Our School History

Laurel Hill Secondary School FCJ was opened in 1844 by the FCJ Sisters – the Faithful Companions of Jesus. The FCJ Sisters were founded in 1820 by a French woman named Marie Madeleine d’Houet.

In 2020 the FCJ Sisters celebrated 200 years since the foundation of their Society. We here in Laurel Hill celebrated 175 years of FCJ education. In 1844, Marie madeleine responded to the invitation of the Bishop of Limerick to start a school. School life began with 33 day pupils and 11 boarders. Quite a few of the earlier Sisters would have been French.

Their intention was to share their charism, the gift of Companionship with all they would meet, but in a special way with the children entrusted to their care. This they did by providing an all- round education where all the needs of their students were taken into consideration; their spiritual, emotional and physical wellbeing. This philosophy of education has always enabled caring, wholesome relationships to be built up both between the students, and between the students and staff. Over the last 180 years Laurel Hill has expanded and evolved as part of the FCJ International network of educational establishments and today caters for over 700 students.

The involvement of the FCJ Sisters in education in Ireland.

Our school, a member of the ‘Le Chéile Schools Trust’ lives out the FCJ tradition of Companionship and invites students to, “Find God in all things and in all people”. Each student is also reminded of the last words of Marie Madeleine d’Houet; “Good example does much good.”

There are six values which are important in FCJ schools. They are: