Chaplaincy

Sacred Heart Catholic Academy is just one part of the wider Catholic family around the world. Built on Catholic values and traditions, we not only focus on the education of every child that passes through our school, but also the development of every child. Each child that passes through our school is called "Not to have more, but to be more." - Oscar Romero. Our school is inspired by our Catholic Values; Love, Respect, Service and Ambition. We aspire to be a place where our students are free to learn, to be themselves, to develop personally and to celebrate their achievements.

School Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy is led by our school Chaplain, Hannah, who is in school every day and is available for both students and staff. The Chaplaincy bares witness to the Catholic Life and Mission of the school and spends its time sharing that witness with others. Members of the wider community, including clergy, visit Sacred Heart Catholic Academy regularly to deliver mass, visit staff and students, help out with retreats and more, allowing our Chaplaincy provision to spread wider than just the confines of the school.

Our Chaplaincy group meet three times per week, focusing on topics such as our Mission, Vision and Values; Catholic Social Teachings and more. They also take the time, along side Hannah, to come together socially and share the joy and excitement of our Mission with one another. Our Chaplaincy team offer a variety of opportunities for our young people to take part in. Some of these opportunities are:

Prayer and Liturgy Group

Here at Sacred Heart Catholic Academy, we don't want to provide our young people with the prayer life and spirituality we think they should have, but rather, the prayer life and spirituality they want. That is why we have a pupil led Prayer and Liturgy group, supported by our Chaplain, Hannah. Our Prayer and Liturgy group meet once a week, over breakfast, to plan the Prayer and Liturgy for the following week. The leaders of Prayer and Liturgy also attend these meetings so that they can work in collaboration with our student leaders on the prayer life of our school.

Faith in Action Award

At Sacred Heart Catholic Academy, we also run the Faith in Action Award. This is an award scheme, set up by the Archdiocese, that challenges young people to put their faith into action within school and the local community. This is an award scheme that can be started in Year 6 and runs all throughout student's secondary school life. Led by our Chaplain, Hannah, students work hard to reflect on four different topics: We are loved, Love your neighbour, Building the kingdom of God, and Servant leadership. Students then plan and take part in activities and events to do with these four topics. As students move up through the school, they will receive higher levels of the award each year, starting on the PIN award, then Bronze, Silver and finally Gold. This is a great opportunity for our young people to connect with each other, and with our local community.

Pastoral and Spiritual Support

Within Sacred Heart Catholic Academy, pastoral and spiritual support is is a top priority. Throughout school, all students have access to a pastoral head of year. These pastoral heads of year work very closely with Hannah, our Chaplain to ensure a collaborate and demonstrative approach is taken when it comes to supporting our young people. Besides the care and support students receive from their head of year, the Chaplaincy is available for students if they would like a quiet space for an informal chat with Hannah.

Following our Catholic values, the Chaplaincy is also a place where all people are welcome and accepted for being exactly who they are. At times in Chaplaincy, during lunches, pupils like to come along and enjoy playing games, socialising together and sharing stories of their days with each other.

Retreat Programmes

What is a retreat? A retreat is a time where we provide our students with the opportunity to take a step back from their normal, busy lives. We provide time for students to think about things they might not normally get a chance to think about, and we provide opportunities for personal growth and development.

Each year, every student in Sacred Heart Catholic Academy will experience a retreat. Sometimes they will take place on site, sometimes they take place in an external venue. Wherever we go, students are provided with valuable time and resources to get to know each other, themselves and their relationship with God a little better. They do this through team building, prayer and reflection, and most importantly, having fun.

Celebration of the Sacraments

Prayer life and Chaplaincy are at the heart of our school. Local clergy come into school weekly to celebrate Holy Mass. Holy Mass is also available on special occasions throughout the year, such as; Year 7 Welcome Mass, Our School Feast Day and Year 11 and Year 13 Leavers Mass.

The sacrament of Reconciliation is also available at certain points in the year, particularly during Lent and Advent. The sacrament of Confirmation is is achievable in collaboration with the Archdiocese. Each year, information about Confirmations is shared with our school community.

 Links to Other Faiths

Taking inspiration from the Second Vatican Council, and practising inclusivity, we do our upmost in SHCA to not only be tolerant, but to celebrate other faiths. During Holy seasons for other faiths, we do what we can to make students and staff of that faith feel included, at ease, and able to celebrate their faith in whatever way they need to. During Ramadan, we make sure there is a separate space available for anyone of the Muslim faith, particularly during break and lunch times. This space is also available for prayer and reflection as and when wanted.

Whether students are active members of the Chaplaincy group, or prefer to drop in now and again, the Chaplaincy is open to anyone and everyone, and we are passionate about ensuring our students feel the same way about their Chaplaincy provision.