Our Special Saints

Why we learn about saints at St Edmund Campion

At St Edmund Campion, we learn about saints because they help us understand what it means to live as followers of Jesus today. Saints are ordinary people who responded to God in extraordinary ways, showing love, courage, forgiveness, faith and service in their daily lives. By exploring the lives of saints, pupils see that holiness is not just something from the past, but a real invitation for every person to grow closer to God and to live out the Gospel in practical ways.

Learning about saints also helps pupils to understand the Church as one family. As Catholics we believe in the Communion of Saints - that the Church includes not only the people worshipping on earth, but also those who are already with God in heaven. Saints remind us that we belong to a living community of faith across time and place, united by prayer, worship and our shared call to follow Christ.

Saints play an important role in our prayer and liturgical life. In school, we honour saints and celebrate their feast days throughout the Church’s liturgical year, which supports pupils in praying, worshipping and reflecting more deeply.

Pupils understand that we worship God alone, and that saints are honoured as examples of faith and as friends who pray for us. This links closely to the way Catholic schools in England are called to form pupils through prayer, Scripture and liturgy.

Alongside the many saints children learn about through the Religious Education curriculum (God Matters) and the Quo Vadis scheme of learning, each year group also learns about a particular saint in more depth. This gives pupils the opportunity to learn from a wide range of inspiring role models across different times, cultures and ways of life, helping them to reflect on virtues, vocation and what it means to live a faith-filled life today.

In addition, all children will learn about our patron saint, St Edmund Campion, each year, as his witness and example help shape our school’s Catholic identity and mission.

Saints also support our mission and Catholic identity as a school community. They help shape our values and inspire pupils to live with compassion and integrity. Through saints, pupils are encouraged to recognise their own gifts, to understand that everyone has a vocation, and to serve others - especially the poor and vulnerable - reflecting the Church’s commitment to dignity, justice and love.

In learning about saints, our pupils grow not only in knowledge, but in character and faith, as they are encouraged to become “saints of the future” in the world today.