstacles and use our experiences to help others.
St Francis: Living with Compassion
- Patron Saint of: The environment, animals, and birds (Feast Day: 4th October) [2]
- His story: Born into a wealthy Italian family, Saint Francis left his privileged life after being a prisoner of war. Filled with a profound love for God, his compassion overflowed to all living creatures. He lived a life of absolute simplicity, preached the Gospels, and founded the Franciscan Order.
- How we live his values: In St Francis, we practice compassion and stewardship. Just like Saint Francis, we care deeply for God’s world. We live this value by respecting nature, looking after our school environment, and showing kindness to every living creature and person we meet.
St Vincent: Living with Respect and Charity
- Patron Saint of: The poor (Feast Day: 27th September)
- His story: Born to a peasant farmer in France, Saint Vincent De Paul was captured at sea and enslaved for two years. After his escape, he dedicated his entire life to charitable works, dedicating his time, energy, and love to helping the poorest members of society.
- How we live his values: In St Vincent's, we practice respect and charity. We believe that every person is made in the image of God and deserves dignity. We live this value by looking out for those who are less fortunate, supporting local charities, and treating everyone in our school family with equal respect.
St Therese: Living with Ambition through Kindness
- Patron Saint of: Missions (Feast Day: 1st October)
- Her story: Known affectionately as the "Little Flower", Saint Therese of Lisieux lived a short, simple life, passing away at just 24 years of age. Despite her short time on Earth, she made a monumental impact by devoting herself to "doing good on earth" through constant prayer and small acts of kindness.
- How we live her values: In St Therese, we practice ambition through our actions. We learn that we do not have to do extraordinary things to make a difference; instead, we have the ambition to change our school and world for the