Our Patron Saint - Paul of Tarsus

St. Paul, the patron saint of missionaries and ropemakers, is a fitting patron for a school such as St. Paul's Technical School. St. Paul, although most prominently known as a missionary, was also schooled as a rabbi in the tradition of Benjamin. This meant he had to find himself a trade in order to earn a living, as rabbis were not permitted to take money in exchange for their teaching.

As a tradesman therefore, St. Paul is an obvious choice as the patron of a technical school, but why choose him above other "tradesmen saints" such as St. Joseph the worker? This question can only be answered by turning to the man's missionary work and searching for the answer there.

If the Acts of the Apostles and Paul's Epistles are read in some detail it will be seen that St. Paul was a man possessing diligent organizational skills, as well as courage, and a certain amount of tact. These qualities, when combined, add up to a man to be considered as a born leader. It is these qualities of leadership that one strives for in the educating of the young men of the school named in his honour.

The school song contains the words "God Keep Them Loyal, Pure, And True..." and this too is an aim of the school which is exemplified in the life of its patron. The New Catholic Encyclopedia tells us that Paul was a man blessed with a love and devotion to Christ which meant that he had a great respect for anything that was "beautiful, simple, honourable and true."  It is to be hoped that the Old Boys of the school, in living out their daily lives, live up to the example and the ideals of their old patron.