“Under God it began, through God it has grown”

The words of Margaret Aylward, etched into the stained glass windows in St. Mary’s Holy Faith Glasnevin, serve as a powerful reminder of our Christian story and heritage. Designed in collaboration with students during the Prayer Room refurbishment, these windows reflect not only the foundations of Christianity but also the lasting impact of the Holy Faith Sisters as living vessels to show us the Gospel values. It is these Gospel values that continue to ground and guide us as a Catholic school in the 21st century. The phrase “Under God it began, through God it has grown”, is particularly powerful, as it reminds us that it is through God that the Vincentian family was formed and sustained. From these shared foundations, we now see the fruits of this growth in the strengthening of relationships across the Vincentian Family, with five schools working more closely together in a spirit of collaboration with a shared mission of a Gospel Vincentian-centred education.

Section of St. Mary’s Holy Faith Glasnevin Prayer Room stained glass window with Le Chéile Schools Trust symbol above .

The current group of Vincentian Family Schools include Castleknock College, and St. Paul’s College Raheny, founded by members of the Congregation of the Mission, Holy Faith Clontarf, and St. Mary’s Holy Faith Glasnevin, founded by the Holy Faith Sisters, and St. Louise’s College Belfast established by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The schools’ Vincentian Schools Programme began in November 2022 as a pilot initiative of the Vincentian Family Council, with a clear objective:

To create a Vincentian Family Schools Programme to help students deepen their knowledge of St. Vincent de Paul’s life and the lives of the Founders inspired by him, in order to develop an understanding of our shared Vincentian Charism.

Over time, the purpose of this group has expanded. Beyond curriculum integration, teachers now also serve as advocates for the Vincentian Family, promoting its ethos and exploring ways it can grow and evolve in the schools for the future.

From this initiative, a Teachers’ group was formed, meeting several times with the aim:

To integrate the Vincentian Formation Programme into the curriculum and daily life of the schools, ensuring that the vision of the Founders would continue to contribute meaningfully to the life of each school.

A key feature of the programme has been collaborative student days, where students from each school travel to learn about the life and work of one of the Vincentian founders. These gatherings have proven to be a rich and transformative experience. They not only deepen students understanding of Vincentian history and mission but also foster meaningful conversations and connections, for example bringing the stories of Margaret Aylward, St. Louise de Marillac, and St. Vincent de Paul vividly alive for the next generation.

Through these initiatives, the schools are working closer together within the Vincentian Family, cultivating a shared sense of purpose and a living connection to the values and mission that unite us.

St. Vincent de Paul often spoke of joy as a sign of living the Gospel, particularly through service to the poor. He emphasised that charity should never be offered with sadness or reluctance, but with joyful love, seeing Christ in those we serve. Similarly, the Holy Faith Sisters describe their mission as “to proclaim by word and action the love and truth of Jesus to the people of our day and to collaborate in creating a just world.” For me, the phrase “by word and action” captures a vital truth about Catholic education: it is not enough to speak of Gospel values; our actions in school must reflect them. As St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.” St. Vincent de Paul said, “Jesus is the only rule of the Mission” and St. Louise de Marillac said, “Say little and do much.”

It is through the actions of this teacher group that the Vincentian ethos comes alive for students. The positive initiatives of this teacher group help students experience the power and value of the Vincentian family, showing how the different organisations and communities such as SVP and VLM within the family embody Gospel values in real and actionable ways. By witnessing these actions, students not only learn about the Vincentian tradition but see it lived in their world.

By Peadar Farrell RE
Co-ordinator St. Mary’s Secondary School Glasnevin.
 

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