Our Story

About Our School

In Hamilton's historic North End, St. Lawrence School is a Catholic school community of children, parents, educators, and support staff who all strive for excellence as they support community partnerships to make St. Lawrence a place where gospel values are clearly evident. This neighbourhood in an urban village wedged between Hamilton harbour, the city's industrial core, and the C.N.R. railway line which separates it from the rest of the city. The area has continuously welcomed new arrivals to this country over the course of the past century.

In the fall of 2008, St. Lawrence had acquired the special ministry funded program aptly named, "The Parenting and Family Literacy Center", which continues to actively support the interactive learning of both caregiver and the child, and continues to be a favourite with our adult supporters. The center is open to children from ages of one month to six years who are accompanied by a parent, grandparent or designated caregiver, and will work within the center to learn how to actively implement Literacy and Numeracy skills in a "play-based" learning environment.

Our school is also only one of two Catholic schools in Hamilton to successfully pilot the "Green Bin Program," an extension of our Eco-School initiative which includes recycling of the usual items and the less usual computer/printer ink cartridge recycling. Our Eco team has been very active in supporting greenery efforts on school grounds and within our local community. It is through the excellent work of our Eco team that helped to culminate a Platinum ministry certification rating for our school.

 

Saint Lawrence
stlawrence

Saint Lawrence was one of seven deacons who were in charge of giving help to the poor and the needy. When a persecution broke out, Pope St. Sixtus was condemned to death. As he was led to execution, Lawrence followed him weeping, "Father, where are you going without your deacon?" he said. "I am not leaving you, my son," answered the Pope. "in three days you will follow me." Full of joy, Lawrence gave to the poor the rest of the money he had on hand and even sold expensive vessels to have more to give away.

The Prefect of Rome, a greedy pagan, thought the Church had a great fortune hidden away. So he ordered Lawrence to bring the Church's treasure to him. The Saint said he would, in three days. Then he went through the city and gathered together all the poor and sick people supported by the Church. When he showed them to the Prefect, he said: "This is the Church's treasure!"

In great anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. The Saint was tied on top of an iron grill over a slow fire that roasted his flesh little by little, but Lawrence was burning with so much love of God that he almost did not feel the flames. In fact, God gave him so much strength and joy that he even joked. "Turn me over," he said to the judge. "I'm done on this side!" And just before he died, he said, "It's cooked enough now." Then he prayed that the city of Rome might be converted to Jesus and that the Catholic Faith might spread all over the world. After that, he went to receive the martyr's reward. Saint Lawrence's feast day is August 10th.

 

St.Lawrence School Prayer

st lawrence paryer.pdf