Matthew McQuade and
Aoife Gardiner

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music he hears however measured or far away.
Thoreau

• St Francis was a bit of a ‘party animal’ when he was young. He liked to have a good time and was a selfish, spoiled young man who didn’t use the talents God gave him.

• One day he heard the voice of God asking him to ‘rebuild my church’ which Francis thought meant actually rebuild a church with bricks and cement. God really meant Francis to bring the people back to the church and fix the church because the people in charge had forgotten Jesus’ message .

• First of all Francis gave away all his money to the poor and when he returned to Assisi the townspeople, his family and friends made fun of him when they saw him dressed in old clothes and homeless. That didn’t stop Francis from keeping to
God’s plan.

• Eventually he went to see the Pope to get His help. The pope took one look at
Francis dressed like a tramp and threw him out. He kept returning to see the
Pope and eventually the Pope realised that Francis was right the Church had lost its way and needed to become simple again before the people would come back to worship God.

• Other young men and women decided to join Francis to help the poor and still do today. They are called FRANCISCANS after him.

• When the Pope chose St Francis’ name it was because He wanted the church to be of the poor and for the poor. It was amazing when the pope chose this name because after all it is our school’s name and it was also the first time in history this name had been chosen by a pope. We think this pope wants to continue what
Francis started all those years ago.

• We tried to find out why our school is called after St Francis of Assisi but it was a mystery. Paul Greene even went to visit
Father Hayes our old parish priest to ask him the reason. All he could tell us was that the school was named after the church and that Bishop Thompson of the
Diocese of Motherwell chose the name but we STILL didn’t know why he chose the title St Francis of Assisi.

• So Miss McCaughey sked her parish priest and he told her to phone the Motherwell Chancery and ask to speak to a gentleman named Frank Cassidy
– as he should know (he is also a member of our church).

• Kieran McDonald from our class phoned the Diocesan Offices and asked to speak to the Chancellor, Mr
Cassidy. He was not sure of the origin of the school name either, but he believed like Miss McCaughey that the name was chosen as nearby at that time was athe Franciscan monastery called ‘Greyfriars’ located down by the River Clyde and
Daldowie Crematorium.

Father, educate me for life.
Help me follow the path
You have set out before me.
Guide me to live with faith in you,
With hope in your plan for my life,
And with love for all people.
Bless my parents for showing me how to live.

Bless my teachers for using there talents so that I can develop my own.
Bless all people who show respect for all life that you create for us.
Father we make this prayer to you in the name of Jesus your son and through the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

• Nobody can tell ya;
There's only one song worth singin'.
They may try and sell ya,
'cause it hangs them up to see someone like you.

• But you've gotta make your own kind of music sing your own special song, make your own kind of music even if nobody else sing along.

• You're gonna be knowing the loneliest kind of lonely.
It may be rough goin', just to do your thing's the hardest thing to do.

• But you've gotta make your own kind of music sing your own special song, make your own kind of music even if nobody else sings along.

• So if you cannot take my hand, and if you must be goin',
I will understand.

• You gotta make your own kind of music sing your own special song, make your own kind of music even if nobody else sings along