Religious life at Stonyhurst College
Encyclopedia
Stonyhurst College
is Roman Catholic and has had a significant place in English Catholic history for many centuries (including more chequered moments such as the Popish Plot
and Gunpowder Plot
conspiracies). In 1803 the Society of Jesus was re-established in Britain at Stonyhurst and the school became the headquarters of the English Province. Until the 1920s Jesuit priests were trained on site in what is today the preparatory school. The school continues to place Catholicism and Jesuit philosophy at its core.
Stonyhurst is distinguished by the central and distinctive Jesuit ethos "creating men and women for others" that pervades the life of the school. The Jesuit identity is best summed up in its mission statement: “Creating people of Good Judgement, Clarity of Thought, and Principled Leaders for the Next Generation.”
The Jesuit ethos has three central components:
Creating men and women for others
Stonyhurst has a long and well-developed tradition of voluntary service, helping students to understand the problems faced by disadvantaged people. This tradition had evolved today into the Arrupe programme named after the Jesuit priest Pedro Arrupe
from Spain. The programme places students in a wide variety of community settings with the aim that every student will have volunteered during their time at school. Students are encouraged to develop and use their skills to contribute to society; Medicine and the Law are popular career choices for example. One of the opportunities that students have through being part of the wider Jesuit community is the 'Chiwirangwe' (a Shona word meaning 'we will struggle together') project that twins Stonyhurst with the Jesuit school, St Peter's Kubatana (in Zimbabwe). The project is organised by the Jesuit province as part of their Companions programme that twins all nine UK Jesuit schools with Jesuit schools around the world. Stonyhurst leavers also have the opportunity to take a gap year working in Jesuit projects around the world.
Pupils at the College run, under the supervision of adult trustees, their own charity, Learning to Care, raising money for various causes. St Mary's Hall has its equivalent called Children for Children.
Each year the S.C.H.T. (Stonyhurst Children's Holiday Trust) Week takes place at St Mary's Hall. It is funded largely through the sale of Christmas cards and the Poetry Banquet, which is organised and managed by pupils. During the holiday week, as it is known, Poets and
Rhetoricians (lower and upper sixth-formers) volunteer a week of their summer holiday in order to look after disadvantaged or disabled children from local schools, giving them an enjoyable holiday, with activities and trips out, which they would otherwise not experience.
Ignatian spirituality
This, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola, is confident, inclusive and outward looking, encouraging the school and its students to engage with the complexities of modern life. A Jesuit Catholic education provides both a solid grounding in the teachings of the Catholic Church whilst also encouraging a robust philosophical engagement with faith and moral issues. The Jesuit retreats that pupils experience aim to lay the foundations for a life long personal relationship with God.
The school also runs a thriving Easter Retreat each year for the Association, parents and friends.
Development of Reasoning Skills
Well developed reasoning skills are seen as essential both for students to think through their faith and to be effective in the contributions they make to society. The Jesuits remain at the fore in the intellectual life of the Catholic Church. With many universities worldwide, they run colleges in both Oxford (Campion Hall) and London (Heythrop College
) Universities. Stonyhurst aims to develop strong independent, logical thinking skills in students, so that they may be confident in their faith, clear thinking in all aspects of life and so become successful people of good judgement.
the Jesuits have worked hard to develop a partnership between lay and religious people. Jesuit schools are supported through a strong network co-ordinated by a Director of Education based in London. Catholicism and the Jesuit identity are still very much at the heart of the school, reflected in its ethos and relationship to the community. The spiritual life of the school is led by a Jesuit chaplain and lay chaplaincy team, based in the Emmaus
Centre adjoining the Do Room, the former Jesuit Refectory.
in the top left hand corner of any piece of work they do. It stands for the Latin phrase Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam which means For the Greater Glory of God. At the end of a piece of work they write L.D.S. in the centre of the page. It stands for Laus Deo Semper which means Praise to God Always. These are both traditional Jesuit mottoes.
A distinguishing feature of Stonyhurst is the singing of the Pater Noster
, the "Lord's Prayer" in Latin. It is not only sung at Mass; pupils learn it by heart and sing it with pride as an anthem before sporting events.
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Chapel and the St Ignatius
Chapel, both within the towers of St Peter's Church, and the Sodality. The latter is the home of the remains of third century Roman convert Saint Gordianus. His bones have rested beneath the altar since 1859, having travelled with the Jesuits from the College of St Omer. He was temporarily removed again in 2006 whilst the chapel underwent restoration, but has since been returned. The Chapel is once again used by the re-established Sodality
.
The interior of the Victorian St Peter's Church was ornately decorated with angels and elaborate patterns until the 1950s when these were white-washed over. The Bayley Room was originally a chapel in the old hall, and at one time the present day Classics Department was a staff chapel. The original Boys' Chapel is now Higher Line Common Room.
The School runs its own publication company, St Omers Press from the original 1838 observatory
in the gardens. It was established at the College of St Omer where, in its early days, it concentrated on producing controversial works on theology and devotions to be sent over to England at a time when such literature was illegal there. Its first publications are dated 1608 and include John Wilson's English Martyrologe. Today, the press continues to publish Catholic literature, notably the Glory to God prayer books which feature prayers and photographs contributed by pupils, and are given to leavers of the school as a gift.
The College curator has recently acquired an Albion Printing Press which will be used by pupils in a newly designated printing room, a successor to the Octagon Press which fell out of use in the 1980s.
. A small chapel in one of the towers of St Peter's Church is dedicated to him, while scenes from his life are depicted in the large murals above the tabernacle of the Boys' Chapel.
The school has the Lady's Statue, which sits at the top of a grand avenue to the school. The long avenue became a useful place for processions, such as the grand Corpus Christi processions, and to add to the religious experience the statue of Our Lady was erected by the school (in 1882) at the top of it. The statue is a replica of one put up in Rome by Pius IX in honour of the Immaculate Conception.
Inside the school, depictions of Our Lady’s life are in all areas of the school.
Outside the Boys Chapel, there is a statue of Our Lady with the baby Jesus, and in the past during the month of May, May Verses were exhibited here.
Early on in the development of the Society of Jesus, they founded and promoted the Sodality of Our Lady, their primary organisation for their students until the 1960s, which they used to encourage frequent attendance at Mass, reception of communion, daily recitation of the Rosary, and attendance at retreats. The Sodality Chapel of Our Lady at Stonyhurst is situated near the Arundel Library, and recently the Association re-founded the Sodality.
The school’s dedication to Our Lady is also very apparent outside the school, as it has attended the Catholic Association Pilgrimage
since 1963/4. The connection to Lourdes is extremely important to the school, and in celebration of the 150th anniversary a new Rosary Garden and statue were built in front of the historic building. Also, in the 1960’s the college received a piece of rock from the Grotto, as a gift from the Soubirous family (St Bernadette’s family), and this is on show near the Angels Chapel.
The general classrooms:
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
is Roman Catholic and has had a significant place in English Catholic history for many centuries (including more chequered moments such as the Popish Plot
Popish Plot
The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...
and Gunpowder Plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
conspiracies). In 1803 the Society of Jesus was re-established in Britain at Stonyhurst and the school became the headquarters of the English Province. Until the 1920s Jesuit priests were trained on site in what is today the preparatory school. The school continues to place Catholicism and Jesuit philosophy at its core.
Jesuit Tradition
The Jesuit ethos has three central components:
Creating men and women for others
Stonyhurst has a long and well-developed tradition of voluntary service, helping students to understand the problems faced by disadvantaged people. This tradition had evolved today into the Arrupe programme named after the Jesuit priest Pedro Arrupe
Pedro Arrupe
Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J. was the twenty eighth Superior General of the Society of Jesus. He was born in Bilbao, Spain.-Education and training:...
from Spain. The programme places students in a wide variety of community settings with the aim that every student will have volunteered during their time at school. Students are encouraged to develop and use their skills to contribute to society; Medicine and the Law are popular career choices for example. One of the opportunities that students have through being part of the wider Jesuit community is the 'Chiwirangwe' (a Shona word meaning 'we will struggle together') project that twins Stonyhurst with the Jesuit school, St Peter's Kubatana (in Zimbabwe). The project is organised by the Jesuit province as part of their Companions programme that twins all nine UK Jesuit schools with Jesuit schools around the world. Stonyhurst leavers also have the opportunity to take a gap year working in Jesuit projects around the world.
Pupils at the College run, under the supervision of adult trustees, their own charity, Learning to Care, raising money for various causes. St Mary's Hall has its equivalent called Children for Children.
Each year the S.C.H.T. (Stonyhurst Children's Holiday Trust) Week takes place at St Mary's Hall. It is funded largely through the sale of Christmas cards and the Poetry Banquet, which is organised and managed by pupils. During the holiday week, as it is known, Poets and
Rhetoricians (lower and upper sixth-formers) volunteer a week of their summer holiday in order to look after disadvantaged or disabled children from local schools, giving them an enjoyable holiday, with activities and trips out, which they would otherwise not experience.
Ignatian spirituality
This, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola, is confident, inclusive and outward looking, encouraging the school and its students to engage with the complexities of modern life. A Jesuit Catholic education provides both a solid grounding in the teachings of the Catholic Church whilst also encouraging a robust philosophical engagement with faith and moral issues. The Jesuit retreats that pupils experience aim to lay the foundations for a life long personal relationship with God.
The school also runs a thriving Easter Retreat each year for the Association, parents and friends.
Well developed reasoning skills are seen as essential both for students to think through their faith and to be effective in the contributions they make to society. The Jesuits remain at the fore in the intellectual life of the Catholic Church. With many universities worldwide, they run colleges in both Oxford (Campion Hall) and London (Heythrop College
Heythrop College
Heythrop College is the specialist philosophy and theology constituent college of the University of London situated in Kensington Square, Kensington, London. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in philosophy, theology and psychology, as well as research in related fields.It was founded...
) Universities. Stonyhurst aims to develop strong independent, logical thinking skills in students, so that they may be confident in their faith, clear thinking in all aspects of life and so become successful people of good judgement.
Jesuit Presence
In recent years the number of Jesuits at the school has slowly diminished, but the school nevertheless keeps a very strong connection with the order through its history, retreats, religious life, the governing body and a small Jesuit community which now resides in the Old Infirmary. Since the Second Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
the Jesuits have worked hard to develop a partnership between lay and religious people. Jesuit schools are supported through a strong network co-ordinated by a Director of Education based in London. Catholicism and the Jesuit identity are still very much at the heart of the school, reflected in its ethos and relationship to the community. The spiritual life of the school is led by a Jesuit chaplain and lay chaplaincy team, based in the Emmaus
Emmaus
Emmaus was an ancient town located approximately northwest of present day Jerusalem...
Centre adjoining the Do Room, the former Jesuit Refectory.
AMDG/LDS
It is a long-standing practice that pupils write A.M.D.G.Ad maiorem Dei gloriam
Ad maiorem Dei gloriam or ad majorem Dei gloriam, also rendered as the abbreviation AMDG, is the Latin motto of the Society of Jesus, a religious order within the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church...
in the top left hand corner of any piece of work they do. It stands for the Latin phrase Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam which means For the Greater Glory of God. At the end of a piece of work they write L.D.S. in the centre of the page. It stands for Laus Deo Semper which means Praise to God Always. These are both traditional Jesuit mottoes.
Pater Noster
Pater Noster
Pater Noster is probably the best-known prayer in Christianity.Pater Noster or Paternoster may also refer to:* Paternoster, a passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building* Paternoster, Western Cape, South Africa* Pierres...
, the "Lord's Prayer" in Latin. It is not only sung at Mass; pupils learn it by heart and sing it with pride as an anthem before sporting events.
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- Pater noster, qui es in caelis:
- sanctificetur Nomen Tuum;
- adveniat Regnum Tuum;
- fiat voluntas Tua,
- sicut in caelo, et in terra.
- Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;
- et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
- Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;
- et ne nos inducas in tentationem;
- sed libera nos a Malo.
- Amen.
- Our Father, which art in heaven,
- hallowed be thy name;
- thy kingdom come;
- thy will be done,
- in earth as it is in heaven.
- Give us this day our daily bread.
- And forgive us our trespasses,
- as we forgive them that trespass against us.
- And lead us not into temptation;
- but deliver us from evil.
- Amen.
Places of worship
The school has one main church, St Peter's, and five chapels: The Boys' (College Chapel), Angels, the St AloysiusAloysius Gonzaga
- Early life :Aloysius Gonzaga was born at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between Brescia and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Papal States. He was a member of the illustrious House of Gonzaga...
Chapel and the St Ignatius
Ignatius of Loyola
Ignatius of Loyola was a Spanish knight from a Basque noble family, hermit, priest since 1537, and theologian, who founded the Society of Jesus and was its first Superior General. Ignatius emerged as a religious leader during the Counter-Reformation...
Chapel, both within the towers of St Peter's Church, and the Sodality. The latter is the home of the remains of third century Roman convert Saint Gordianus. His bones have rested beneath the altar since 1859, having travelled with the Jesuits from the College of St Omer. He was temporarily removed again in 2006 whilst the chapel underwent restoration, but has since been returned. The Chapel is once again used by the re-established Sodality
Sodality
In Christian theology, a sodality is a form of the "Universal Church" expressed in specialized, task-oriented form as opposed to the Christian church in its local, diocesan form . In English, the term sodality is most commonly used by groups in the Catholic Church, where they are also referred to...
.
The interior of the Victorian St Peter's Church was ornately decorated with angels and elaborate patterns until the 1950s when these were white-washed over. The Bayley Room was originally a chapel in the old hall, and at one time the present day Classics Department was a staff chapel. The original Boys' Chapel is now Higher Line Common Room.
Religious Publications
Stonyhurst Observatory
The Stonyhurst Observatory is a functioning observatory and weather station at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire, England. Built in 1866, it replaced a nearby earlier building, built in 1838, which is now used as the Typographia Collegii....
in the gardens. It was established at the College of St Omer where, in its early days, it concentrated on producing controversial works on theology and devotions to be sent over to England at a time when such literature was illegal there. Its first publications are dated 1608 and include John Wilson's English Martyrologe. Today, the press continues to publish Catholic literature, notably the Glory to God prayer books which feature prayers and photographs contributed by pupils, and are given to leavers of the school as a gift.
The College curator has recently acquired an Albion Printing Press which will be used by pupils in a newly designated printing room, a successor to the Octagon Press which fell out of use in the 1980s.
Patron Saint
The school's patron saint is Aloysius GonzagaAloysius Gonzaga
- Early life :Aloysius Gonzaga was born at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between Brescia and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Papal States. He was a member of the illustrious House of Gonzaga...
. A small chapel in one of the towers of St Peter's Church is dedicated to him, while scenes from his life are depicted in the large murals above the tabernacle of the Boys' Chapel.
Our Lady
The Jesuit's founder, St Ignatius of Loyola, in his Spiritual Exercises asks the reader to pray to Our Lady, and through Our Lady to offer themselves as poor servants to her Son. Following these guidelines the school has always kept the feast days of Our Lady, and has a number of statues and altars dedicated to her.The school has the Lady's Statue, which sits at the top of a grand avenue to the school. The long avenue became a useful place for processions, such as the grand Corpus Christi processions, and to add to the religious experience the statue of Our Lady was erected by the school (in 1882) at the top of it. The statue is a replica of one put up in Rome by Pius IX in honour of the Immaculate Conception.
Inside the school, depictions of Our Lady’s life are in all areas of the school.
Outside the Boys Chapel, there is a statue of Our Lady with the baby Jesus, and in the past during the month of May, May Verses were exhibited here.
Early on in the development of the Society of Jesus, they founded and promoted the Sodality of Our Lady, their primary organisation for their students until the 1960s, which they used to encourage frequent attendance at Mass, reception of communion, daily recitation of the Rosary, and attendance at retreats. The Sodality Chapel of Our Lady at Stonyhurst is situated near the Arundel Library, and recently the Association re-founded the Sodality.
The school’s dedication to Our Lady is also very apparent outside the school, as it has attended the Catholic Association Pilgrimage
Catholic Association Pilgrimage
The Catholic Association of the UK, abbreviated to the CA, has been around in one form or another since 1881 and ran its first pilgrimage to Lourdes in 1901...
since 1963/4. The connection to Lourdes is extremely important to the school, and in celebration of the 150th anniversary a new Rosary Garden and statue were built in front of the historic building. Also, in the 1960’s the college received a piece of rock from the Grotto, as a gift from the Soubirous family (St Bernadette’s family), and this is on show near the Angels Chapel.
Classroom names
Each of the general classrooms on the Upper and Lower Galleries of the school is named after a saint. Formerly they were named after the classes which mostly occupied them but the creation of study centres for each playroom meant that no one class became associated with a particular room. A short biography of each saint hangs on the wall of each classroom.The general classrooms:
- ClitherowMargaret ClitherowSaint Margaret Clitherow is an English saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church. She is sometimes called "the Pearl of York".-Life:...
- GarnetHenry GarnetHenry Garnet , sometimes Henry Garnett, was a Jesuit priest executed for his complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Derbyshire, he was educated in Nottingham and later at Winchester College, before moving to London in 1571 to work for a publisher...
- GonzagaAloysius Gonzaga- Early life :Aloysius Gonzaga was born at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between Brescia and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Papal States. He was a member of the illustrious House of Gonzaga...
- Southwell
- XavierFrancis XavierFrancis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
See also
- Stonyhurst CollegeStonyhurst CollegeStonyhurst College is a Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Jesuit tradition. It is located on the Stonyhurst Estate near the village of Hurst Green in the Ribble Valley area of Lancashire, England, and occupies a Grade I listed building...
- Stonyhurst EstateStonyhurstStonyhurst is the name of a rural estate owned by the Society of Jesus near Clitheroe in Lancashire, England. It is dominated by Stonyhurst College, its preparatory school Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall and the parish Church of St Peter's.-The Estate:...
- College of St Omer
- Stonyhurst Saint Mary's HallStonyhurst Saint Mary's HallStonyhurst St Mary's Hall is the preparatory school to Stonyhurst College. It is an independent co-educational Catholic school founded by the Society of Jesus . It is primarily a day school but has some boarders...
- Hodder Place
- Stonyhurst GospelStonyhurst GospelThe Stonyhurst Gospel, also known as the St Cuthbert Gospel or the St Cuthbert Gospel of St John, is a small 7th-century pocket gospel book, written in Latin, which was probably placed in the tomb of Saint Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, a few years after he died in 687...
- Eagle AidEagle AidEagle Aid is a fund-raising initiative for the poor and disadvantaged, started by the Stonyhurst Association in 1987, to support major projects considered to have appeal to all Jesuit alumni.-Projects:Projects in 2009 include:*Landmine victims in Kosovo...
- Roman Catholic ChurchRoman Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
- Society of JesusSociety of JesusThe Society of Jesus is a Catholic male religious order that follows the teachings of the Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits, and are also known colloquially as "God's Army" and as "The Company," these being references to founder Ignatius of Loyola's military background and a...
- St Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits
- St Aloysius Gonzaga, patron saintAloysius Gonzaga- Early life :Aloysius Gonzaga was born at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between Brescia and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Papal States. He was a member of the illustrious House of Gonzaga...
- St Gordianus, interred in the school
Sources
- Chadwick, Hubert, S.J. (1962). St Omers to Stonyhurst, Burns & Oats. No ISBN
- Muir, T.E. (1992). Stonyhurst College 1593-1993, James & James (Publishers) Ltd. ISBN 0-907383-32-7
- The Authorities of Stonyhurst College (1963), A Stonyhurst Handbook for Visitors and Others, Third edition
- Hewitson, A. (Preston, 1878), Stonyhurst College, Present and Past: Its History, Discipline, Treasures and Curiosities, Second edition
- Stonyhurst College website
- Betts, MJW, Our Lady of Stonyhurst. From Catholic Association Pilgrimage website