This year marked the fourth annual Chaplaincy Commissioning Mass at St Chad’s Cathedral and this year was the biggest yet.
Each September, at the start of the academic year, all those involved in Chaplaincy in our Secondary Schools come together to celebrate and to be sent out into their communities filled with fresh ardour, vision and with a greater sense of the wider church supporting them in their specific areas.
Head Teachers, Deputy Heads, Lay Chaplains, Priest Chaplains, Staff and student chaplaincy teams filled the Cathedral and were led by Archbishop Bernard to reflect on their individual and collective mission set before them by Jesus… In our Mass we celebrated the feast of the martyrs Ss Cosmas and Damian who laid down their very lives for their beliefs… Do we have the courage to do the same? We may not be called in the same way that these great saints were but do we lay our lives down so that they can be used by God in our school communities, that those we come into contact with might know more of the goodness of God and the relentless pursuit of love of His son Jesus?
Over 300 representatives of 20 schools were blessed with holy water as they set out on this years journey of witness… What an exciting time for our catholic secondary schools, that this many people are so committed to sharing the good news.
Before the final blessing, 11 Lay Chaplains were presented with the Archdiocesan Certificate in Lay Chaplaincy. A year’s worth of hard work and dedication to learning more about their ministry culminated in Archbishop Bernard awarding them this certificate – the very first cohort of Lay Chaplains to have achieved this.
A beautiful Mass was followed by an energised and effervescent reception where cake, sandwiches and fellowship were enjoyed by all! For more images visit: www.stchadscathedral.org.uk/gallery/
