St. Philomena at St. Michael’s School

Rev. John Brucciani, Headmaster, September 2020

The school year has been a challenging one for all schools and families due to the recent lockdown. Thanks to Divine Providence, we have weathered these trying times rather well.

I would like to encourage all the parish to include the novena prayer to St. Philomena in their family prayers. Prayer cards are available in the repository.

St. Philomena has already obtained many graces over the past years, in particular in the finance department, which has allowed us to better stabilise finances and carry out many urgent repairs.

The graces we ask for at the present time include her continued protection in the face of ever-growing government control and ... more pupils! We have plenty of space in the primary and secondary schools. More children means more souls to educate for heaven. It also means more viable class sizes and, eventually, the permanent restoration of our sixth form (year 11 & 12).

In his book on St. Philomena, Fr. O’Sullivan writes:

Teachers would do well to place their schools under her protection and erect her statue in a place where the children can easily visit it and adorn it with offerings of flowers, lamps and candles.

Countless times she saved the schools where she is thus honoured from the relentless attacks of anticlerical officials, whose sole aim is to destroy religious influence in every shape and form. But her power is manifested in diverse other ways as well. She brings novices to convents in which the numbers are insufficient, teachers to schools where they are required; she finds means of support for those whose financial resources are small and not infrequently fills their schools with pupils. It is no less noticeable that the health of the children rapidly improves wherever the little Wonder-worker is honoured.

Thank you for your prayers and your children's prayers. The school is so important to the Church's apostolate. We wish that as many children as possible be able to benefit from the tremendous miracle of grace that it represents in these troubled times.

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