Emma Keenan describes how attending a Catholic school has set students on a positive path for life
I am Emma Keenan, deputy head girl of Mount Lourdes Grammar School in Enniskillen, Co. Fermanagh and leader of the school’s liturgy committee for the 2015/16 academic year. In my role, I assist the liturgy co-ordinator with the organisation of liturgical celebrations which are held throughout the school year; these include school Masses, the Christmas carol service and penitential services.
Last December, Pope Francis commenced a jubilee year known as the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. This special year in the Catholic Church places particular emphasis on being a witness of mercy and invites us all to follow the example of God’s enduring mercy and love.
The opening of a Holy Door in major basilicas across Rome is a long standing tradition of a Jubilee Year. For this Extraordinary Jubilee Year, Pope Francis extended this invitation to open a door of mercy in dioceses and schools across the world.
Central theme
In February we celebrated Catholic Schools Week. The central theme of the week was mercy, and our school decided to open its own Door of Mercy as part of the celebrations. Pope Francis defines a Door of Mercy as a “…door through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope”.
The Door of Mercy in Mount Lourdes is a set of centrally located double doors that students, staff and visitors pass through whilst crossing what is known as the Red Bridge. We felt it apt to select this door located at the entrance to our bridge, as Pope Francis wrote in ‘The Face of Mercy’ [the papal bull for the extraordinary year] that mercy is “the bridge that connects God and humanity, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever…”
On either side of the Holy Door, we have a poster displaying the motto and logo for the Holy Year. The logo is the work of Jesuit Father Marko I. Rupnik, whilst the motto, ‘Merciful like the Father’, is taken from the Gospel of Luke.
They jointly serve as an invitation to each of us to follow the merciful example of the Father who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and love without measure.
This value holds great significance in our school which was founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1909; it reminds us of the sisters’ vow of service to perform works of mercy that alleviate suffering and to follow Jesus’ example in all that they do.
Our principal, Mrs McKeever, believes the door is a daily reminder to all who pass through it, to be open and willing to receive and share God’s mercy.
Our school chaplain, Canon Macartan McQuaid has reminded us that, “When we open a door into someone’s house, we come into their home and into their lives. God invites us to come through the door of Mercy into his total acceptance and love.”
We, at Mount Lourdes, are thankful that Pope Francis has declared this Year of Mercy and are filled with hope that it will be a time filled with grace to grow in love and mercy within our families, school and community.
Growing closer
Over the years here in Mount Lourdes we have been growing in faith, celebrating the Eucharist and growing closer to God together.
The commencement of each new year saw us kneel collectively at the opening school Mass in St Michael’s Church to pray for encouragement, help and guidance from God for any obstacles that may arise.
From the moment we stepped through the doors here at Mount Lourdes, whether it was September 2009 or September 2014, we became part of a welcoming, inclusive and connected community.
From our sporting victories in tennis, Gaelic, netball etc, academic successes in our GCSEs and now hopefully A-Levels to our development in our faith through the completion of the Pope John Paul II Awards and Eucharistic Minister training.
We have experienced a genuine and safe atmosphere in a school that integrates academic education with prayer and faith formation to create an environment that has both encouraged and challenged us to grow and strive to be the best that we can be, to achieve our goals and celebrate the victory, to acknowledge our failings and learn from them.
Education
Our education in Mount Lourdes has nurtured us in the spirit of charity. Over the years we have remembered and worked to help those less fortunate than us through projects and events such as the SVP Christmas hampers, the Trócaire Lenten Fast and Another Pair of Hands.
I know that we will carry this value and awareness long after we leave Mount Lourdes. That we will allow it to grow and develop, always remembering to reach out and help others whether it be through our time, effort or money.
The end of this academic year sees the arrival of a new chapter in our lives, the title of which differs for each of us.
However, for all of us it is a chapter that will see the entrance of new characters, a host of new experiences and a plethora of new learning curves.
My hope is that we all think back to who we are now at Mount Lourdes as being the foundational rock or cornerstone for the people we are to become in these next chapters.
I hope that we will always hold onto the values and ideals and sense of possibilities that we have at this time in our life.