St John Plessington Catholic College

House Patrons

St John Plessington House Patrons

At St John Plessington, our House Patrons were ordinary men and women, who by their lives and examples have been recognised by the Catholic Church through canonisation and beatification. The House Patrons, therefore, act as role models for our school community.

As a Catholic school, recognising the lives of Catholic saints, we are unified in the single Christian message, to live lives founded on Gospel values, faithful to Christ.

“The saints are not superman, nor were they born perfect. They are like us, like each one of us. They are people who, before reaching the glory of heaven, lived normal lives with joys and sorrows, struggles and hopes. What changed their lives? When they recognized God’s love, they followed it with all their heart without reserve or hypocrisy. They spent their lives serving others, they endured suffering and adversity without hatred and responded to evil with good, spreading joy and peace. This is the life of a Saint.”  Pope Francis

Click on the images of our Patrons to find out more about each one.  

IN THIS SECTION

St John Bosco - BOSCO HOUSE (Alpha)

St John Bosco - BOSCO HOUSE (Alpha)

St John Bosco grew up in a poor Italian farm family. To earn extra money, he presented magic shows to children with a promise that they pray with him before and after the show. He devoted his spare time to finding poor children in the city slum, entertained them with stories and tricks and found them jobs. He knew it was important for adults to take responsibility for wayward children. He founded the Salesians of Don Bosco, an order of priests who educated boys. To aid abandoned girls, he founded the Daughters of Mary, Help for Christians. He was the founder of the Union of Co-operator Salesians for lay people. He also believed greatly in the power of Holy Communion.

Feast Day: 31st January

Famous quote: ‘Young people must know they are loved’.

Patron Saint: Young people/students

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St Catherine of Siena - SIENA HOUSE (Alpha)

St Catherine of Siena - SIENA HOUSE (Alpha)

Catherine was born in Siena in 1347, into a very large family. From an early age, she had a close relationship with God. When she was 16 her parents wanted her to marry the widower of her older sister, but Catherine was determined to give her life to God and refused. After some opposition, Catherine became a lay person who does not take religious vows, but follows the example of the religious order. Catherine used all her gifts and talents for the service of all God’s people. In this way, she grew to “fullness of life in Christ”. She was a spiritual writer, theologian and a woman of deep prayer. She also had an active ministry to those living in poverty and with sickness. While her outlook was universal, her service was to each individual. Catherine died on 29 April 1380. Politically and spiritually, she is a woman of our time, reminding those in power that their responsibility is to serve the common good. Rooted in Christ, she became one of the first female Doctors of the Church.

Feast Day: 29th April

Famous quote: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”

Patron Saint: The sick, poor and those ridiculed for their faith

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St Theresa of Lisieux - LISIEUX HOUSE (Alpha)

St Theresa of Lisieux - LISIEUX HOUSE (Alpha)

Thérèse Martin was born in 1873 to Louis and Zelie Martin, a devoutly religious couple. When Thérèse’s mother died in 1877, the family moved to Lisieux. At the age of 13 Thérèse decided that she was going to try to always put herself last, with God and other people coming first. After personally seeking permission from Pope Leo XIII because she was so young, she entered a Carmelite monastery at the age of 15. Thérèse was a dedicated and committed Carmelite, working hard in the community, devoting herself to prayer and study of Scripture, especially the gospels. This inspired her “little way” – a simple and practical spirituality, within reach of everyone, based on living the gospel in everyday life and actions. It is a challenge to witness to gospel values, not in dramatic ways, but simply in our everyday circumstances. Her message is clear – Christian discipleship involves reaching out in love and behaving with love towards all people and in every situation. She saw her vocation of love as all-inclusive and part of everyday Christian living. Thérèse’s influence continues to grow, as her life gives us an example of how to live a life rooted in the gospel. Jesus shows us how we should behave towards others, and that everyone, no matter who, is important as a child of God. Thérèse died from tuberculosis at the age of 24. Her final words, like her “little way”, were simple and profound: “My God, I love you.”

Feast Day: 1st October

Famous quote: “Do small things with great love.”

Patron Saint: Missions and florists

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St Vincent de Paul - VINCENT HOUSE (Alpha)

St Vincent de Paul - VINCENT HOUSE (Alpha)

Vincent de Paul was born in Gascony, France, in 1581 to a poor family. His father sold oxen to send Vincent to seminary. After Vincent became a priest, he was captured by Turkish pirates, sold into slavery and freed after converting his owner. When he returned to France, he founded orders to support the poor. This led to the foundation of the Vincentian order of priests and the Sisters of Charity, the first congregation of women to care for the sick and poor outside of the convent. Vincent was appointed chaplain of the galleys of France, and he founded a hospital for the galley slaves. He also raised funds to ransom over 1,200 men from North Africa. Vincent’s work changed the face of France. He dedicated himself to the cause of the poor. Through him, people who were rich and poor alike experienced the love of God. He is often called the “Apostle of Charity”.

Feast Day: 27th September

Famous quote: “Charity is the cement which binds Communities to God and persons to one another.”

Patron Saint: All works of charity

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St Martin de Porres - MARTIN HOUSE (Alpha)

St Martin de Porres - MARTIN HOUSE (Alpha)

Martin was born in 1579 in Lima, Peru, the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman and a freed black slave. His mother was from Panama and of African or possibly part Native American descent. He grew up in poverty and experienced many injustices because of his race. He became a Dominican lay brother, and he dedicated his life to the poor and the sick. He set up an orphanage and a children’s hospital, and he was known for his healing abilities and devotion to animals. He was deeply devoted to the Eucharist and had a great commitment to prayer. Martin was renowned for his humility and the way he respected the dignity of every person. He was canonised in 1962, and he became the first black saint from the Americas.

Feast Day: 3rd November

Famous quote: “Everything even sweeping, scraping vegetables, weeding a garden and waiting on the sick could be a prayer, if it were offered to God.”

Patron Saint: Racial harmony and social justice

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St Maximilian Kolbe - KOLBE HOUSE (Alpha)

St Maximilian Kolbe - KOLBE HOUSE (Alpha)

St Maximilian Kolbe was born as Rajmund Kolbe on January 8, 1894, in Poland. He was a Polish Conventual Franciscan friar who was sent to Auschwitz for his anti-Nazi publications. In 1941, he offered his life in place of a stranger in order to save him from execution. He died on August 14, 1941. Kolbe was canonised as a saint by Pope John Paul II in 1982.

Feast Day: 14th August

Famous quote: “No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it.”

Patron Saint: Drug addicts, prisoners, families, and the pro-life movement

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St Oscar Romero - ROMERO HOUSE (Omega)

St Oscar Romero - ROMERO HOUSE (Omega)

St Oscar Romero was born on August 15, 1917, in Ciudad Barrios, El Salvador. He became the Archbishop of San Salvador and spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations, and torture. He was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass. St Oscar Romero was canonised on October 14, 2018, by Pope Francis.

Feast Day: 24th March

Famous quote: “Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is the generous, tranquil contribution of all to the good of all. Peace is dynamism. Peace is generosity. It is right and it is duty.”

Patron Saint: Christian communicators and El Salvador

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St Josephine Bakhita - BAKHITA HOUSE (Omega)

St Josephine Bakhita - BAKHITA HOUSE (Omega)

Josephine Bakhita was born in Darfur, Sudan, in 1869. She was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery, enduring harsh treatment until she was bought by an Italian consul who treated her kindly. She later joined the Canossian Sisters in Italy and devoted her life to God. She was known for her gentleness, serenity, and deep faith. Josephine Bakhita was canonised by Pope John Paul II on October 1, 2000.

Feast Day: 8th February

Famous quote: “The Lord has loved me so much: we must love everyone...we must be compassionate!”

Patron Saint: Victims of human trafficking and Sudan

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St Bernadette Soubirous - BERNADETTE HOUSE (Omega)

St Bernadette Soubirous - BERNADETTE HOUSE (Omega)

Bernadette Soubirous was born on January 7, 1844, in Lourdes, France. She is best known for the Marian apparitions that she experienced at the age of 14. The Virgin Mary appeared to her 18 times, and these visions led to the establishment of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, a major site for pilgrimages. Bernadette joined the Sisters of Charity and lived a humble life of service. She was canonised by Pope Pius XI on December 8, 1933.

Feast Day: 16th April

Famous quote: “I am ground like a grain of wheat.”

Patron Saint: Illness, people ridiculed for their faith, and poverty

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Blessed Carlo Acutis - ACUTIS HOUSE (Omega)

Blessed Carlo Acutis - ACUTIS HOUSE (Omega)

Carlo Acutis was born on May 3, 1991, in London, England. He was a devout young Italian known for documenting Eucharistic miracles around the world and creating a website to share his findings. Carlo had a deep love for the Eucharist and the Virgin Mary. He died of leukemia on October 12, 2006, at the age of 15. Carlo Acutis was beatified on October 10, 2020, by Pope Francis.

Feast Day: 12th October

Famous quote: “To always be close to Jesus, that’s my life plan.”

Patron Saint: Youth and computer programmers

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