Virtues to Live By
At OLSB we are committed to ensuring our children grow in virtue and goodness to be loving individuals who are well equipped for the world. This Catholic ethos is developed through the Diocese of Leeds Virtues to Live By programme. This resource is used to ensure all our children develop knowledge of a new virtue every 3 weeks so that they can flourish in the eyes of God to live life to the full.
The image below, designed by a child in the Leeds Diocese, depicts how we aim to grow in virtue to become closer to God. This echoes John’s Gospel 15:15 “Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit; for you can do nothing without me.”
Our closeness to Jesus gives us the grace to flourish and – “live life to the full” (John 10:10
Our virtue as we return to school in Autumn is Respect and Courtesy. As we approach the Harvest in the second half of the term we will learn about the virtue of Thankfulness.
For more information on our school virtues to live by click here:
Virtues and Class Saints
Reception Class
Our Class Saint is St Francis.
St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals and environment could be viewed as the original Earth Day advocate. Francis' devotion to God was expressed through his love for all of God's creation. Saint Francis of Assisi, was an Italian Catholic friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men's Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of Saint Clare, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land.
Our Class Virtue is Charity.
Charity is love, a virtue through which we love God above all else and we love our neighbour as we
love ourselves. You accept someone as they are, you care for them, and care what happens to
them. You always think about the other person rather than thinking about yourself. When you love
you put into practice the “golden rule”, to treat others with the respect and kindness that you want
for yourself. You show love for people you do not know by simple acts of kindness and by wanting
the best for them.
Year 1 Class
Our Class Saint is Mary, Mother of God
Catholic's believe that she conceived Jesus through the Holy Spirit while still a virgin. Mary was a 1st-century BC Galilean Jewish woman of Nazareth, and the mother of Jesus. She accompanied Joseph to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. Mary has been venerated since early Christianity, and is considered by millions to be the most meritorious Saint of the religion.
Our Class Virtue is Faith.
FAITH – is to trust. Faith helps us grow in friendship with Jesus and his friendship helps us become
the best we can be by trusting in him so we can become more like him. Growing in friendship with
Jesus means learning to trust him and knowing that he is always with us. Faith is always open to
new things because if you have faith you are a trusting person.
Year 2 Class
Our Class Saint is Mother Teresa
During her lifetime Mother Teresa became famous as the Catholic nun who dedicated her life to caring for the destitute and dying in the slums of Calcutta. Mother Teresa, known in the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Teresa of Calcutta, was an Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary. Born 26th August 1910 - Died 5th September 1997 (aged 87). n 1950 Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation which had over 4,500 sisters and was active in 133 countries in 2012.
Our Class Virtue is Fortitude
The virtue of fortitude is a very important to stay close to Jesus in times of despair and anxiety. Fortitude allows us to stay faithful when we come face to face with difficult situations.
Year 3 Class
Our Class Saint is St. Joseph.
Pope Pius IX proclaimed Saint Joseph the patron of the Universal Church in 1870. Having died in the "arms of Jesus and Mary" according to Catholic tradition, he is considered the model of the pious believer who receives grace at the moment of death, in other words, the patron of a happy death. St Joseph was the beloved husband of Mary and Earthly stepfather to Jesus.
Our Class Virtue is Hope
Hope is trusting in God, In everything that Christ has promised. Jesus provided hope that, no matter how hopeless our current situation appear if we following his teachings all will be well in the end.
Year 4 Class
Our Class Saint is St. Ambrose.
Western Christianity identified Ambrose as one of its four traditional Doctors of the Church. He is considered a saint by the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and various Lutheran denominations, and venerated as the patron saint of Milan. Legend has it that when Ambrose was an infant a swarm of bees settled on his face while he was lying in his cradle and didn't leave behind a sting, but a drop of honey. He did eventually get the title “Honey Tongued Doctor” because of his speaking and preaching ability. Class 4 have 'The Hive' opposite their classroom to remember St Ambrose.
Our class virtue is Prudence
Year 5 Class
Our Class Saint is St. Brendan.
Saint Brendan the Navigator or Brénainn moccu Alti as he is often known in the medieval Irish tradition is the patron Saint of two Irish dioceses, Kerry and Clonfert. He is also a patron Saint of boatmen, mariners, travelers, elderly adventurers, and whales; and also of portaging canoes. He is believed to have died when he was more than 90 years old while visiting his sister, Briga, who was serving as abbess at the Enach Duin convent in Annaghdown.
Our Class Virtue is Temperance
Year 6 Class
Our Class Saint is Oscar Romero.
Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez was a prelate of the Catholic Church in El Salvador who served as the fourth Archbishop of San Salvador. He spoke out against poverty, social injustice, assassinations, and torture amid a growing war between left-wing and right-wing forces.
Our Class Virtue is Justice
To practice Justice through Christ we must moderate between selfishness and selflessness . to establish in human relationships harmony that promotes equity of people and benefits the common good.
