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The Mass for the Dedication of Studies was held recently in St Paul's Church. As is tradition, students participated in the Mass as servers, Eucharistic ministers and musicians. The homily was delivered by Rev Dr Eddie McGee who said:
"As a college community, we gather here today in St Paul's Parish Church before the altar of God. This annual Dedication of our studies not only marks the beginning of another academic year in which we invoke the blessings of the Holy Spirit on our work, but it also speaks of our shared identity as a faith-based community engaged in the common pursuit of human and intellectual development…."
"Education of minds and hearts is an apostolate; it is ultimately a mission entrusted to all of us. The language of 'mission' is integral to the life and work of St Mary's. Mission is about having a sense of identity and living out that identity with purpose in the service of others. Mission therefore involves community outreach, strengthened by the values of citizenship."
After the Mass we expressed our pride in the quality of the students who attend St Mary's University College by taking the opportunity to present three awards to outstanding students. These acknowledgements are possible due to the ongoing support of our sponsors for whom we are very grateful.
The first award, sponsored by the First Trust Bank, was presented by Gerry Hawkins, assistant manager in the Andersonstown Branch. The recipient was a current second-year Liberal Arts student, Kieran Jennings. The award was bestowed on Kieran as an acknowledgement of his high performance in year one of this degree programme and was accepted on his behalf by fellow student, Ruairi Devlin.
The second award was sponsored by the NASUWT and recognised the top achiever in last year’s first-year Education degree programme. The sponsor was represented by the current president of the NASUWT, Louise O'Prey, an alumni of the College. The winner was Hannah McErlane, a BEd 2 primary student currently studying Education with Art and Design.
In St Mary's we pride ourselves on our sense of community and belonging, so the final award was in recognition of unflagging efforts to assist other students and to be involved in the entire life of the College. This award was also sponsored by the First Trust Bank.
The recipient of this award was chosen by his fellow students and recognised his dedication to College life and the well-being of others. The award was presented to Ruairi Wilson who is currently a third year Liberal Arts with Irish student. Ruairi accepted his award from Gerry Hawkins, again presenting for First Trust Bank.
Hannah McErlane, Ruairi Wilson, Louise O'Prey (President of NASUWT),
Peter Finn (Principal of St Mary's), Gerry Hawkins (branch manager of First Trust Bank)
and Ruairi Devlin.
As a College community, we congratulate the recipients of the three awards and offer a final word of thanks to our sponsors, the First Trust Bank and NASUWT: their support makes the recognition of excellence possible. |
