Our diocesan Catholic schools gathered for the annual celebration Mass at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Dunstable.
Following a covid restricted smaller gathering in 2021, our Catholic schools were once more represented by hundreds of students, staff, governors and trust directors. Bishop David celebrated the Mass with Fr Tony Brennan parish priest of St Mary’s and the newly appointed parish priest of Our Lady Help of Christians in Luton and diocesan Chancellor Fr Brendan Seery.
During the Mass Bishop David commissioned members of his students mission team. The mission team consists of student faith ambassadors, mini vinnies groups and prayer teams. During the commissioning Bishop David said
I hope that all members of your school and parish communities will grow to appreciate the importance of ‘listening’, ‘being’ and ‘doing’ so that each one develops a real and living personal relationship with Jesus Christ and can hear His unique calling to each one of them.
Thomas Becket school choir led the music accompanied by our newly appointed diocesan choral director, Marcela Campana. Marcela joined our diocese in September 2022 and will be developing choirs of young people. The role of choral director has been fully funded by the Hamish Ogston Foundation as part of the National Schools Singing Program.
At the end of Mass Bishop David invited all school chaplains to join him on the sanctuary for a blessing as they continue to build up missionary disciples in our schools.