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St Augustine of Hippo ​ Feast Day: 28th August Patron Saint: Converts to Christianity, Printers, Theologians. ​ Augustine was originally from North Africa Also known as Augustine of Hippo, he was born in the Roman province of Numidia (modern day Algeria) to a Christian mother and a pagan father. The young Augustine attended school for several years, where he became acquainted with Latin literature. After showing an aptitude for his studies. Despite his academic brilliance, Augustine never managed to master Greek: his first teacher had been strict and beaten his students, so Augustine rebelled and responded by refusing to study. He never managed to learn properly later in life, which he said was a deep regret. He was, however, fluent in Latin and could make comprehensive and clever arguments. He was ordained a priest in Hippo, and later became the Bishop of Hippo in 395. He preached between 6,000 and 10,000 sermons in his lifetime! In 430, the invasion into Roman Africa, besieging Hippo. During the siege, Augustine was said to have miraculously healed an ill man. He died during the siege, on 28 August, spending his final days absorbed in prayer and doing penance. Influenced by Greek and Roman philosophers, Augustine helped shape and create some of Western Christianity’s key theological ideas and doctrines, including those around original sin, divine grace and virtue. He is remembered today as one of the key theologians in Christianity, alongside St Paul. Please talk to Year 2 about their special saint friend. St Augustine Pray for us St George ​ Feast Day: 23rd April Patron Saint: England, Malta, Gozo, Ethiopia & Catalonia ​ St George is best known as the patron saint of England – his feast day is celebrated across the nation on 23 April each year – and for slaying a mythical dragon! George’s early life is shrouded in mystery. It’s thought, however, that his parents were Greek Christians and that George was born in Central Anatolia. It is thought that George’s father died for his faith when George was around 14, and so he and his mother travelled back to her home province of Syria. St George became associated with English royalty from the 13th century. The story of St George and the Dragon is most popular today: the first recorded versions of this appear in the 11th century, with it being incorporated into Catholic legend in the 12th century. St George appears in Muslim legends, not just Christian ones where George was martyred as a result of a reign of fire. Other texts suggest that George had powers to resurrect the dead much like Jesus. Originally known as the Golden Legend, the story places George in Libya. The town of Silene was terrorised by an evil dragon – to begin with, they soothed it with sheep, but as time went on, the dragon began demanding human sacrifices. Eventually, the king’s daughter was chosen by lottery, and despite her father’s protests, she was sent out to the dragon’s lake dressed as a bride. George happened to be passing by, and attacked the dragon once it emerged from the pond. After returning the princess to the village with the dragon in tow, he said he would kill it if the villagers converted to Christianity. Almost all of the village (15,000 or so people) did just this. George therefore killed the dragon, and a church was built on this spot. Please talk to Year 2 about their special saint friend. St. George Pray for us St. Catherine of Siena ​ Feast Day: 29 April Born: 25 March 1347 Died: 29 April 1380 Patron Saint: Italy ​ She was born in Sienna and died in Rome. She promoted peace in Italy and is one of the two patron saints of Italy; the other being Saint Francis of Assisi. She was born Katerina de Benincasa in western Italy, the 25th of 25 children. She was born at the time of the Black Death, or Bubonic Plague. Although it probably killed many she knew, she herself did not contract the disease and survived the epidemic. She had a twin sister, who died several months later. Her family was part of the lower classes and she did not become literate until 1378. At the age of six, Catherine had a vision of Jesus Christ. She continued to receive many visions throughout her life. At age 12, Catherine cut off her hair and was obligated to serve her family, living in small quarters in the basement. At the age of 16, she entered the Third Order of Saint Dominic and later became a Dominican nun. She wrote a book called Dialogue, which taught that if you love your neighbours it is loving God. She also devoted her life to improving the Catholic church, helping the ill, poor, and spiritually underprivileged. Catherine persuaded the pope to return from Avignon, France and back into Rome. She also tried to start a new Crusade to the holy land, Jerusalem. She died of “holy anorexia”, as she ate very little in the name of God. She became a saint in 1461, and was later made a Doctor of the Church in 1970 by Pope Paul VI and a patron of Europe in 1999. Please talk to Year 2 about their special saint friend. St. Catherine of Siena Pray for us

The Year of the Word 'The God Who Speaks' 30th Sep'19 - 31st Dec '20 celebrating, living and sharing God's word Launch: 30th September 2019 – The Feast of St Jerome Campaign Year Begins: 1st December 2019 – The First Sunday of Advent. An initiative announced in February 2019 by The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales dedicated the Year 2020 to Sacred Scripture. It has been given the name “The God Who Speaks” and it takes the Bible as its focus. It takes place in cooperation with the British Bible Society and it offers all Catholics an opportunity to enrich current practice and to develop and explore new ways of responding to ‘The God who Speaks’. Scripture is at the centre of everything the Church does. The Word of God shapes our prayer and worship. The Bible shows us how to understand the world, how we are called to live and relate to each other. We are invited to listen afresh to the Word of God, as did Our Blessed Lady at the Annunciation, to encounter anew the presence of the Word, and to proclaim it afresh in the Church and the World. Throughout 2020 there will be a range of events, activities and resources to participate in all around the country. To help achieve transformation in our hearts and in our communities. There will be three themes of celebrating, living and sharing God’s Word. The year will also serve to commemorate two important anniversaries of Scripture’s role in the Church; 2020 will mark the 10th anniversary of Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini; It is also the 1,600th anniversary of St. Jerome’s death, whose Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible served the Western Church up until the last century. For Catholics all over the world, St Jerome is a very important Saint and Biblical scholar. While here in School, he is especially important, as our Library was recently dedicated to him by Archbishop Longley. As a Scripture scholar, St Jerome is usually depicted with the Bible by which he receives divine inspiration from the Holy Spirit. Angels are believed to have visited Jerome regularly to help him with his commentaries, and with his failing eyesight; we might like to think of it as a sort of spiritual dictation. St Jerome is also often depicted with a model of a typical 15th century Italian Church because St. Jerome is one of the four Doctors of the Church, together with St. Ambrose, St. Augustine and St. Gregory the Great, and he is also, a Father of the Church. These two symbols of Bible and Church represent St Jerome’s life-long faith and vocation to the word of God. "We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life." 1 John 1:1 Introduction Reflection 1 Reflection 2 Reflection 3 Overview for Year of Reflections Matthews Gospel Trail Poster Matthews Gospel Day by Day Reflection 4 Reflection 5 Reflection 6 Reflection 7 Reflection 8 Reflection 9 Reflection 10 Reflection 11 Reflection 12 Reflection 13