Servite Catholic College in Tuart Hill celebrated one of its most important feast days on April 8, that of the Annunciation.
Students and staff filled the school hall for the Mass, which was celebrated by school chaplain, Fr Vincent Gilbertraj OSM.
One of the school’s six factions is called Annunziata, after the first church priory the Servites built in 1233 which is the Order’s Mother house.
Staff and students are also focusing on ‘Maria Incinta’ throughout the 2013 school year.
Students were given a prayer card at the start of the year with an image of ‘Maria Incinta’, which has been loosely translated at ‘Mary with Child’.
Servite College principal Philip Cox said students have been pausing at midday to recite the prayer each day.
“Mary is a central figure for all Servites and so she is a wonderful model for our students,” he said.
“We focus on her “yes” to become the mother of God and in doing so, she models the Servite charism of service.”
The image of the pregnant Blessed Virgin Mary was taken from a painting on the wall of the Catholic basilica of Santa Maria dei Servi in Bologna, Italy.
“It shows a very real Mary who appears to have fallen asleep after her days work,” Dr Cox said.
“The book she was reading has fallen into her lap. She looks tired and worn out.”
Every year staff and students of Servite focus their thoughts and prayers on a Servite saint, blessed, or significant person associated with the Order.
“We focus on the Seven Sorrows of Mary that remind us that she lived a life that was marked by trials and tribulations, and so can be seen as someone that we can all relate to,” Dr Cox said.
The College is also celebrating the 40th anniversary of becoming a co-educational institution in 2013.