Spirituality
We are a Catholic, Jesuit school welcoming children from all religious denominations.
Children are taught about the importance of spirituality and are actively encouraged to participate in daily prayer to develop their relationship with God. We stress the importance of gratitude – a deep appreciation of God’s gifts and we exhort children to empathise with the needs of others. Assemblies are always rooted in moral messages.
We participate actively in the Sacraments and the Liturgical year. Mass is celebrated every week in our beautiful school chapel by our Jesuit school Chaplain and children are prepared for First Holy Communion and Reconciliation. We have other services at points in the year such as Ash Wednesday, a May Vigil and a Passion Service. We particularly celebrate our patron Mary in May and October. We strive to “find God in all things” - in our work, our sport and our play - and as much in our disappointments as in our successes. Our experience is that all children of all denominations enjoy the spiritual life of the school and we cultivate an environment of acceptance and tolerance.
There are a few habits that mark out pupils from a Jesuit school. They write AMDG at the head and LDS at the foot of every piece of work. These stand for Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam (For the Greater Glory of God) and L.D.S.(Praise God Always). Pupils are introduced to a reflective style of meditation called The Examen inspired by the founder, St Ignatius, in his work The Spiritual Exercises. At SMH every pupil has Religious Education lessons where they learn about the Church and other religions.
We aim that our charity Children for Children provides active opportunities for children to live out their faith in action.