St Aloysius' College | Faith in Our Community

Faith in Our Community

Welcome to our Community

AtSt Aloysius’ College, our faith is central to everything we do. As a Jesuit Catholic school, we believe it is our responsibility to ensure our young people live spiritual lives for the common good and the greater glory of God, and that they are able to fully realise themselves as valuable individuals in today’s world. Part of this is offering support to our local communities, whether that be through our charitable outreach programmes that see our pupils volunteering and fundraising, or through reaching out to you – our parish community.

Our aspiration with this newsletter is to share all of the wonderful news from our College religious life, in the hopes that it can bring us closer together as a community. In this issue we reflect on our Lenten journey, which has seen us working closely with our local St Aloysius’ Church on several special events and our young people’s progress in their own faith journey.

We are looking forward to working more closely with the parish in the near future. Should you wish to learn more about our College, or if you may have some possible opportunities our young people could get involved with, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.

- Tony McBride Director of Christian Formation

Hear more from us in our podcast.

The St Aloysius’ College Podcast explores faith, education, the history of the College and Catholicism in Glasgow, and what it means to be a pupil, parent or staff member at the school.

In episode 1, Fr Roger Dawson SJ, Superior of the Jesuits in Scotland, chats with Primary 5 teacher and local legend Mr Eddie Gilmartin about his 85-year connection with the College. As well as his 30 years teaching at the school, Eddie discusses lockdown learning, how faith has shaped his teaching and his stint as an amateur goalie…

Faith Journeys

Manresa Oratory Consecration

Our Manresa Oratory was consecrated during a special Mass celebrated by Fr Gerard Mitchell SJ. Together with Ms Hegarty, our Junior School Chaplaincy Coordinator, they had sought - and were delighted to receive – permission from Archbishop Nolan to reserve the Blessed Sacrament.

The College is also grateful to Mr Paul Hegarty who helped in the design and creation of the Church furniture.

The Oratory is a well-utilised sacred space within our Junior School. During Advent, our Junior School Chaplaincy Team pupils assisted in leading prayer services every morning before school began.

We are privileged to have weekly visits from both Fr Gerard and Monsignor Thomas Monaghan who celebrate class Masses and Reconciliation services throughout each term.

Celebrating the Sacraments

Our Junior School pupils had a very blessed Lent, with some receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time, and others celebrating their Confirmation. Primary 3 had a beautiful service on a sunny Saturday morning in our Hall for their First Reconciliation. Parents and carers took part, lighting candles for our young people as a symbol of their guidance in their children’s faith journey.

When our Primary 3s were preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, they were reminded of God’s love for them, and we learned in class about how this love can encourage us to be better people. In our Manresa Oratory we had laid out special prayer buddy sheets, where children signed their name next to someone from Primary 3 - helping them know they are being prayed for by their friends from all over the Junior School.

In the newly refurbished St Aloysius’ Church (more pg. 3) - Primary 7 celebrated their Confirmation in a beautiful Mass with their friends and family present. We pray for all of our young people who are taking the next step in their faith journey

St Aloysius’ Church Re-opens!

Together with our Jesuit community and local parish, we celebrated the re-opening of St. Aloysius’ Jesuit Church, Glasgow and 400 years of Jesuits in Britain with a beautiful Mass on Friday 17th of March, St. Patrick’s Day.

We are very thankful to have been able to celebrate this special occasion in the church, which has never looked so amazing. Afterward, we welcomed guests back to the College Hall for some refreshments and to spend time together as one community.

Our young people did a great service in assisting with the Mass - which included taking part in the offertory procession and beautiful singing from our Schola.

The Church has had a long connection with the College - and it is still where we celebrate Mass and hold our weekly assemblies in Senior School.

Parish Outreach

Our Junior School Chaplaincy Team had recently been reflecting on ways that a difference can be made throughout the year, and pupils came up with the Tin and Toy Appeal - which involves two different donation drives designed to help a wide range of people in our community - encouraging donations of vital foodbank supplies and pre-loved toys.

The drive was a huge success, with pupils taking lots of donated toys and groceries down to St Aloysius’ Church. The groceries will be donated to the local foodbank, with the toys going to refugees who are taking part in the parish’s ESOL classes.

These donations were met with such appreciation, we even received some thank-you notes from the new toy owners!

Junior School pupils assisting with the offertory procession at the reopening Mass.

Ash Wednesday Mass with Junior School pupils.

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, pray for us.

Our Lenten Journey

Throughout Lent we have been taking the time to improve our spiritual lives, and have been making a conscious effort to devote time in our day to spend with God and reflect on Jesus’ own journey. As well as dedicated Lenten prayers in form time, we have also been attending Mass and taking part in lots of special occasions. Senior School.

Ash Wednesday

Our Lent began with beautiful Ash Wednesday Masses for Junior and Senior School. In their Mass, our Juniors learned that no matter the hardships they may face throughout their day, Jesus loves them and this is something to always remember. Our Seniors were reminded that kindness is key to strengthening our relationships with others and with God. After receiving our ashes, we went back to our day with a new perspective and ready to begin our Lenten journey.

Time for Prayer

Throughout Lent, our Manresa Oratory in the Junior School was a place that we could be close to God in prayerful reflection. On Mondays and Tuesdays, we took part in Collective Worship with our friends before school, on Wednesdays we had a Eucharistic Service, and on Thursdays a short Stations of the Cross where we reflected on the different stations. In Senior School, we had weekly Masses in our Sodality Chapel - where we welcomed our community to join us.

Junior School Chaplaincy Team

Our Junior School Chaplaincy Group had a very special trip to Sky Up Academy Studios - where they produced their very own news report on climate change. As we are a Laudato Si’ school - we always make sure we are looking after our Common Home. We loved spending time together and sharing a vital message. Read more on Page 11.

Jesuit Missions

This year, Mr. Ferrie, Mr. McKillop, Ms. Fyfe, Mrs. Freer and Mr. Higgins will be taking part in the London Marathon - raising funds for Jesuit Missions UK and the support they offer communities from around the world.

Their training has begun for the big day on April 23rd. Donate to their fundraiser on our website: https://bit.ly/3L9glAo

OA Hall of Fame

Recently we welcomed Professor Bartholomew McGettrick to the OA Hall of Fame, recognised for his services to education. Professor Bartholomew McGettrick is Emeritus Professor of Education and Dean Emeritus, of the Faculty of Education at the University of Glasgow.

He has a background in education and public life that is varied. He was a teacher of Geography in St Aloysius’ College from 1968 - 72. He later chaired the Board of Governors of the College for many years.

He was Principal of St Andrew’s College (The national College for the education of teachers) in Scotland, and became the first Dean of the Faculty of Education at Glasgow University. He was then appointed Dean of the Faculty of Education at Liverpool Hope University, where he also became Professor of Christian Education. Professor McGettrick is Chairman of the International Board of Regents of Bethlehem University (Palestine); Member of the Board of Regents of The American University of Madaba (in Jordan).

He holds other positions in international groups and committees in education and beyond. He is Honorary President of the Association of Catholic Institutes for the Study of Education. He has lectured in every continent (except Antarctica).

In 2015 he was appointed to the Vatican Board - St John The Baptist to oversee the work of the Catholic Church in The Middle East in educational and cultural matters. He is a Member of The Grand Magisterium of The Equestrian Order of The Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem having served on the Grand Magisterium since 2003. He is President of The Holy Land Commission and formerly President of the Schools Commission for The Holy Land. He is Chairman of the Board of Governors of Tabeetha School, Jaffa-Tel Aviv, which is the school of the Church of Scotland.

Among the honours he holds are: the OBE for services to education in the UK; “Ex Corde Ecclesiae” Medal of the International Federation of Catholic Universities; Knight Grand Cross of the Order of The Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem; Golden Palm of Jerusalem; Gold Cross of Jerusalem. Professor McGettrick, whose own father was an OA and who is the father of 4 OAs and grandfather of 3 OAs, spends his summers in St Andrews – the home of golf!

Jesuits in Britain - 400 Years

The Jesuits in Britain marked their 400th Anniversary with a Mass earlier this year at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street. The Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, and the homily was delivered by the Provincial Superior of the British Jesuits, Father Damian Howard SJ.

The congregation heard the premier of the new motet, ‘Precious in the eyes of the Lord’ by Sir James MacMillan, performed by the Farm Street choir. St Aloysius’ College staff and pupils brought up the Offertory gifts. It was a wonderful celebration and we were so honoured to be part of it, with Mrs. Erskine, Mr. McBride and Jessica (S6) and Eva (S6) attending.

Retreat Days College News

Year group day retreats for Primary 3 – Primary 7 were held at Schoenstatt in Campsie Glen during the season of Lent. This year, our chosen theme was “Care for Our Common Home” where, acting on the inspiration from Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si’, the children participated in workshops to encourage them to “Stop! Look! Give thanks!” The children also enjoyed the opportunity to pray outside and Fr Gerard Mitchell SJ led the children in reflections on the Stations of the Cross. Each day concluded with the celebration of Mass, celebrated by Fr Gerard.

Junior School Choirs Win Big

On Tuesday 14th of March, 122 pupils from Kindergarten to Primary 7 competed in the Glasgow Music Festival.

The 4 choirs, conducted by Laura Bain and accompanied by Ann Archibald sang beautifully and were each adjudicated with comments on their excellent discipline, wonderful in-tune singing for such a young age, and attention to detail receiving exceptionally high marks of 87 and 88 taking first place across the board!

Well done to everyone who took part - we are looking forward to hearing you sing again soon.

Reflections on Lourdes - About the Pilgrimage

Mr. Meechan, Head of S3

The College Lourdes group was founded in 2004 by Alastair Rankin, Julie McWilliams, and Fr Simon Bishop SJ. Julie McWilliams has led all fifteen of the pilgrimages and continues to be the chief organiser for our fundraising events, including our annual Lourdes Pilgrimage Dinner.

Since the first pilgrimage in 2005, over 750 members of the Aloysian Family have travelled to the picturesque town of Lourdes in southern France, where Saint Bernadette sighted the Virgin Mary on eighteen separate occasions.

Each year, a group of young people with complex support needs are accompanied to Lourdes for a week by a team that includes pupils from S5 and S6; a doctor and nurse; a chaplain; and members of the College teaching staff.

These pilgrims work tirelessly to provide the young people with an unforgettable trip - for some, the first time they have been on holiday, or have been away from their families.

During the eight-day trip, our pilgrims participate in a variety of memorable activities. These include a trip to the gorgeous town of Gavarnie, an alpine setting with breath-taking views of the Pyrenees; an excursion to the seaside resort of Saint-Jean-deLuz with its miles of glorious beachfront and sparkling blue water; and the ever-popular (and highly competitive!) Sports Day and Talent Show events.

Regardless of the activity, Spirituality remains at the heart of everything which we do. Group prayers are held in the morning and at night, with a Mass also taking place each day. There is much joy derived from our participation in events such as the beautiful Torchlight Procession, and the Mass for the Anointing of the Sick. Each College pupil works as part of a pair who is assigned to look after one of the young people in our care.

In order to prepare for the challenges, they could potentially face, the pupils undergo extensive training and preparation, including in-depth workshops on resuscitation and child protection.

I cannot emphasise enough how hard these young people work to ensure that their child is looked after to the best possible standard.

It is truly heart-warming to see them working in a different context to that which I best know them from - the classroom.

They fully embrace and learn from the key tenets of the Ignatian Paradigm, those being Context, Experience, Reflection, Action and Evaluation. It is also wonderful to learn that many of our pupils keep in touch with their charges long after the pilgrimage has ended. They quickly come to appreciate just how lucky they really are, with many going on to do voluntary work for HCPT and St Margaret’s Youth Group.

For many of our pilgrims, this week in their lives becomes a life-changing experience.

The funds which we raise from charitable endeavours, such as our annual Lourdes Pilgrimage Dinner, play a vital role in enabling us to provide the best possible experience for the young people who we take to Lourdes.

This money is needed to pay for medicine, excursions, accommodation and other costs which our trip incurs, such as the iconic yellow polo-shirts which always help our pilgrims to stand out from the crowd!.

Save the Date! - Lourdes Dinner

Our rescheduled Lourdes Pilgrimage Dinner will take place on Friday 26th May, at Radisson Blu Glasgow.

Tickets are £65, to book yours please contact EJMcWilliams@staloysius.org.

Tickets from the previous dinner are still valid for the new date. Sponsorship opportunities are also available for our dinner brochure. Contact the above email for more info. The funds raised at our Lourdes dinner are vital in ensuring we can provide an amazing pilgrimage for the young people involved. Your support in this is always appreciated.

Reflections on Lourdes - Being a Volunteer

Hannah M. S6

I signed up to the Lourdes Pilgrimage, not truly knowing what I was getting myself into. I was assigned to look after a two-year-old boy. Initially, this was quite daunting to hear, as I have not had much experience looking after young children. The thought of eight days of looking after an infant was really scary to me, but I am so glad I had this experience, and looking back it really was life changing.

Just from the first meeting with him, one thing I noticed was that he was such a happy, content boy. This first meeting was really useful, as it allowed us to get to know the child we would be caring for, as well as meeting our partner for the trip.

Initially, I was really nervous and quite apprehensive about going on the pilgrimage, as I knew it would be challenging, but I am so glad I decided to go as it was one of the most rewarding experiences for me. Over the course of the eight days on Lourdes, I felt that I had grown as a person and learnt so many useful skills that I will use in the future.

The activities we participated in over the week were quite varied, and I enjoyed this as it gave us an opportunity to try lots of new things. For example, during the day we would have events like a sports day or a visit to the beach, and then in the evening, we would participate in talent shows and musical nights. This was really nice, as there was something for everyone to enjoy.

One day which was particularly memorable was the day spent at the Grotto. This day was more of a relaxed day and we got to spend some time reflecting on the pilgrimage so far. I particularly enjoyed walking around the grotto with the children and seeing them excited to have a look about. The day started off by entering the Grotto, and then completing the Stations of the Cross. Then we had some time to shop around the area and buy some holy water bottles and candles for our torchlight procession later on.

This experience was enjoyable as I got to see each child’s individual personality as they selected things from the shops.

This experience was fun but also eye-opening, as we had to keep track of our guest at all times, so that they wouldn’t get lost. It provided me with an insight into what it would be like caring for a child full time, and made me appreciate all that my parents do for me.

The torchlight procession at night, was really special as we placed our school candle with all our names and prayed as a group for everyone’s intentions. This was a time for us all to be open with each other and share our thoughts, which was really nice.

On this trip I had experienced many amazing things, but one event that stood out to me was really special. After coming back from the Grotto at night, I returned to the hotel corridor and found that my child had been crying uncontrollably. No one could console him, and everyone was getting a bit panicked. One of the teachers suggested that I hold him, and so after I held him he stopped crying. This was really rewarding for me and made me quite emotional because, after spending the week with him, he recognised me as someone he felt safe with. I was really surprised but at the same time happy that my care had paid off.

One thing I have learned from looking after him is to not be scared to try new things, and to live in the moment. Seeing the amount of love that he has for his mum was wonderful to see, and reminded me of the love I have for friends and family. This pilgrimage gave me the opportunity to use my God-given gifts and talents to help others, and I have had the opportunity to develop lots of new skills too, that I will use throughout my life.

The Arrupe Programme

Our Arrupe class of 2023 has been hard at work on their placements. After COVID restrictions prevented us from doing so, it’s great to be able to get back out into our local community. Every Wednesday they dedicate their time to the programme and do what they can to serve the needs of the community. Each week our pupils take something different from their experience of their placement, and always have positive things to say about what they have learned, and how they can support others further. We have gathered a few of our 2023 class’ recent reflections to learn more;

“When I was told I had been assigned a primary school, I was nervous because the brutal honesty of children scares me a little bit. Going into the school and having all of the students wave at me and introduce themselves put me more at ease. I felt like a giant among the students, I never remember being that tiny but I must have been. Any distance I felt from the students was closed at the end of the day when we stood together to pray. It was touching to hear all the students pray with the same words I have been taught; it reminded me that wherever I am, I have a connection to the Church, even as a giant.”

“I faced a battle with my anxiety before my placement, I was so nervous, overthinking everything, but God gave me the strength to go and I absolutely loved it. A special moment for me was when a little girl asked me to explain what “Arrupe” was. She had copied it off my jumper along with “IHS”. This especially touched me and made me realise God is with us always.”

“This afternoon I was helping out with Primary 1. Initially, I was quite nervous as I haven’t had much experience with children of that age. When I arrived, the class was doing music and so I joined in. I found myself doing things I have never done before. I danced to a song about bananas, mangos and kiwis and also sang the song. I was then asked to lead the class and play the claves to keep the rhythm.

“After break I helped a group of boys complete a puzzle, which they really enjoyed. Then, I spent time playing shops with a little girl, who wanted me to be her customer. This experience taught me that I should always try new things and step out of my comfort zone.

“To finish the day the class started to learn about the nativity to prepare for their school show. I sat in the quiet corner with a boy who had autism. I helped him to stay calm and watch the nativity animation. I really enjoyed this week’s Arrupe.“

***

“This week I worked with a P1 class instead of P7. We drew pictures of their favourite toys. They drew Batman, Barbie and stretchy superheroes. Seeing all of the children so happy talking about their toys was lovely as their excitement was genuine.

“I also helped them to learn their words such as he, we, she and Kipper (the dog in their book). Seeing their faces light up when they got them right made me feel proud and happy for their amazing progress. It is wonderful what these four- and fiveyear-olds are achieving.”

Members of our Junior School Chaplaincy Team had a wonderful day at Sky Up Academy Studios –where we worked with the staff at Sky to produce our very own climate change news report.

We knew we were in for a special day when we arrived at the studios – where we were able to use state-of-the-art equipment that would be used in the production of real news broadcasts. We were excited to get started. In each of our four groups, we had been assigned job roles. Every team had to produce a segment of the news story, which would come together into one video.

Time was ticking, as we only had an hour to prep and record our segments, which is reflective of the real time constraints that news shows work under. Each group had a producer who oversaw the production, and we also had an Executive Producer whose job it was to make sure everyone was working together in their teams and would have their part done in time.

We all got to do exciting things, like using the green screens and professional cameras – as well as picking the costumes that we would wear! After the hour was up, we all felt confident that we had done everything we needed to do.

The footage we had filmed was passed on to the team at Sky, who would edit it all together for us. Whilst we waited in anticipation for our news show to be ready, we got a behind-the-scenes tour of the Sky offices at the studio, getting to see lots of people at work and the different roles they had.

Breaking News!

We then ended our day by watching our show in a specially made cinema room – everyone loved seeing themselves on screen!

Vocation Garden/Earth Day

Earth Day is a wonderful time of the year when all the children in the Junior School celebrate the season of spring and get involved in planting a variety of colourful plants in our Junior School Vocation garden and in our playground.

Every week, the children can be found tending to their plants and trying to encourage a variety of eco-habitats in their city space.

John Ogilvie Mass

As is our tradition, our Primary 4 children led us in a beautiful celebration of Mass to celebrate the feast day of St John Ogilvie - the Patron Saint of the Junior School.

The children confidently shared their knowledge of our Scottish Jesuit Saint. Monsignor Thomas Monaghan challenged us all to be courageous in standing up for goodness and right, and to pray to John Ogilvie to encourage us to grow in our Catholic faith.

Class Mass with Monsignor Tom. Our Junior School Prayer service leaders.