St Comgall’s and St Malachy’s primary schools – recipients of the Spirit of Catholic Education Award 2026
To mark Catholic Schools’ Week 2026, the Diocese of Down and Connor paid tribute to the inspiring work of thirty-one schools from across the Diocese of Down and Connor by awarding them with the prestigious Spirit of Catholic Education Award 2026.
It is my pleasure to announce that this year, St Comgall’s and St Malachy’s Primary Schools were two of the award-winning schools. At a special ceremony in St Mary’s University College on Wednesday 21st January, both schools received the award from Bishop Alan McGuckian, in recognition of their commitment, dedication and lived Christian witness to developing and nurturing the spiritual and prayer life of their school communities. This focus was linked to the Jubilee Year of Hope and the invitation to “fan the flame of faith”.
The schools being presented with the Spirit of Catholic Education Award engaged in a whole school self-reflection process, using the Catholic Ethos and Values – A Framework for Self-Reflection document, on how they intentionally provided spiritual opportunities for prayer that in turn inspired acts of faith, love and service that are connected to the word of God, the message of Christ, the power and influence of the Holy Spirit and Catholic Social Teaching.
The ‘Spirit of Catholic Education Award’ is presented annually in conjunction with Catholic Schools’ Week, to celebrate outstanding contributions to Catholic Education in terms of instilling the Gospel values and ethos of the Christian message into the daily life of the school. Within this gospel-inspired educational environment, pupils are brought to understand and appreciate the importance of their sacredness as children of God, caring for others in need within their school, parish, community, and wider society, contributing to building peace and reconciliation and being ecologically aware of the beauty and wonder of God’s creation. It also provides an opportunity to affirm and pay tribute to the ongoing work of the governors, school leaders, teaching and support staff as they seek to form young people in their spiritual, intellectual, moral, and social development.
We send our warmest congratulations to all the staff who are representative of how teachers across the diocese monitor, evaluate, review, and embed an ongoing commitment to living out the Spirit of Catholic Education. Well done to everyone.