Chaplaincy News

Big Lent Walk and Year 7 Retreat Day

Visit to Romero House

‘On Wednesday 4 February, we visited CAFOD’s Romero House in London, which was a fantastic and memorable experience. We were invited to present in their meeting for staff and volunteers, and we also spoke to various members of staff about how young people can get more involved in the Church and make a difference in the world. It was really inspiring to hear about the work they do and how our voices and actions can actually have an impact.

One of the most powerful parts of the day was visiting St George’s Cathedral in the Diocese of Southwark (next to Romero House), where we saw a fragment of St Oscar Romero’s alb and one of his episcopal skull caps. Standing there and learning more about his life and faith made everything feel very real and meaningful. It was a day that definitely made me think more deeply about faith, justice, and how we can all play a part in creating change-and I felt incredibly proud to represent All Saints’ on such a meaningful day.’ -Maks, Y12

Bishop Patrick’s Visit

We were honoured to be visited by Bishop Patrick and Father Simon on Monday.  Bishop Patrick spent time in discussion with students, visited classes and lessons and shared in Q&A with the whole Sixth Form.  Both Bishop Patrick and Father Simon enjoyed the quality of welcome and the open and fluent dialogue with the All Saints’ students, who also enjoyed spending time and being in dialogue with our special visitors.

Sr Susan’s Golden Jubilee

On Saturday 20th September, Sister Susan celebrated her Golden Jubilee – 50 Years of ministry as a Presentation Sister – with a Jubilee Mass at St Philip Neri Church. The celebration was sensational, filled with music, dance, diversity and joy. A letter from Bishop Patrick was read out to Sister Susan, congratulating her for all she’s achieved and for her significant contributions to the Diocese of Nottingham. We sent cards and gifts on behalf of the school communities to give thanks to Sister for all she gives of herself to our young people, schools and parish. Congratulations Sister Susan on this momentous milestone! -By Liam, Y12

Year 11 Retreat Day

On Monday, our Year 11 students enjoyed their Retreat Day, which started with a pilgrimage to Mass and continued with activities focussing on being ‘Wonderfully Made’ using the theme of Human Dignity from Catholic Social Teaching. Our thanks to all who supported them or led sessions and to Fr Liam and our Y9 musician wo played the piano in Mass.

Rome Pilgrimage for the Jubilee Year 2025

What a great honour it was to be in Rome with our students, representing our schools, parishes, Trust, Diocese and nation, supporting CAFOD at the Jubilee of Education! We saw and waved to Pope Leo at the Papal Audience, where he spoke to young people and educators about the importance of education, and where we are celebrating Mass on All Saints Day in St Peter’s Square for the proclamation of St John Newman as a Doctor of the Church.

See some of the posts and updates via these two links:

https://www.instagram.com/

https://www.instagram.com

Year 9 Retreat Day

Year 9, Industria House, shared in their Retreat Day today, beginning with a Jubilee Pilgrimage to Mass at St Philip Neri Church, where Fr Liam helped them to reflect on being called by God to prosper. The day continued with sessions where they reflected on their House Saint, Saint Oscar Romero, and made Romero Crosses, inspired by his virtues and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. They also spent time reflecting on themselves and thinking of ways they can develop as the perfect, unique individuals God created them to be, whilst standing up for what is right and showing love and compassion for others. Our thanks to all our young people and staff who made today a success, as well as to our Governors who joined us and who are so generous in giving of their time.

175th Anniversary Mass

What an honour it was to take members of the All Saints’ Sixth Form to St Barnabas Cathedral today, where Bishop Patrick celebrated Mass with several priests from the Diocese, along with Canon John, on the 175th Anniversary of the Diocese of Nottingham.  What a fantastic moment to share in during the Jubilee Year as Pilgrims of Hope!

Sixth Form Retreat Day

Our Sixth Form students and team have been embracing Catholic Life and Mission to the full since the start of term with: Retreat Day, Mass in church, visiting parish CAFOD speaker, scriptural artwork, Mission Team Ambassador skills audit, leadership on Education Sunday and running Peace Day workshops at St Philip Neri with St Bede Catholic Primary School. Their willingness to engage and their commitment to the school mission, ‘We Shall Serve’, has been outstanding. What a privilege it is to work with such brilliant young adults.

Lourdes 2025

This year, a group of sixth form students participated in the annual Nottingham Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage. It was a great week for the pilgrims and everyone was thoroughly involved in the various events throughout the week. Some of the highlights included Mass at the grotto where Mary appeared to St Bernadette and taking part in the Torchlight procession in the evening.

Anniversary Mass

We had the great privilege of welcoming Bishop Patrick to celebrate our Golden Jubilee Mass, giving thanks for 50 years of education at All Saints’. We were joined by our local clergy, visitors from the Our Lady of Lourdes Trust and a representative body of staff past and present. The students were fantastic, and it was so wonderful to all come together as a community, to be and to share in the Body of Christ. We prayed for all who have been part of the All Saints’ family over the past 50 years and Bishop Patrick reminded us that today, more than ever, we were witnessing to being true Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year.

Year 11 Mass

Our thanks to Canon John for coming in to celebrate one of two beautiful Masses to give thanks for our Year 11 students, as they begin the final chapter of their school year. The students all showed reverence and they will, undoubtedly, take the message of the Mass with them. Thanks to Mr Coope, one of our Governors, for ministering, and to all of the young people who read, prayed, sang and led any part of the liturgy. What a great privilege it is to be part of the All Saints’ community. You are all in our prayers.

FLAME 2025

What an awe-inspiring day we’ve had at Flame in Wembley today! The young people have been outstanding ambassadors for our school and parish and we’ve all shared in some beautiful moments in prayer and adoration, after hear so many inspiring speakers and musicians.

Check out these links for a flavour of this incredible event:

See CYMFED’S FLAME page at: https://www.facebook.com/share/18E2o2xrDD/

Check out Bear Grylls sharing his story, as one of the speakers:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/195czw4GPZ/

.

Centenary Mass at St Philip Neri Church

On Monday 24^th March, a huge number of our students took on roles at the Centenary Mass in our parish church of St Philip Neri.  Bishop Patrick, Canon John, Fr Liam and various other clergy and religious from years past and present, celebrated a beautiful Mass. Many people commended our young people for their dedicated and outstanding service.  Our motto, ‘We Shall Serve’ was, and is, at the heart of all they do and we are incredibly proud of them all for representing our school!

Y10 Jubilee Pilgrimage Mass

What a privilege it was to journey with the whole of Vocare this morning, for their Y10 Jubilee Pilgrimage Mass at St Philip Neri Church.  The young people planned, led, served, read and participated actively in a beautiful Mass, celebrated by Fr Liam.  They spent time looking around our parish church and enjoyed time in reflection, praying for those who are unable to practice their faith, as well as for their own intentions.  They reflected on the impact of Mass and enjoyed conversations with their peers, staff, clergy and governors. Thanks to all staff, clergy and young people for making these important moments in the Catholic life and mission of our school possible.

.

Ash Wednesday 2025

Lent began prayerfully and wonderfully on Ash Wednesday, when Fr Liam, supported by the Chaplaincy Team, distributed ashes and led the liturgy of the Mass.  The chapel was full, and everyone was invited to partake in this special, seasonal Church tradition.  It was so moving to see staff and students journeying in for Mass, and over the course of the day, to mark the beginning of the season of Lent as a community of faith.

Chaplaincy Team’s Lent Celebration of the Word

To prepare for the season of lent, the chaplaincy team have been leading Celebration of the Word’s for each year group. Within these, students have learnt about the 3 pillars of Lent (fasting, prayer and almsgiving) while also talking about the various things they will ‘feast on’ and ‘fast from’

Year 8 Jubilee Pilgrimage Mass

What a privilege it was to journey with the whole of Industria this morning, for their Y8 Jubilee Pilgrimage Mass at St Philip Neri Church.  The young people planned, led, served, read and participated actively in a beautiful Mass, celebrated by Canon John and Fr Liam.  They spent time looking around our parish church and enjoyed time in reflection, praying for those who are unable to practice their faith, as well as for their own intentions.  They reflected on the impact of Mass and enjoyed conversations with their peers, staff, clergy and governors. The sunshine was a great bonus too! Thanks to all staff, clergy and young people for making these important moments in the Catholic life and mission of our school possible.

Confirmation Mass

What a privilege it has been to share the sacramental journey with the 42 young people (31 of whom are from All Saints’, along with others from the Our Lady and All Saints Parish) who were confirmed last night by Bishop Patrick at St Philip Neri Church.

They were shining examples of living out our Catholic Life and Mission, putting their faith first and living out our school mission, ‘We Shall Serve’ through their ministries over the course of the journey.

May they always feel the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives and may they share the gifts and fruits of the Spirit with all whom they encounter.

Well done to all our young people, catechists, clergy, sponsors and families!

Bereavement Garden

We understand that times of loss are challenging for our young people and families.  We’re beginning to develop a new area, outside the chapel, where we can spend time with any young person/people who may have suffered a bereavement.  We’ll be planting remembrance poppies, forget-me-nots and sunflowers in this area and encouraging the young people to honour their lost loved ones in any way that helps them, in this area.  Sincere thanks to our friends at Rainworth Fencing who kindly installed and fitted some beautiful, natural benches in this special space, over the summer months.

If you or your child has suffered any kind of loss, or is preparing for or coping with bereavement in any way, please let us know, as our team and chaplains are here to offer support.

A range of useful resources to support you through these times, as families and as young people, can also be found at:

https://www.childbereavementuk.org/

https://www.childrensbereavementcentre.co.uk/

https://www.griefencounter.org.uk/

House Charity

This year each house has been fundraising for a charity they voted for at the start of the year. The charities include: the Emily Harris Foundation, CAFOD, Faith in Families, John Eastwood Hospice and Aid to the Church in Need.

Students organised many different fundraising activities that happened in school over the course of several weeks. Each house lived out the school motto of ‘We Shall Serve’ amazingly by serving the people in our community and in the world through the effort that was put into fundraising. This is what each house raised:

Industria: £285.79

Caritas: £350.13

Vocare: £263.47

Fortitudo: £158.55

Fidem: £397.33

Representatives from the various charities came into school to thank students and accept the house donations.

Chrism Mass

On Wednesday in Holy Week, the diocese celebrates the Chrism Mass, during which, the oils used in the sacraments of the Church are blessed and distributed to each parish. Some members of the Chaplaincy Team went to Nottingham Cathedral and experienced this special mass while serving in various ministries during the mass. It was a fantastic day and all students conducted themselves as excellent ambassadors of All Saints.

Trust Synod

On Thursday 19^th October 2023, the Hub Chaplains, along with school staff, took students to the Trust Synod Event at the Alive Church in Lincoln.  It was an excellent opportunity to participate in the Synodal process, mirroring the discussions that Pope Francis and all of the clergy in Rome and around the world are partaking in at present.  Students from All Saints’ and all the schools in our De La Salle Hub were outstanding ambassadors, who spoke well in small groups, led and took part in liturgical prayer, and shared their voices in developing the vision of the Church.  Our thanks to all who prepared and took part in the day, which is hoped to become an annual event.

Chaplaincy Team Advent Act of Worship

The Chaplaincy Team led the school in their Advent Act of Worship, focusing on the promise of the coming of Christ in the words of the old Testament prophet Isaiah when he declared ‘come, oh come Emmanuel’. During the Act of Worship students reflected on the words of the Isaiah as they were read to them by Maks. There response to these words was framed by Gabriel and Oliver who asked each student to write a prayer or hope on their tag, which would be hung on the Jesse Tree in the chapel during Advent. The hanging on almost 1000 prayers and hopes took the Chaplaincy Team a couple of lunch times to complete, but it the Jesse Tree has been an ever present part of our celebration of Mass this Advent.

Advent Fundraising

This Advent the year groups were divided into two, with half of the school collecting for and creating shoe boxes full of presents and gifts to be sent to children in Ukraine or those displaced in the war. Through the incredible generosity of the school community we were able to send over 50 shoe boxes to children who otherwise would have very little else to celebrate this Christmas. The other half of the school collected for a local foodbank with the school sending close to 40 bags worth of food and non-perishables to support those people and families in our local communities. Once again the generosity and giving which is present within the school community is incredible and a testament to way we support those in need both locally and internationally.

New Altar Linen

With the start of a new year in the Church, the school has recently taken delivery of our new altar linen which celebrates the importance of our Catholic feeder schools as being very much a part of our school community at All Saints. When we celebrate Mass each week, we will be reminded that we celebrate not just as a school community, but as a wide and diverse faith community across many schools and many communities.

Year 11 Retreat Day

On Thursday 6^th October Year 11 had their retreat day. The students were taken off timetable for the day and instead of their normal lessons they spent each period reflecting on the lives of each of the school’s house saints, namely; St Oscar Romero, St Mother Teresa, St Maximillian Kolbe and St Therese of Lisieux. The students created beautiful reflective pieces of artwork which are on display in the school’s reception. The day ended with a joyful celebration of Mass with Fr Marc.

Year 7 Welcome Mass

On Thursday 22^nd September, we welcomed Fr John Kyne to celebrate mass with our new Year 7 students. Fr John talked our new students through the different parts of mass while celebrating and he was assisted by a group of students who volunteered to be altar server’s, readers and to take the offertory up. It was a beautiful mass to welcome the students into the next 5 years here at All Saints’ and the group of volunteers were shining examples to their peers.

CAFOD – World Gifts

Following the outstanding efforts of our students during Lent, we were able to raise over £1000 for CAFOD and each form was able to purchase a range of World Gifts. The gifts which will be distributed to families and communities who are supported by CAFOD included; thirteen goats, three vegetable gardens, five sets of chickens and one home for life.

Each form has received cards from CAFOD thanking them for their efforts and Ann Neale from CAFOD came into school last week to present Mr Sheehan with a certificate from CAFOD recognising the fundraising efforts of the school.