Catholic Identity - What’s in a motto?
Many people still remember the motto of the school they attended as children. It appeared on uniforms and on banners, and its meaning was regularly spelt out on special occasions.
Schools aren’t the only institutions to have mottos, of course. Businesses, clubs and hospitals have them, and so do all kinds of other agencies, even governments.
One great secular democracy challenges itself, on all its coins, with the motto, In God we trust. And deeply engraved above the entrance of Edinburgh Castle is an ancient royal motto that also serves as a warning, Don’t meddle with me!
The mottos of universities so often reflect the religious worldview within which university life originated: The Lord is my light (Oxford), Seek and ye shall find (La Trobe) and The truth will set you free (Johns Hopkins).
Well known are the mottos of such Religious Orders as the Benedictines (Ora et labore – ‘Pray and work’) and the Jesuits (Ad majorem Dei Gloria – ‘To the greater glory of God’).
Relevance
Mottos have long had a significant place in the rhetoric and symbolism that have helped Catholic schools express their identity. They are important cultural features with a new relevance today in a society looking for explicit language in which to express values in schooling.
Some are expressed in Latin, a language which links them to Church tradition. Christus regnat (‘Christ reigns’) is the motto of Patrician Brothers’ Blacktown, Esto fidelis (‘Be faithful’) belongs to St Patrick’s Marist College, Dundas. And Holy Trinity Primary School at Granville reminds its students that Ubi caritas ubi Deus (‘Where there is love, there is God’).
Links to history
Some school mottos reflect the influence of the Religious congregations that played a significant role in the school’s history. Strength and gentleness feature in schools such as St Francis of Assisi, Glendenning, which had a Brigidine presence. Go to Joseph reminds us of the contribution of the Josephite Sisters at Lalor Park. Under your protection is shared by a number of schools traditionally served by the Sisters of Mercy. And Victory through Faith reflects links with the Holy Faith Sisters at North Rocks and Winston Hills.
Scripturally based
Many mottos are essentially scriptural, reflecting the gospel-based nature of the Catholic school. Love one another urges St Michael’s, Blacktown South and St Thomas Aquinas, Springwood.
Christ-centredness is another shared feature: Faith in Christ (St Andrew’s College, Marayong); In all things Christ (Cerdon College); and Walk with Christ (Marian Catholic College, Kenthurst).
Other forms
Quite a few Catholic schools choose to stress the communal nature of school life. Together we grow or Together we are one are mottos shared by schools at Penrith South, St Clair and Rooty Hills.
Mottos can be expressed as exhortations to the school community: Go forth in strength (Parramatta Marist high, Westmead); Care always, respect everyone (St Mary’s, Rydalmere); Act justly (St Columba’s High School, Springwood); and Strive for higher things! (Catherine McAuley, Westmead).
They can also present highly concentrated statements of vision and mission: In Christ we live, love and learn (Holy Family, Granville East); and Truth through learning (St Joseph’s, Kingswood).
Identity reinforced
It’s worth sparing a thought for the mottos of our Catholic schools. They are features of our culture, brief messages that remind us of what are schools are really all about.
Well-chosen mottos can reinforce the Catholic schools’ identity as religious places grounded in the values and ideals of the Gospel and centred on the person of Jesus.
They remind us that we share a great mission and that, together, we can make a difference.