"Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."
John 15:13

Every June, our whole school community comes together to celebrate the feast of our patron saint, St Alban. It is one of the most special days in our school year, a day when we give thanks for the saint whose name we share and whose example of courage and faith inspires us.

Who was St Alban?

St Alban is remembered as Britain's first Christian martyr. He lived in Roman Britain, in the town of Verulamium, which is now called St Albans. At that time, Christians were being persecuted for their faith.

One day, Alban gave shelter in his home to a Christian priest who was hiding from the soldiers. As Alban watched the priest pray and listened to him talk about Jesus, he was so moved that he became a Christian himself. When the soldiers came to arrest the priest, Alban bravely swapped cloaks with him, so that the priest could escape. Alban was taken before the judge in his place and, refusing to give up his faith in Jesus, he gave his life for his friend and for God.

St Alban reminds us of what it truly means to be a friend, to stand up for what is right and to put our faith in God, even when it is difficult.

Celebrating our Feast Day

Our celebrations begin with a whole school Mass, where we gather as one school family to give thanks for St Alban and pray that we may follow his example of courage, kindness and faith.

The rest of the day is a joyful day of celebration, full of fun activities and time together that bring our whole school community closer. It is a day when we celebrate everything that makes St Alban's so special: our faith, our friendships and our shared mission.

Living like St Alban

Just like St Alban, we want our children to grow up with brave and generous hearts, ready to welcome others, stand up for what is right and share God's love with everyone they meet. Our feast day reminds us that we are all called to live out our mission:

"Following in the footsteps of Jesus, we love, live and learn together."

St Alban, pray for us.