Congregational Statement
The Patrician Brothers were founded in 1808 in Tullow, Co Carlow, by Bishop Daniel Delany, bishop of Kildare and Leighlin. His intention was to address the social evils of his time and raise the living standards of the people through education. In creative fidelity to our Founder we seek to address through education some of the pressing needs of young people in Ireland today. In our commitment to continue in the ministry of education, we find our primary inspiration in the life and in the teaching of Jesus Christ.
We place a high priority on the development of the religious faith of students and we see the integration of life and faith as the ideal to aim towards. In the school communities where we work we seek to develop a view of reality which is firmly based on the values of the Gospel. Accordingly, our policies and practices will reject those values which are counter to the Gospel.
In the spirit of our Founder and in the tradition of our Congregation we show a preference for those who seem to be in greatest need and we discriminate positively in favour of those who are materially poor.
We affirm the need for a continuing attitude and practice of pastoral care throughout the school so that each student may grow in self-worth.
We support a system of education which recognizes a variety of needs among students, one which extends the gifted and encourages the weak. We support a system of education which promotes a balanced development of the individual. We value highly a close working rapport with the partners who share our commitment to education. Foremost among those partners are our working colleagues in the schools, the parents of the students and the leaders of the local church. We seek to share with our partners our core beliefs and values regarding the true purpose of education so that our collaboration may be authentic and enduring.
