The Spirit of Catholic Education Awards 2024 took place in St Mary’s University College on Wednesday 24th January.

This year, schools were asked to focus on Beatitude Number 4 from ” The Beatitudes according to Pope Francis” Blessed are those who care for our common home.

Schools were asked to describe a project they had undertaken to create an outdoor sacred space that supports quiet prayer, ecological spirituality, ecological education and opportunities for outdoor learning. Fourteen schools were successful in achieving the award based on submissions outlining how their school had enhanced the ecological spirituality of their pupils and how they had increased the pupils’ awareness of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’.

All of those who received the awards produced a wealth of evidence to support their application and were all very worthy recipients of the award.

This award ceremony enables us to celebrate the outstanding work taking place in our Catholic schools to ensure that the Catholic ethos is being actively promoted and that pupils’ faith development is at the centre of school life.