Catholic Character

St Patrick’s Catholic School has a special Catholic Character which sees our students learn the values of the Catholic faith.

Our faith is reflected in our Tātou Kaupapa – Our Mission, which is…

Immersed in teaching of Jesus and our Catholic faith, St Patrick’s Catholic School will provide a quality nurturing, child-centered education.

What does this mean at St Patrick’s…

• We will provide a quality education where every tamariki values and demonstrates compassion & kindness
• Our students will stand tall with confidence and integrity and above all, have a heart that is full of trust and faith in God with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
• Our students will develop a love of lifelong learning

Tātou Moemoea – Our Vision/Motto is….

FAITH IN ACTION : TE WHAKAPONO ME ANA MAHI

What does this mean at St Patrick’s…

• We do what Jesus wants us to do
• We see a need and do something about it
• We live out our faith with actions not just words
• We love others
• We show empathy, acceptance, forgiveness, kindness and caring

Tātou Whakapono – Our Values…

St Patrick’s Catholic Primary and Intermediate School, our special character is at the heart of what we do, in particular:

• Kindness : Atawhai 

• Integrity : Tapatahi

• Unity : Kotahitanga

• Determination : Hiringa

Through prayer, our relationship with God is strengthened.

We are the face, heart, voice and hands of Christ. We connect with our community through social outreach.

We will grow in knowledge and understanding of our Catholic faith.

To help you and your whanau in the teachings of the Catholic Faith there is a link here to our Religious Education book – FAMILY WHANAU BOOK

Classroom Saints

The Church teaches that the saints are here to be models for lives of holiness.

Saints show us what it means to be followers of Jesus.

Therefore each class has a saint for students to learn about and to inspire them to live as followers of Jesus. 

As students move to different classes they learn about the different saints who were great followers of Christ.

Parish and School

We are blessed to have our parish church on the same grounds of the school. 

The parish and church relationship demonstrates our commitment and love for Christ. 

Our parish priest, Monsignor Trevor, visits the classes regularly for prayer. 

Each class has the opportunity to lead Mass with the support of Monsignor Trevor, the parish staff and teachers. 

The parish provides our school whānau with beautiful and interactive liturgical year packs for the different liturgical season celebrations.

Together we are trying to build a school community of disciples who live out our faith in actions and not just words.

Catholic Character Review
You can read our 2021 Catholic Character Review here

Special Character Leaders

Each year the Year 7 & 8 students apply for a number of leadership roles within the school, the most sought after is that of a Special Character Leader. Special Character Leaders are encouraged to hold a Ministry within the parish, eg. Altar Server, Minister of the Word, etc, and they represent the school every year at the Oil of Chrism Mass in Hamilton. They are responsible for running Monday morning school liturgies, the Stations of the Cross during Lent, St Patrick’s Feast Day activities and help organise school Masses and many other activities to do with our special character.

Our 2023 leaders are Jack Carroll, Moose Pink, Lilith Adams, Felicity Moraes and Elizabeth Pool.

Tongariro Catholic Parish

Tongariro Catholic incorporates the Parishes of St Patrick’s Taupo and St Joseph the Worker in Turangi. Tongariro Catholic Website