Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.

Psalm 25:4–5

As soon as the Catholic Church could legally function in England after the long years of persecution following the Reformation, it set the establishment of schools for the poor as a priority. In many parishes schools were built before churches. The Catholic Church in Sunderland has a strong tradition of establishing and running schools.

We are blessed in Our Lady of Mercy Parish to have three Catholic schools.

St Mary’s Primary School

St Mary’s R.C. Primary School is a warm, friendly school where the staff and Governors work together to provide a caring and safe environment in which children thrive. We encourage the children to be independent, responsible and enthusiastic learners. We enjoy working in partnership with parents to achieve the best outcomes for all our children and enable them to develop spiritually, intellectually, physically, emotionally and creatively.

St Anthony’s Catholic Girls’ Academy

St Anthony’s Catholic Girls’ Academy is a happy, inclusive and caring community within the Catholic faith tradition. Our school was formed by the Sisters of Mercy in 1904. The school is diverse and welcoming, aiming for excellence in all that they undertake and celebrating the many, and varied, achievements of our community in all aspects of school life.

St Aidan’s Catholic Academy

The origins of St Aidan’s date back to 1928 when St Mary’s Grammar School was opened to serve the Catholic boys of Sunderland as the town’s population expanded rapidly due to the success of the coal mining and ship building industries. The Jesuits took over in 1935 and the Christian Brothers in 1948. In April 2013, the school converted to an

Academy. St Aidan’s continues to serve Sunderland boys, of all faiths and none, who are willing to uphold the special ethos of the Academy. St

Aidan’s remains true to its founding principles: We are committed to the care and success of every boy in a way that is rooted in the values of the gospel and we nurture each and every student and encourage them on their journey to reaching their full potential.