Sancta Maria College, New Zealand

Sancta Maria College is a co-ed Catholic School in Auckland, New Zealand. It is named after the schooner on which Bishop Pompallier travelled around New Zealand.The nameThe College is named after the mission schooner Sancta Maria on which Bishop Jean Baptist Pompallier sailed around New Zealand. The name Sancta Maria is a Latin title for Mary, the Mother of God. It means Holy Mary.Bishop Pompallier, who is a specially honoured pioneer of the New Zealand Catholic Church, arrived in the Hokianga from France in 1838 with a group of Marist Priests and Brothers. With this group, he sailed around New Zealand converting settlers to Catholicism in the early 1840s.Fathers Garin and Viard who accompanied Bishop Pompallier established churches in Howick and Panmure. Bishop Pompallier devised his own flag for the vessel - a bunting version of the Miraculous Medal, It consisted of a blue cross surmounting a large M and surrounded by twelve stars. The background was white. These twelve stars have been incorporated into the school logo along with the Sancta Maria and the school's motto 'FAITH IS OUR COMPASS'.The College’s name commemorates the historic arrival and work of Bishop Pompallier. There is a comparison between the vessel Sancta Maria being used to spread the Word and our College being a vessel for furthering the Religious Education of young people in the area.HistorySancta Maria College was built in 2004 and was used as a 'transfer' school from St Mark's and Star of the Sea Primary schools in Howick and Pakuranga, New Zealand.There has been a notable increase in the population of students and the school has also been expanded to include 5 classroom 'blocks'. When Sancta Maria Catholic Primary School came in the year of 2010 they shared the same auditorium for assemblies and masses and so the college built a new gym for P.E.