DISCOVER OLOS
A SCHOOL WITH A MISSION
Founded in love: Our Lady of Schools, Halifax, was founded in 2002 by a group of faithful Catholics who wanted to provide independent, faith-based, education at tuition rates that are affordable for a wide range of young families. The School is incorporated as a not-for-profit organization and is encouraged by community members and friends who have come forward in support of the OLOS mission and the success of our students.
Guided by faith: Our Lady of Schools is a title of Our Lady, started in 1894 by A. Guyot, a French priest who gained the approval of Pope Leo XIII. Around the turn of the twentieth century, the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame brought the OLOS mission to Canada. They established a Teachers’ College in Montreal from which the devotion to Our Lady of Schools began to spread across the country and around the world.
In 1905, Pope Pius X approved the image of Our Lady of Schools with a hand-written blessing and in 1915, His Grace, Paul Bruchesi, blessed its original marble statue that had been sculpted by two Italian artists. In 1947 Pope Pius XII granted a general request that Our Lady of Schools be officially proclaimed the Patron of Schools in Quebec and in 1952 Pope Pius XII extended the devotion to encompass all of Canada.
Our School’s statue is a replica purchased at a yard sale by Baie St.-Paul, Quebec artist Anne-Marie Bourbeau. When she learned that her sister was helping set up a Catholic school in Nova Scotia, she lovingly packed and shipped the statue to Halifax. On January 5, 2002 the statue appeared at a founding meeting and the rest is history.
On March 22, 2005 Our Lady of Schools in Halifax received a Papal blessing from Pope John Paul II. Today our students and teachers continue to practice their faith together and strive to be genuine witnesses of Christ. Academic life is enriched by daily prayers, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and weekly Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church.
Learning for life: The OLOS mission calls on our educators to provide an “...excellent academic education...” Children get sound direction for learning and a moral compass for life. OLOS educators provide instruction that combines: meaningful faith with intellectual curiosity, personal growth with Christian virtue and productive action with a genuine sense of social justice. Our motto is “Mater Scientiae et Amoris, Mother of Knowledge and Love.”
