Ethos & Spiritual Life

As an independent Catholic school conducted in the educational tradition of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, a core value of St Columba’s College (SCC) is the formation of the whole person. We provide a holistic education that is rooted in religious values, structured through friendly discipline, nurtured by personal attention and committed to academic excellence. At SCC, ours is “an education of the head and heart,” and we strive to create an environment where “every pupil is known, valued, and treasured.”

Whilst St Columba’s is one of many schools in this tradition that operate in 30 countries across the globe, it is British in its educational structure, and we welcome and celebrate students of all faith traditions.

All Columban students are required to participate in the RE curriculum, prayer, liturgies and other religious activities offered as part of the College programme; however, our pupils are not proselytised. That is, they are taught the Catholic faith and experience its dynamism in the daily life of the Columban community, but they are encouraged to practise their own faith tradition and to respect and reverence the traditions and world views of others.

St Columba’s is part of the American Province. The close connection with our sister schools can be seen in our everyday work, from our sporting traditions such as basketball to our school trips. Our much-loved Houses are named after six of those American schools. Students build up links with other students ‘across the pond,’ both online and in person. The Houses are:

Charles House – Mount St Charles Academy, Rhode Island

Guertin House – Guertin, New Hampshire

Joseph House – St Joseph’s High School, Metuchen, New Jersey.

Martin House – Brother Martin School, New Orleans

McClancy House – Mgr., McClancy Memorial High House, New York

Stanislaus House – St Stanislaus College, Bay St Louis, Mississippi.

E.D White school in Thibodeaux, Vandebilt High in Louisiana, and Catholic High in Baton Rouge are based in the southern states of America, whilst Cor Jesu College is in the Philippines.

We have exchanges to these schools, such as the trip to St Joe’s and McClancy in October 2024. We have Student Mission trips where we join the students from all 10 schools to participate in community, reflection and social events every summer. Our first project was to New Orleans in 2022 and in July 2024 we worked in Baton Rouge. We are also joining the next Student Conference, taking place in Rhode Island n July 2025 to share experiences of our charism and holistic education.

When students meet, they always have a wonderful time together and make special connections. This is because we share the same traditions, values, and verve wherever they come from in the province and it opens our pupils eyes to the wider world and helps grow their aspirations

The Brothers of the Sacred Heart

Father Andre’ Coindre, founder of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, was born in Lyons, France in 1787. Devoting his life to the restoration of the Church following the Reign of Terror at the end of the French Revolution, his chief mission became the moral, intellectual and religious development of young orphan boys left in distress by the disintegration of family life following the Revolution.

In 1821 he formed the Brothers of the Sacred Heart to further his efforts, resolving to establish a community of Brothers trained to work for the poor through the establishment of schools. Following the death of Father Coindre in 1826, the efforts of Brother Polycarp, the first Brother Superior General of the Institute, led to tremendous growth. By the time of his death in 1859, the Institute had grown to over 400 Brothers and 70 schools.

Initially, the brothers’ new community went through very difficult times, but by 1847 it had grown and prospered to the point that five missionary brothers were sent to the United States at the request of the first bishop of Mobile, Alabama. The arrival of the brothers in America in 1847 signalled the beginning of the transformation of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart from a strictly French congregation into a worldwide institution made up of many nationalities.

The brothers’ work did not remain limited to Mobile for very long. In 1854, they established St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, and in 1869, St. Aloysius College in New Orleans. Continued expansion resulted in establishment of schools and orphanages in several Midwestern states, in the south and southeastern United States, as well as in New York, New England, and Canada. In 1894, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart established a school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which has become known as Catholic High School.

On July 1, 2014, the New Orleans, New England, and New York Provinces of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart merged to form a new entity, the Province of the United States. As stated in the decree from the Brothers’ Provincial Superior in Council, Brother Mark Hilton, S.C., “the provinces of the United States share a rich history of collaboration in religious life formation, Catholic education, vocation ministry, and the formation of Brothers and partners in mission within the charism of our founder Father André Coindre”.