School History & Mission Statement
Maryfield College is a voluntary secondary school for girls under the trusteeship of the Le Chéile Education Trust. Maryfield College was established in 1945 by the Sisters of the Cross and Passion.
Elizabeth Prout founded the Sisters of the Cross and Passion in Manchester, England, in 1852. Elizabeth had witnessed the difficulties faced by those without education. They lacked the choice and the skills necessary to lead independent lives. Her mission was to provide a holistic education for those she was privileged to teach. She hoped to enhance their lives through the opportunities provided in the schools.
In 1945 Sisters of the Cross and Passion acquired a large site of about sixteen acres in the Glandore Road area. The Sisters had established the order in Kilcullen, Co Kildare. On visiting the convent in Kilcullen in 1944, the Archbishop of Dublin invited the Sisters to establish a foundation in North Dublin. At that time, this area of north Dublin was partly rural but was about to undergo rapid housing developments. The school, with its primary and secondary intake of pupils, would provide for the educational needs of the growing community. Building works began in 1945, and although progress was slow, partly because of wartime disruption to supplies and labour, the school was ready to receive the first 45 pupils in September 1945.
Sr Agnes and Sr Stephanie were the two Cross and Passion Sisters from Kilcullen who were given the task of seeking land for the school to be built. Tradition tells of how Sr Agnes was so keen to acquire the land that she buried a miraculous medal in the field and made a promise to call the school Maryfield. Thankfully her prayers were answered.
There are three Cross and Passion schools in Ireland: Maryfield College, Drumcondra, Dublin; Cross and Passion College, Kilcullen, Co Kildare; and Cross and Passion College, Ballycastle, Co Antrim.
Our school community continues in the tradition and educational philosophy of the founding congregation. Maryfield College aspires to create a positive environment in the belief that through caring relationships, students will learn respect for themselves, others and the natural world, develop a love of learning and appreciation of their talents, share their gifts and resources in a spirit of compassion for the building of a more just world, and learn the meaning of inclusive community which celebrates difference and acknowledges mutual interdependence.
Mission Statement
We, in Maryfield College, acknowledge that it is through our relationships with others that we grow to our full potential. Therefore, we aspire to create an educational environment where pupils come to learn and understand themselves, their abilities, and their world. In this environment, they learn to take responsibility for themselves and others and so can become independent adults.
We, in the school community, are guided by the teaching of Jesus, who urged us to love God and one another as oneself, as a way of life that would bring us to self-fulfilment.
We teach and learn respect for one another and our world, accept our differences and acknowledge our interdependence. In doing so, particular attention will be paid to those in most need of our help.
School Values
Le Chéile Schools Trust
Le Chéile is a Patron of Voluntary Secondary Schools and Community Schools and a Trustee of Primary Schools. The Trust is the governing body of the schools, supporting and overseeing schools in ethos, finance, and property. The Trust’s ethos, or characteristic spirit, is expressed through its philosophy of Welcome, Wisdom, and Witness.
The main object of Le Chéile is the development of a vision of Catholic education and overseeing its implementation in the schools, encouraging preservation of key aspects of the evangelical heritage of their founding Congregation and facilitating the opening of new schools if and where the need arises and resources permit.
Welcome
Our welcome recognises the unique dignity and worth of each person, building on the Catholic tradition of being inclusive.
Witness
Le Chéile Schools witness to the Gospel values of Inclusion, Truth, Forgiveness, Service, Concern, Spirituality, Teaching and Learning on a daily basis. We recognise that every person is made in the image and likeness of God.
Wisdom
Our pursuit of wisdom and knowledge enables our students to achieve an academic excellence that supports them in understanding the world and seeking to improve it.