School houses
Andrew House
St Andrew has been celebrated in Scotland for over one thousand years, with feasts being held in his honour as far back as the year 1000 AD.
However, it wasn’t until 1320, when Scotland’s independence was declared with the signing of The Declaration of Arbroath, that he officially became Scotland’s patron saint.
Since then, St Andrew has become an important part of Scottish society. The flag of Scotland is the saltire, also known as St Andrew’s Cross, and the ancient town of St Andrews was named due to its claim of being the final resting place of St Andrew.
Columba House
St. Columba is an Irish saint who is credited with having had a main role in the conversion of Scotland to Christianity in the 6th century. He is a patron saint of Scotland and one of the three patron saints of Ireland, along with St. Patrick and St. Brigid. Columba and his associates and successors spread the gospel more than any other contemporary group of religious pioneers in Britain
Kentigern House
Saint Kentigern was the first Bishop of Glasgow where he is known as Saint Mungo meaning “the beloved one”. “Kentigern” derives from the Welsh Cyndeyrn, meaning “Chief Prince”. He was born in North Britain about 518 in the kingdom of the Picts. After being consecrated by an Irish Bishop, he sent many missionary monks to the north of Scotland, in the Isles of Orkney, then in the Kingdom of Norway and to Iceland.
He was driven from his See by the Pelagian heretics and took refuge in Wales where he stayed with Saint David and was present when David died in 544. He returned to what we now call Glasgow in about 560 since we know that he met Saint Columba who came over from Ireland to lead a missionary effort in the same area where Kentigern was working.
St. Kentigern appears in the crest of Glasgow’s coat-of-arms along with his miracles.
Margaret House
St Margaret of Scotland was a Saxon princess, queen consort to Malcolm III Canmore, king of Scotland, and a woman of devout faith. Her life, a testament to Catholic virtue, continues to inspire and resonate with people all over the world, making her one of Scotland's most beloved patron saints.
Despite being a queen, Margaret was a humble, loving and generous woman, taking in the homeless and feeding orphans. Legend says she would sit on a stone outside Dunfermline Castle for people in trouble to find her. Poor people could also enter the castle where the King and Queen would feed them.
Ninian House
The earliest known Scottish saint is St Ninian, or Bishop Ninian, who founded the first monastery in Scotland at Whithorn in the territory of the Britons around AD 500. Ninian’s life remains a mystery: judging from his name he was probably a Briton, and he seems to have been an exponent of the Roman Church, perhaps after receiving training in Rome, rather than the early Celtic Church with its strong ties to Ireland. He was concerned with the implementation of Christianity north of Hadrian's Wall at a time when most of the Caledonian Tribes were still pagan.
Ogilvie House
Saint John Ogilvie’s noble Scottish family was partly Catholic and partly Presbyterian. His father raised him as a Calvinist, sending him to the continent to be educated. There, John became interested in the popular debates going on between Catholic and Calvinist scholars.
Confused by the arguments of Catholic scholars whom he sought out, he turned to Scripture. Two texts particularly struck him: “God wills all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth,” and “Come to me all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you.”
Saint John Ogilvie came to see that the Catholic Church could embrace all kinds of people. Among these, he noted, were many martyrs. He decided to become Catholic and was received into the Church at Louvain, Belgium, in 1596 at the age of 17.
