Chaplaincy Team
“If our schools are not a space where another humanity is being created, where another wisdom is taking root, where another society is being created, where hope and transcendence have a place, then we are losing out on making a unique contribution to this historical moment.’’ (Pope Francis 2014)
Jane Noble
Lay Chaplain
Fr Chris Benyon
School Chaplain
Miss Catherine McManus
Head of RE
Mrs Gráinne Byrd
Director of Faith & Ethos
Mr Andrew Clarke
Mr Paul Dowsett
Senior Assistant Headteacher
College
Our Chaplain, Jane Noble, is responsible for supporting the pastoral and spiritual well-being of students and staff across our community. The work of the chaplaincy team involves guiding and advising staff in all aspects of Catholic and liturgical life – planning liturgies, organising year group and tutor Masses, leading and facilitating retreat programmes, teaching Gospel and sacramental values and supporting those in need across the school.
We are fortunate to have good parish links with local priests who come into school to celebrate weekly Masses on Thursday mornings, as well as whole year group Masses and the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Advent and Lent. Our Parish Churches
Our Collective Worship timetable is posted in every classroom so that the students are reminded of each event through the week.
Welcome from our Chaplain, Jane
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We work hard in chaplaincy to provide opportunities for personal and spiritual growth, prayer and worship. We continue to seek different and engaging ways to connect our young people and our staff with the richness of our Catholic faith, whilst listening to and respecting the many different beliefs of all those in our school community.
An important part of my role as chaplain is to accompany and provide a safe space for anyone who needs help or support. Alongside this, I am passionate about finding ways to inspire our young people in faith; to offer them a variety of different experiences to connect with God through prayer, worship and to feel connected. We do this through our determination to show and witness the love that God has for every individual. I wish for every member of our school community to experience the love of God, to encounter his presence and ultimately, become the person that God created them to be.
As chaplaincy, we offer many opportunities to get involved, to put faith into action and experience different ways of growing in their spiritual journey.
Hello! I am Jane, the lay chaplain at Cardinal Newman Catholic School.
I love working in such a vibrant, unique and wonderful community where I get the opportunity to work alongside and support such diverse, mutli-cultural and amazing students and staff. We are a school which is rooted in sharing and witnessing the good news of Jesus Christ and in sowing the seeds of faith in our young people. Catholic social teaching is at the heart and centre of all that we do and influences our mission and outreach in our local and global community.
What we do in the Chaplaincy...
CHAPLAINCY AMBASSADOR ROLE
We have a fantastic team of students who work alongside the Chaplaincy team and support all aspects of the work we do.
CHAPEL CHOIR
We have a wonderful group of students who meet every Friday lunchtime to rehearse and prepare for Masses, liturgies and prayer. We have a lot of fun and a lot of biscuits!
CHARITY
We work hard to raise awareness of the needs and issues in our local and global environment. We have close links with Off the Fence, City Mission, St Peter’s Church, Brighton, Mary’s Meals, CAFOD and our local Food Banks. We are always looking for ideas and different ways to support and raise money for these charities and others.
CHRISTIAN UNION
We have an active Christian Union in Newman College called, ‘Cornerstone’. The students meet every Monday break to gather, share faith and pray.
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CONFIRMATION
We are very proud of our students who decide to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation. This usually takes place in Year 10 and preparation takes place within parishes. However, we actively support our young people on their journey of faith and celebrate with them.
CSYMI (Catholic Schools Youth Ministry Programme)
This is an after-school club where we meet to pray, share, discuss, play games and explore faith. We aim to grow our young people in strengthening their faith, feeling confident in their beliefs and able to lead and minister to others.
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FAITH IN ACTION AWARDS
Students can take part in achieving Bronze, Silver and Gold awards by putting their faith into action. This award is earned in a similar way to the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Our young people meet after school for prayer, reflection and discussion related to faith, church teaching and their personal experiences. They earn credits by being actively involved in faith in action in school and in their local communities and churches. This is a great way to meet others and feel supported in faith.
MASS/LITURGY
We invite and encourage our whole school community to join us for the celebration of Mass every Thursday morning at 8am in the school chapel. Every student will experience the celebration of Mass through the school year and a whole range of liturgical feasts and celebrations.
ALTAR SERVING
We encourage students to help us celebrate the Eucharist by becoming altar servers. Please get in touch if this is something your child would like to help with or would like training to do.
ONE WORLD GROUP
This is a group which meets every Monday lunchtime. It aims to support all our students who come to us from around the world, especially those who have come to escape from places of war and conflict. This group is there to make new friends, share language, culture and experiences in a supportive and safe space. Every half term we offer an exciting activity or event to give our students an opportunity to relax and have fun!
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OPEN THE BOOK
This is a fantastic opportunity for Year 9 students. Every year we train a team of students to pla, prepare and deliver assemblies in our local primary schools. This is great for developing performance and public speaking skills; for growing self confidence and witnessing our faith in our local community.
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PRAYER
We offer many different opportunities for prayer throughout the year including prayer spaces, adoration, Taize style prayer, Lectio Divina, rosary adn much more. The school chapel is open for all members of our school community for private prayer and we have a prayer box at the entrance of the chapel for any prayer requests. We also invite families to send in prayer requests via our prayer button on our website.
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RAINBOWS BEREAVEMENT SUPPORT
We run a 12 week bereavement support programme for our students who have suffered and experienced loss and need some help and strategies to cope.
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RETREAT/PILGRIMAGE
We offer retreat experiences throughout the year. This includes the opportunity to pilgrimage to Lourdes with our Diocese and with HCP
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SVP
Students can get involved in becoming Young Vincentians. This is a great opportunity to put faith into action by seeing need, thinking about how we can help and then find ways to act. Our SVP group meets on Tuesdays in R2 every week.
TACKLING ANXIETY
We run a 6 week programme offering help, support and practical advice on how to deal with anxiety. These sessions run every term. Please get in touch if this is something you are interested in.
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YOUTH CAFE
With the help of City Mission and members of Off the Fence Charities, we offer free pancakes and hot chocolate to college students every Wednesday afternoon in the chaplaincy room. All are welcome.
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Daily prayers in tutor time are linked to the Liturgical Calendar and the students follow the weekly tutor time prayer time table. Each tutor group has two Form Captains and part of their role is to support the writing and delivery of House prayers, in which anyone can share their intentions and the House will pray for them. Each morning, there are also daily collective acts of worship led either by the students or teachers. All student handbooks include our prayer booklet.