Celebrating 100 Years of Saint Madeleine Sophie’s Canonisation

This year marks a truly special milestone in the life of our Sacred Heart community: the 100th anniversary of Saint Madeleine Sophie’s canonisation. While her Feast Day falls on 25th May, during our half-term break, we are delighted to honour her legacy within school in the days leading up to it.

To celebrate this centenary, we will be taking part in a Novena—a devotional prayer practice in the Christian tradition that typically spans nine days. Though ours will be a five-day version, it carries the same spirit of reflection, prayer, and gratitude. During a novena, the faithful gather to offer repeated prayers, often seeking the intercession of a particular saint—in our case, our Foundress, Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat.

How We Have Celebrated:

• Every morning of the last week of May in school, form tutors led their forms in a special prayer during tutor time. Each of these five prayers focused on a different aspect of Madeleine Sophie's inspiring life and legacy.

• On Friday, 23rd May, we came together as a whole school to mark the end of this time of reflection. During the final 15 minutes of period 5, teachers paused their lessons and guided students through a collective moment of appreciation for Madeleine Sophie’s life and work.

• During this time, every student was given a prayer card and lolly —a small but sweet reminder of our shared spiritual heritage.

• We also watched a short film created by our Sacred Heart Network Team, which brings to life the remarkable story of Madeleine Sophie and how she continues to inspire our school community today.

Saint Madeleine Sophie, pray for us.