From the Chaplain Reflections on a Spiritually Enriched Year at Our College

At last, in 2023, we have been able to proceed through the first half of the year with a full calendar of Friday Chaplain’s Assemblies all together in the College Hall. This has been very welcome, especially with the return to singing and with the introduction of the Jubilate Choir as our lead singers. Kōkā Kiri’s contribution in teaching us all the beautiful Te Reo Māori version of the Lord’s Prayer to the accompaniment of her guitar has been greatly appreciated; she is an absolute blessing to our school community. Mr Stamper has also led us in returning to the song that our House Prefects composed especially for us in 2019, called 'When in Our Music, God is Glorified'. The newly modified version is called 'Hymn of Hope and Light'.

Our Chapel Team has also been growing in strength and numbers. Alexia Bloxham, our 2023 Chapel Prefect, has taken over the reins of this important post and has led the team in beginning to devise activities for tutor groups to consolidate the messages and themes of the Chaplain’s Assembly. The team includes students from Year 7 – 13, and it is great to see some of the younger students coming forward to assume leadership roles in this capacity.

The highlight of Term 1 was the end-of-term Easter Service where the whole school gathered in St. Paul’s Cathedral to celebrate the hope of resurrection through readings, music, and prayers. Our Cherubim Choir, accompanied by soloist Sophia Gittings and violinist Emma Dias, offered a moving rendition of 'Pie Jesu'. Our Tui Singers performed beautifully under the watchful guidance of Madame Hardie, and Voces Luce rounded the proceedings off with 'An Irish Blessing'. We were very grateful to Acting Dean Reverend Katie Lawrence and her team for allowing us to use the Cathedral at this very busy time of Holy Week and Easter.

As we look forward to the rest of 2023, we are excited to continue our partnership with St. Andrew’s on the Terrace as we prepare for our celebration of Founders’ Day in August.

Dr Deborah Wilson Chaplain