St Joseph's High School 'lead by example'

St Joseph's Boys High School in Newry are taking part in Catholic School’s Week 2017, taking place from 29 January to 4 February, This years theme is "Care for our Common Home"

As a school St Joseph’s has a strong tradition of positive environmental improvement work including creating a mini-orchard, planting trees, litter-picks, paper recycling scheme as well as several big projects scheduled for later this year.

In addition however, they have a deeper and more pertinent understanding of what it means to care for our common home. At St Joseph’s staff place the Gospel values of love and respect at the heart of their educational, pastoral, social and communal pursuits in the belief a school is not merely a building of bricks and mortar, but rather a family who live out - through action - the Christian attributes of inclusion, empathy, tolerance, compassion, autonomy and forgiveness towards all, so that each and every person at St Joseph’s is truly cared for in our common home.

Citizenship co-ordinator and RE teacher Mr Brendan Fearon commented that; “During turbulent times around the world, we hold dear to our emancipatory beliefs that every single person is welcomed, valued and respected unconditionally at our school. Through understanding our differences and celebrating our diversities we have the ability to grow our capacity to make an active difference in the world around us by dismantling the barriers of ignorance and toppling the walls of intolerance.

"Pope Francis reminds us that ‘This is important: to get to know people, listen, expand the circle of ideas. The world is crisscrossed by roads that come closer together and move apart, but the important thing is that they lead towards the Good."

Mr Fearon concluded, "At St Joseph’s we believe that, rooted in our Catholic faith, we lead by example, and that our collective actions lead towards the Good. We believe that individually at St Joseph’s we are Irish, Polish, Spanish, Hungarian, Indian, Sri-Lankan, Lithuanian, Syrian, Romanian, Slovakian, Latvian, Brazilian, Filipino, Cuban and Chinese; but together we are one, and as one - we all care for our common home, and those who make it so special here in St Joseph’s.”

 For more information please see: www.stjosphsnewry.com