On Tuesday, a group of our students attended the annual Good Shepherd Liturgy at St Mary’s Cathedral. Mr Dewhurst and Fr Mark McManus shared the lead throughout the liturgy, while students from several of our primary schools beautifully delivered the readings.
The theme of the liturgy was Peace, which felt especially meaningful at this time, as we continue to pray and hope for peace throughout the world. The prayerful atmosphere, combined with the beautiful singing, made the celebration truly special.
Following the liturgy, all of the primary schools, along with our two secondary schools, All Saints Catholic High School and Notre Dame High School, made their way to Victoria Hall for the remainder of the day.
Clare led us in prayer and song before we shared lunch together. After lunch, our secondary students worked alongside the primary children to help them explore and understand the story of Pentecost. Each primary school was given a piece of a large jigsaw, created by Mr Quinn and Mr Hogan, while Miss Ross had drawn a symbol of the Holy Spirit onto the design. Each school then decorated its own section, creating a collaborative piece of artwork.
Towards the end of the day, everyone gathered together once again for a final liturgy in the hall. Clare continued to lead us beautifully in prayer and song, while each primary school took part in leading the prayers. One school even performed a wonderful drama and dance piece in front of an audience of more than 300 people.
As each school finished their prayer, they presented their completed section of the jigsaw. When assembled, the finished artwork was truly breathtaking. The vibrant colours and artistic talent of our young people shone through in every piece. The completed jigsaw has now been placed in the Pastoral Centre, where it will be displayed for everyone to enjoy.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in making the day such a success: Fr Chris for allowing us to use St Mary’s Cathedral for the Good Shepherd Liturgy; Fr Mark; Mr Dewhurst; all staff and teachers from the primary schools; the chaplains; Sue McDonald; Mr Coates; Rachel Rouse, Director of Education; and Clare Russell for preparing the resources and leading us so wonderfully throughout the day in prayer and song at Victoria Hall.
A special thank you also goes to the young student leaders from Notre Dame and All Saints, and especially to all of our wonderful young people from the St Clare Trust primary schools. Your enthusiasm, respectfulness and sense of fun were a joy to see.
We hope you all had a truly memorable day. I am already looking forward to next year’s celebration!
God bless you all.
Suzanne
Chaplain
