Catholic Education Week

Transcription

1 Catholic Education Week Learning to be Merciful at Our Lady s High School It s been a very busy year so far in the life of Our Lady s High School but once again our pupils have responded generously to the opportunities afforded to them to grow in faith. In October 2015, S1 pupils visited Carfin Grotto in order to pray and reflect together. The theme of the day retreat was Recognising God Today. Pupils in S2 will visit Carfin again in May to deepen their understanding of Jesus Christ and Mary, His Blessed Mother, and arrangements are being made to welcome Nicola Lynas (Retreat Team Leader of the Office of Ministry and Evangelisation) in June to deliver a day of reflection for pupils in S3. Our S6 pupils who have undertaken The Pope Benedict XVI CARITAS AWARD have been journeying together in faith together since August. By undertaking the Caritas Award our young people have been encouraged to respond to God s call of love and mercy through serving others. This provides the pupils of Our Lady s High School the opportunity to bear witness to their faith within their homes, schools, parishes and local communities. We are putting into practice what Pope Francis teaches us about: Mercy Lived Mercy Prayed Mercy Professed Mercy Celebrated

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3 We are blessed by the spiritual leadership of our new school Chaplain, Father Martin Delaney. Fr Martin joined our school community in August. Since then all pupils in S1 have had the opportunity to meet with Fr Martin during their class Mass, an opportunity we hope to offer to pupils in other years. Fr Martin is a visible face in the school and we thank him for his contributions. As is always the case our pupils have responded generously to charity appeals and this year has been no exception, with the Christmas Food Parcel Campaign, Aid to the Church in Need and St Andrew s Hospice being a small selection of appeals we have contributed to. We have also said a sad farewell to Miss McGinness from the Religious Education Department during this school year and we have recently welcomed Miss McMahon to her new post in within RE Department. We, as a community, look forward to welcoming Bishop Joseph Toal to celebrate our Patronal Feast Day with us in March. It would be our hope that Bishop Toal would, once again, meet with pupils in both the Junior and Senior Phase before celebrating Mass. This is an experience that our pupils have always enjoyed and benefitted from. LENT is busy time of year in the life of the Our Lady s High School. Mass will be celebrated every day and all pupils are encouraged to attend. As this is also the Jubilee of Mercy we, as a school, will be asking our pupils to undertake our Acts of Mercy Challenge. As always all of our pupils will also be afforded the opportunity for confession during Lent. Mass Wednesday and Friday 8.40am Follow

4 Parish Life to assist with the Children s Liturgy programme. Our Young people are encouraged to become actively involved in the life of their own parish. As a result, students from Our Lady s High School have become involved in the liturgical life of their parish. This includes : joining/forming music groups to lead the music in the celebration of Sunday Mass, undertaking the duties of Pass-keepers, volunteering as Readers in the celebration of the Liturgy of the Word Additionally our pupils who have undertaken the Pope Benedict XVI Caritas Award have all been trained to assist in the Diocesan Retreats for Sacramental Preparation. Our young people have also supported and assisted in a number of charitable and social events organised in their parish community. Some of our senior phase pupils volunteer at the local ALMA clubs on a weekly basis. The Lord tells us: 'the first task in life is this: prayer.' But not the prayer of words, like a parrot; but the prayer, the heart gazing on the Lord, hearing the Lord, asking the Lord. This is what praying is, opening the door to the Lord, so that he can do something. If we close the door, God can do nothing! Mercy Prayed Prayer is an integral part of life within the community of Our Lady s High School. Students and staff are afforded opportunities on a daily basis through Tutor Time and Religious Education to build meaningful prayer into their daily routine. Our students have undertaken lead roles in a variety of prayer services within the school. Our S6 pupils have formed and organised the Our Lady s High School Rosary Group which meets in the Centenary Chapel every Thursday lunchtime to recite the Holy Rosary for the special intentions of the whole

5 school community. During Advent pupils of every tutor class led their peers in the daily Advent Prayer Stop. Throughout Ordinary Time within the Church Year Mass is celebrated every Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 am in the school. However during Advent and Lent Mass is celebrated every day. This provides every member of the whole school community the opportunity to attend Mass on a daily basis as we prepare for the feasts of Christmas and Easter respectively. Our school retreats programme ensures pupils also have the opportunity to develop their own personal relationship with God. Students are encouraged to reflect on the love and mercy God displays towards us all and the significance of prayer in their own lives. Mercy Lived We endeavor to inspire others to find their way to the Father by developing relationships, within our school community, that display the compassion, mercy and the love that Christ showed throughout his life. Some examples of the initiatives our students are involved in are as follows: S6 Buddy Programme Through our S6 Buddy Scheme our S6 pupils provide essential peer support to our S1 pupils with their transition from Primary to Secondary Education. S1 Retreats Our S6 students helped design, prepare and deliver the material for our S1 Recognising God Retreat in October. St Andrew s Hospice Ambassadors Our St Andrew s Hospice Ambassadors have volunteered to lead activities that raise awareness of the work of the hospice amongst pupils and staff of Our Lady s High School. Additionally our ambassadors also help raise money to support the hospice to continue to deliver the high level of care it currently offers its patients and their families.

6 Charity Life of Our Lady s High School As always, the school community of Our Lady s High School has responded generously as we have endeavoured to support a wide variety of charities through the course of the school year. These include supporting local charities and good causes such as our Christmas Food Parcel Campaign and the Caritas Choir visiting Park Springs Care Home to deliver gifts to perform a concert for the residents. Our school has also supported a significant number of national and international charities. Pupils have had the opportunity to find out about the work of charities such as Aid to the Church in Need, SCIAF and Save the Children. Much to their credit, our young people, have responded with generosity when asked to support the work these charities and others undertake. Additionally our students have responded with kindness when asked to support our campaign to provide support with the recent refugee crisis providing essential items of clothing for those in desperate need.

7 Mercy Professed The Catholic Education Commission has developed a Religious Education syllabus for the Senior Phase, building on the syllabus provided in This Is Our Faith for the Broad General Education phase of the curriculum in Catholic schools. The draft document proposes a number of Experiences and Outcomes, organised under the 8 Strands of Faith described in This Is Our Faith. This draft document is intended to provide for progression from the learning which pupils will experience in the Primary school stages and in S1-S3. The proposed experiences and outcomes are intended to be achievable across S4/5/6 within the provision of 2 hours of formal R.E. per week which all Catholic secondary schools are obliged to provide. The Holy See is considering this document with a view to granting a Decree of Recognitio, as it did for the original document. In the meantime, those responsible for teaching religious education should find the draft document to be a useful in helping them to review their current provision and to plan for future development. This Is Our Faith, the syllabus for Catholic Religious Education in Scotland, governs the teaching of Religious Education in Scotland's Catholic schools. This is the first Religious Education syllabus to be originated wholly in Scotland and designed to meet the needs of young people in Scotland. It was published in November 2011 by the Scottish Catholic Education Service on behalf of the Catholic Bishops of Scotland; a Senior Phase version was published in October This is Our Faith is designed to inform teachers' understanding of the nature of the Catholic school, the purpose of religious education, the role of the teacher, the 'Strands of Faith' under which is organised the 'core learning' in faith which young people are expected to experience through their broad General Education (P1 through to S3) and at the Senior Phase (S4 to S6). Our Religious Education programme is designed to explore the eight strands of This of Our Faith. This is Our Faith is intended to ensure that young people can: develop their knowledge and understanding of Catholic faith, nurture respect for other Christian traditions and world faiths, experience opportunities for spiritual growth, acquire the skills of reflection, discernment and moral decision-making and commit to beliefs, values and actions in a positive response to God s invitation to faith.

8 Mercy Celebrated Providing opportunities for all members of the school community to experience the love and mercy of Christ through the Sacraments of the Church, is an important aspect of life in Our Lady s High School. All members of the school community can participate in the Sacrament of the Eucharist each week as Father Martin celebrates Mass every Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 am in the school. During Advent and Lent Father Martin, with the assistance of the local clergy, celebrates Mass every day in Our Lady s High School. Our students have also been given the chance to experience the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament through our S1 Retreat programme and the work of Office of Ministry and Evangelisation in providing our S6 pupils with the opportunity to attend the Preparation for Christmas talks in December. If a member of the school community wished to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation Father Martin would be available on a Wednesday and Friday. In addition to this, the Sacrament of Penance is offered to all in the school during, both, Advent and Lent. What our pupils are saying about their school I have really enjoyed coming to Our Lady s. I really enjoyed the RE retreat as it was lots of fun. I loved having to go into all of the different caves during the treasure hunt and also I learned a lot of new things about the saints and Jesus. I enjoyed attending the Mass and I think the trip was worth it. S1 Pupil I have enjoyed my time at Our Lady s High School. In October 2015 I went to Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland which was a life changing and unforgettable experience. Since I returned I have been working with younger pupils making them aware of the holocaust. S6 Pupil It had been ages since I had been to confession. But after I went in school I felt really good about myself. S3 Pupil I have loved my time at Our Lady s, throughout my time here I have been given loads of great opportunities. I have gone on trips to York, Italy France and Belgium. Each trip offering a completely different experience. S6 Pupil During Advent I went to Mass every lunch time. I really appreciated this opportunity because I felt like if I couldn t give someone something I could pray and hope everything gets better. S2 Pupil

9 Photographs in order: Caritas Students Meet Father Martin (3) S6 Buddy Programme Praying Hands-Retreats Christmas Food Parcels Park Springs Home (2) Caritas Students Advent Performance Diocesan Event Aid to the Church in Need Rally Leadership Award Programme S6 Buddy Programme Aid to the Church in Need War Memorial Chapel

10 Learning to be Merciful has been chosen as this year s theme to link to the Jubilee Year of Mercy opened by Pope Francis on 8th December Pope Francis reminds us God s mercy can make even the driest land become a garden and can restore life to dry bones. He asks us to become agents of mercy channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish. Therefore in this year of mercy we are reminded that mercy is not only shown by God. It should be shown by us. We who have experienced mercy must in turn grant it to others. In St Brendan s we are always eager to help others and show mercy. At Christmas our Enterprise Committee organised hampers which were donated to local parishioners and our local Care Home. Primary 5/4 raised 70 for a SCIAF real gift. They bought some chickens, a toilet and they hope to send a child to school with books. Primary 3 with the help of the whole school community filled a number of shoe boxes for those less fortunate. In undertaking these activities our children became agents of a mercy. Most recently our children continue to show mercy by donating to the local food bank and collecting plastic bottles to support the work of the Soup Kitchens in Glasgow. Our Lenten charity appeal which helps our children show mercy to others less fortunate continues to grow from strength to strength and last year it was decided by our children this money should be donated in total to SCIAF and with the government matching promise the children raised a magnificent total of 4,000.

11 Our annual St Andrew s Hospice event this year coincided with one of our Jubilee celebrations. This event was sold out with not only parents but members of the local community and former members of staff joining together to share memories of their time at St Brendan s, while enjoying some traditional Scottish hospitality and being entertained by our talented children. This event raised 400 for St Andrew s Hospice. In our every day practices at St Brendan s we try to live our vision Voyage Together as a Community of Faith, Love and learning. In showing love we must also show forgiveness and through our positive behaviour programmes of restorative practices and peer mediation we learn to respect others and show forgiveness when we have been wrong. We look forward to Catholic Education Week when we will reflect on this year s theme with the support of our families and community.

12 Truly Christian families can do much for today s society, and also the Church. Last session, Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School community sought to act out these words from Pope Francis as we work together to build a stronger community of Faith, in our homes, our schools and our parishes. We ended last school session by awarding our first ever cohort of Pope Francis Faith Award Candidates with their awards at Graduation. Our Primary Seven pupils have worked on the award over two years, demonstrating commitment to their Faith in their homes and parishes, many of them gaining the additional Parish Commendation. This session we have over 90 children involved in the award scheme throughout P6 & P7 and look forward to another group of children earning their award at the end of the year. Known for our generosity of spirit, the session has seen our school raise funds for a number of local, national and worldwide charities. Over 6, 000 has been donated to a range of charities throughout the year, but our charitable works have not been limited to financial support. Throughout the year, our pupils and staff have donated to our local food bank, we have donated food hampers which have been shared with the elderly

13 in our local community and we have taken our talents along to spend time with the residents of Mission Place care home. Our senior pupils also created the Really Useful Cupcake Company selling cupcakes at Christmas to raise funds for Yorkhill Children s Hospital, as well as creating numerous charitable donations in the form of the Operation Christmas Children shoebox appeal. We support MISSIO in our weekly collections during our Monday Morning whole school assemblies and in response to our pupils request, we have hosted one-off fundraisers to respond to those in need, e.g. donating 1500 to the people of Nepal. Our staff also has a keen sense of social justice and has supported SCIAF and a local Women s Aid Shelter. As always, a main focus of our work in school is Sacramental preparation, and this session we have embarked upon an ambitious programme to enhance the experience for our pupils and parents. Working closely with our local clergy, we have hosted parental and pupil evening workshops and we have a programme of class Masses and visits to the church during the intense preparations for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. Enrolment ceremonies and Masses will also take place during the session. Throughout the session we have also continued to host Masses during Advent and Lent, which are greatly supported by the wider school community and parish, as are our whole school celebrations of the Eucharist. In this small snapshot of the Faith life of our school, we are striving to live by the example of Pope Francis as we learn to be merciful.

14 In St Bernadette s we are looking forward to celebrating Catholic Education Week. As a community of faith and learning we are confident that the week of reflection and focus on being merciful will be an enriching experience. The theme of Catholic Education Week is Learning to be Merciful, based on the teachings of Pope Francis who recognises our humanity and call to Christ. We know that it isn t easy at times to show our faith in the world. Sometimes it can be really challenging and it can take a lot of effort. But Pope Francis has reminded us that God forgives all and God forgives always. He encourages us to consider particular ways in which we can realise this vision of a merciful, loving God in our own lives. So, our mission during this Catholic Education Week is to consider this question: How do we show Christian mercy in St Bernadette s? In St Bernadette s the children are encouraged to live their Faith every day and to be proud of their Faith in all they do. Our day to day living should reflect our values of Love, Faith, Forgiveness, Self-Discipline and Integrity. Our classes have been reflecting on how they can put their faith into action. Our current Primary 6 and Primary 7 pupils are working towards the Pope Francis Faith award. This has been a very rewarding experience for them and it is wonderful to see and hear their discussions and witness to the gospel on a daily basis in school. We are also working with the children and parents of P3 and P4 who are preparing for Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. These events are always filled with joy and we remember that the joy comes from knowing and becoming closer to Jesus through the sacraments and through God s Mercy. We can also reflect on the very positive work which continues our partnership with Namulenga Girls School in Malawi despite difficulties with communications and VISAS. Our commitment remains to learn with and learn from our partner school. Our Celebrations of Faith Committee also arranged and prepared for the whole school to celebrate Mass for St. Andrew s Day and for the Holy Year of Mercy with the parish community of St. Bernadette s.

15 These were both most enjoyable and spiritual events, where our children were highly complimented for their beautiful singing and respectful and enthusiastic participation. Pope Francis has stated that faith, hope and charity are the driving force of the Christian life. Our ongoing commitment to helping others is evident once again in the very generous donations we have made to charities over the past year SCIAF MISSIO Malawi Partnership (Namulenga Girls School) Let the Children Live British Heart Foundation Mary s Meals St. Andrew s Hospice Tickled Pink Our thanks go to all families and friends of St Bernadette s who are so generous in their support of our charitable work. We are very grateful for the support we receive from our parents, our Parent Council, Fr Mallya and Our Lady s High School. We appreciate their efforts and thank them for their continuing commitment to us as we grow in faith, love and mercy within our school community

16 Produced by O.L.H.S. in Association with our Cluster Primary Schools