Westminster Record
February 2015 | 20p
Santa Marta Group Meets in London
Proclaim ‘15 Launched in Westminster
Lent Reflection by Fr Allen Morris
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All Gifts and All People The Church has always viewed education as vital to the formation and development of the whole person, so it’s not surprising that education, especially of the poor, was to be the Catholic community’s first priority when the hierarchy was restored in England and Wales in 1850. Building Catholic schools took precedence over building churches, and in those early days the schools often took on a second function as the place of worship for parishes. One might think that the Church would have prioritised the construction of churches so that worship could finally recommence after the 300-year break that followed the Reformation. But the formation of the person has always been central to the Church’s mission. In this edition of the Record, we have stories which illustrate this emphasis on education. As well as marking milestone anniversaries for Loreto College in St Albans and St Augustine’s Primary in Hoddesdon, we recognise the ongoing academic excellence of our schools, typified in the ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted report achieved by St Michael’s Secondary School in Garston. Not overlooking other aspects of the formation of the person, Cardinal Vaughan students learned from firsthand experiences of a Holocaust survivor; St Mark’s in Hounslow opened a new sports hall and fitness suite; and students with intellectual disabilities from St Joseph’s Pastoral Centre in Hendon continued to develop their artistic gifts.
This month’s centre spread features a pastoral letter from Bishop John Sherrington, chair of the Diocesan Education Commission, for Education Sunday, as well as articles from JP Morrison, Director of Education, Fr David Reilly, coordinator of Schools’ Chaplains, and Martin Rainsford, head of Douai Martyrs School. All of the articles shed light on the different aspects of the strength of Catholic education at a time of growing secularisation in education.
These articles and stories all show one thing: that the formation of the person remains the central focus of Catholic education and it continues to embrace all gifts and all people.