14.11.2025
‘Let’s make our corner of the world a sanctuary’ – Diocesan Schools Service
Children from every corner of Dublin and Glendalough filled Christ Church Cathedral yesterday morning (Thursday November 13) for the Diocesan Service for Primary and Junior Schools. The theme of the service was ‘Sanctuary’ and an inspiring speaker from Schools of Sanctuary addressed the children.
Archbishop Michael Jackson presided at the service and following a welcome from Dean Dermot Dunne, the service was led by the Revd Mike Buchanan. Guests from the sphere of education included representatives of the Department of Education, the Catholic Primary School Management Association, the Irish Primary Principals Network, the INTO, Cumann Gaelach na hEaglaise and the General Synod Board of Education.
In his address the Revd Mike Buchanan talked about God’s favourite colour and suggested that it might be white. He explained that, according to his son’s science book, ‘white light appears white because it stimulates the cones in the human eye to perceive all colours equally’. He showed the children a prism to illustrate the many colours which make up the white light we see and added that a rainbow allowed us to see how God designed all the colours and put them side by side.
He said that the rainbow is a symbol of God’s creation. “It tells us that each and every part of God’s creation is not made up of just one thing; just one identity; just one colour; but by a myriad of diverse, and complimentary colours, all combining to give us a beautiful world full of difference,” he commented.
He added: “We are all very different. Some of us are quiet. Some are better at sports than others. Some are lively and full of fun. Some are shy and don’t like to be the centre of attention. And some have come to this country from faraway places to make a better life for themselves and their family. What we all have in common, though, is that we are all equal in God’s eyes. God loves us all equally. We were all made by God in the same way. Our job is to look out for one another. To love each other as God loves us… Let’s make our corner of the world a sanctuary. A safe place where we love colour; we love difference; we love diversity; and where we celebrate God’s creation as a gift every single day.”
Sara Hakim highlighted the work of Schools of Sanctuary which supports schools to be places of welcome and inclusion for everyone. She guessed that the children’s schools were already places of sanctuary where all are welcome and all belong. “In particular we like to focus on those people who were forced to leave their countries and seek asylum here in Ireland,” she explained. This is done by learning about people who are seeking asylum so that the school community has a better idea of what they have been going through. Schools of Sanctuary also show solidarity and do things that show that their fellow pupils are welcome.
Sara described one school she visited recently which had the word ‘welcome’ in 45 languages inside their entrance. “Students, when they arrived there, when they walked into that school every morning, they knew that they were welcome,” she commented. Schools also hold international days in which they invite parents who come from other countries to get to know parents from Ireland.
“It’s about learning, it’s about taking action, and it’s about sharing. It’s about sharing the knowledge that you have gained by becoming a School of Sanctuary with the whole school, with parents, with other schools you might come into contact with and taking that knowledge into the community, whether that is into your sports clubs, Scouts, whatever it is that you do. I would say your school already is a school of sanctuary but what we would love to do is to welcome your schools to further embed that and to make sure that everyone can see it and celebrate what you already do,” she added.
The collection was taken up for Schools of Sanctuary and the diocesan appeal for the Diocese of Jerusalem. Archbishop Michael Jackson reiterated the importance of school being a place of sanctuary because schools are where this generation of young people and children comes together to form tomorrow’s active and political life. He spoke about the Shine a Light Appeal for the Diocese of Jerusalem, which runs Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza city, and told the children that the people of the Diocese of Jerusalem and their hospitals and schools appreciate the friendship of the people of Dublin and Glendalough.
You can find information on Schools of Sanctuary and how to become a School of Sanctuary here: www.sosi.ie
