St Mary’s awarded the Oscar Romero Award
St Mary’s Catholic High School has been awarded the prestigious Oscar Romero Award - Participator Level in recognition of the school’s efforts to raise pupils' awareness and understanding of Catholic Social Teaching and social justice issues.
The award is named after St. Oscar Romero, Archbishop of San Salvador. A champion of the poor and oppressed, St. Oscar was an outspoken critic of those in power who denied social justice to marginalized communities in El Salvador. On 24th March 1980, he was assassinated while celebrating Mass in the chapel of the Divine Providence Cancer Hospital, where he lived. Thirty-five years later, he was declared a martyr of the Church for his death, which was a result of hatred for the faith. He was beatified on 23rd May 2015, and canonized by Pope Francis on 14th October 2018.
As a Catholic school, St. Mary’s is committed to ensuring that all pupils understand the challenges faced by the world’s poorest communities, particularly those impacted by climate change. The award recognizes the school’s continued support for a variety of charities, including the collection of food and clothing for the homeless in our local communities.
The award also acknowledges the work done daily by the school—both in the classroom and through extra-curricular activities—to promote the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. This includes efforts in caring for the environment, supporting the right to participate, upholding the dignity of work, advocating for the poor, and addressing numerous other social justice issues.
St Mary’s is proud that its recent Ofsted inspection recognized the school as “a deeply caring community.” The report praised that “pupils and staff live up to their core values of being welcoming, serving others, and working hard. Pupils learn to respect each other and value their differences. They know they have a voice in the school, and they appreciate opportunities to develop leadership.”
