Monday 19th May was St Alcuin's Day, a figure of great relevance to St Peter's as well as York's wider history. Pupils from St Peter's 13-18 and 8-13 walked from school to York Minster for a special Eucharist service for the occasion. Mr Walker delivered the following moving sermon, which gave some history on St Alcuin and the lessons we can take from the life he lived over 1,000 yeas ago:
"Today, I want to tell you about a hero —not a superhero with a cape, but a real-life hero who wore robes, carried books, and changed the world with his mind and his heart. His name was Alcuin of York, and he once walked the same streets you do. He was a student and teacher right here in York, and he is one of the reasons our school, St Peter’s, is so special.
Alcuin was a Northumbrian scholar, teacher, and cleric, born in York in 740AD. He was educated at St Peter’s where he later became Head Master between 766 and 778AD. His early education was influenced by the legacy of the Venerable Bede and his teachers, Ecbert and Ælberht. Alcuin was a brilliant student and teacher, mastering the liberal arts and attracting pupils from across Europe.
In 781, he met Charlemagne and joined his court in 782, becoming a key figure in the Carolingian Renaissance. Alcuin helped unify Charlemagne’s vast empire through religious reform and education, promoting literacy as a tool for administration and faith.
As Abbot of St Martin’s in Tours, Alcuin oversaw the development of Carolingian minuscule, a clear and uniform script that revolutionized medieval writing and influenced modern Roman typefaces. He also introduced innovations in punctuation, including the early question mark.
Alcuin preserved and disseminated classical and Christian texts, compiled educational materials, and promoted the establishment of libraries and schools. His contributions to grammar, rhetoric, mathematics, and theology were foundational. He also played a major role in liturgical reform, standardising practices across the empire.
His legacy includes the survival of many ancient texts, the spread of learning, and the shaping of medieval European education and religious life. All of which rapidly expanded learning and encouraged questioning and critical thinking. In many ways he was responsible for establishing the system of education which is taken for granted across the world.
Alcuin lived over 1,200 years ago, in a time when most people couldn’t read or write. But Alcuin loved learning. He studied everything he could—maths, poetry, history, and especially the Bible. He believed that learning wasn’t just about getting smarter—it was about becoming wiser, kinder, and closer to God.
Alcuin made sure that schools taught not just facts, but values—like honesty, humility, and love for others. He knew that education should develop the skills which are essential for a happy, successful and fulfilled life. Skills which are just as important today as they were then, such as those recognised by the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report, on which we base our educational aims and vision. Skills such as:
- Analytical and creative thinking
- Leadership and social influence
- Empathy and active listening
- Resilience, flexibility and agility
- Motivation and self-awareness
- Curiosity and lifelong learning
So why should Alcuin matter to us?
Because his spirit and ideal of education lives on in this school. St Peter’s is one of the oldest schools in the world, and Alcuin helped shape what it means to be a school in the first place. When you are busy in and out of the classroom, when you ask questions, when you help a friend understand something—that is Alcuin’s legacy in action.
He reminds us that learning is a gift, and that we should use it not just for ourselves, but to make the world better. Whatever your age, and all of us here today are part of one learning community, Alcuin’s life tells us that every mind matters, and every heart can grow.
So today, let us give thanks for Alcuin of York —a teacher, a thinker, a servant of God. Let us be proud to be a Peterite like him and honour him by being curious, kind, and courageous learners.
#StPetersValues #StPetersYork #StPetersSeniorSchool
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