Hello Friends,
My prayer for you is that this note finds you all well and continuing to stay safe and well!
Where’s the week gone? So much happens in such a short time. This last week a lot of my time has been given over to our three schools. And rightly so as we celebrated Education Sunday last weekend. I celebrated a beautiful liturgy with the children and staff of Holy Cross Academy on the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross on Tuesday, where the children in Class 3 did an amazing reflection on the meaning of the Holy Cross [see below].
I also celebrated Holy Mass in Our Lady’s Academy as the children and teachers began their new academic year. What a joy to be back in school and to see all those smiling faces and to hear the children singing, it was pure joy! We had the joy of inaugurating two new ‘Faithful Friends’; these are children with the special responsibility of watching out and caring for other children. It was wonderful to see how our children across our three schools embody the Bishop’s vision of Discipleship, Missionary Discipleship and encountering Jesus! There is no better way to encounter Jesus than to encounter him in each other. Keep up the good work!
Saint Margaret Clitherow, I have not yet got to your school, but I am so looking forward to seeing you all very soon!
On Thursday I met with our Head Teachers to plan the School Liturgies for the coming Academic Year taking us up to July 2022. We discussed the following liturgical events:
- Harvest Festival
- Family Fast
- Youth Sunday
- Advent
- Reconciliation
- Christmas Carol and Concert
- Christian Unity
- Lent – Ash Wednesday
- Holy Week and Easter
- Pentecost – International Mass
- School Feast Days
- First Reconciliation and Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- And various other Liturgical Events i.e., Day for Consecrated Life, Our Lady of Lourdes – World Day of the Sick, Mothering Sunday and Fathers Day, as well as CAFOD and Family Fast days, just to name a few!!
It truly is incredible to see how our three Schools and our Parish work so closely together, in the building up of the Body of Christ! What is so encouraging for me, as your Parish Priest is the great welcome and enthusiasm I am greeted with every time I go into anyone of our school’s! As a parish let us continue to pray for our children, teachers and all who work in our schools providing for the welfare and education of our children!
May God bless all your endeavors!
Have a blessed and peaceful week.
Fr John
