Bishop Noel Treanor made a visit to St Mary’s University College during Catholic Schools Week to be updated on the life and work of the institution by its students and staff.

The Bishop, who is the senior trustee and chairperson of the College's Board of Governors, was met by the President of the Students’ Union, Maria Mooney. Maria is a BEd graduate.


During the course of his visit, Bishop Noel had meetings with

Sharon Haughey (Religious Studies Department), members of the Student Liturgy Group, Deirdre Cree and Stephen Beattie (Student Guidance and Support), members of the Students’ Union Executive, Martin Hagan (BEd Programme Coordinator), Clodagh Hanna (Human Resources Manager), Rev. Dr Paul Fleming (Senior Tutor for Staff and Resources), Gabrielle Nig Uidhir (Senior Tutor for Development), Claire Connolly (School Experience Coordinator) and Peter Finn (College Principal).

Afterwards, the Bishop said that the visit had been both enjoyable and informative.

Bishop Noel’s visit coincided with an event for award winners in a Catholic Schools Trustee Service competition. The Bishop presented the awards to nursery, primary as well as post-primary schools and spoke to an invited audience of pupils and teachers about his recent ad limina visit to Rome and a meeting with Pope Francis.

Down and Connor Art & Media “Ethos” Competition
Award Ceremony in St Mary’s University College Belfast

Catholic Schools Week is an annual all-Ireland celebration which invites schools to give expression in an exceptional way to the ethos of Catholic education. It acknowledges the tremendous contribution that Catholic nursery, primary and post-primary schools make to Irish society and to the mission of the Church.

Catholic Schools Week is a wonderful opportunity for all Catholic schools to celebrate and promote their distinctive mission and ethos. This ethos is embedded within the school’s sense of mission, their approach to learning and teaching, and the teaching of catechesis and religious education. It is also manifested within the network of relationships in the school community: the Catholic leadership exercised by Boards of Governors, principals, teachers, classroom assistants and support staff. This ethos of the school is particularly to be found in the school’s partnership with the local community, providing both a sense of social justice and outreach to those in need and embedding the core Christian values of inclusion and respect for diversity. Catholic education envisions the holistic development of the child at the centre of the school community.

In this spirit of Catholic education, the Catholic Schools’ Trustee Service invited schools this year across the diocese of Down and Connor to enter an art and media competition to demonstrate how their distinctive Catholic ethos is embedded across the school. Each school was invited to create a movie or visual resource reflecting upon ethos.

On Tuesday, 31 January, Bishop Noel Treanor, Professor Peter Finn (Principal of St Mary’s University College Belfast), along with staff from the Catholic Schools Trustee Service gathered with students and staff from the family of schools across the diocese of Down and Connor for an award ceremony celebrating the embedding of ethos in nursery, primary and post-primary schools.

This award ceremony was a wonderful event which highlighted the incredible gift that our family of Catholic schools are to society.

Bishop Noel Treanor and Professor Peter Finn presented awards to the following schools:





Speaking at the award ceremony, Fr Edward McGee, director of the Down and Connor Diocesan Schools’ Trustee Service said: “We take this opportunity to pay tribute to, and congratulate all, the teachers and children who took part in the Art and Media "Ethos" Competition. We especially commend those schools that won an award not only for the wonderfully creative and informative movies and displays which showcased how their school has embedded ethos but also for their ongoing commitment to living out this spirit of Catholic Education.”