Statues for Catholic schools

Many Irish schools were founded by a religious congregation or a parish and still carry the name of a saint or a title of Our Lady. A statue of that patron in the front hall is often the first thing a visitor sees, and it is the simplest way for a school to show its ethos without a word being said.

Inside the school, a statue serves the religious education programme and the sacramental year. Children preparing for First Holy Communion, usually in second class, and for Confirmation, usually in sixth, often have a prayer focus in the classroom. In May, many schools still keep a May altar to Our Lady, with flowers brought in by the children, and some crown her in a short ceremony. A statue that lives in the prayer room for the rest of the year can be brought out for these.

Statues are heavy and breakable, and schools are full of people moving fast. Three simple rules cover most of it. First, put anything heavy against a wall, on a surface that cannot tip, and above the height of a running child’s shoulder. Second, keep naked flames away: use battery candles in the classroom and prayer room. Third, think about who will move it — a marble statue should be lifted by two adults, never by pupils.

Painted resin will chip if knocked off a shelf, so place it where it will not be brushed by coats and bags. Marble is far tougher, but its weight means it must stand on something solid. Every statue page lists the weight as well as the height, so the caretaker can check before it arrives.

If the board of management, the parents’ association or a past-pupils’ group needs a quote before buying, write to us with the statue and the school’s address and we will send the full cost including delivery. Resin is posted for a flat €15 per order; marble we deliver ourselves, and it helps to tell us which entrance to use and when the school is open.

A statue is a good leaving gift from a sixth class or a final-year group, and a good way to mark a school anniversary. If the patron your school is named for is not in the catalogue, marble can be carved to order.