The words of the College crest are "Gratias Agamus" ( ‘Let us give thanks’) and echo the gracious obedience to the Divine Will characterised primarily by Our Lady and also by St Patrick in his writings. They challenge us to bring our pupils to an understanding of the world as God’s creation and of the sacredness of life; and to an appreciation of their vocation in Christ and how to fulfill that vocation. As a school community we grow in Christ through a combination of prayer, sacramental and non-sacramental worship and the development of the strength of character to live the Christian life. The ethos of Our Lady and St Patrick’s College is best summed up by the following quotation:

" Each person has a special dignity and value which is grounded in one’s 
relationship with Christ. Catholic schools are called to recognise and respect the
uniqueness of all individuals, to enable them to realise their full potential and help 
create the world as God intends it to be."

John Paul II, Redemptor hominis , 1979.