Pilgrims of Hope
2025 will mark 60 years since the second Vatican Council, or Vatican II. Following a Year of Prayer in 2024, celebrations will begin. The theme is 'Pilgrims of Hope'. The Vatican will be hosting a series of events, details of which can be viewed by clicking the image above. Pope Francis has also written a prayer for the Jubilee Year.
Pilgrims of Hope - Headteacher's Homework
Our first action to help us to prepare for the Year of Hope was to design artwork around the word HOPE, which were then put together as a collage. Our creations ranged from colouring to collage, needlecraft to painting - and everything in between. By completing our work, and talking about the Year of Hope, we promise to be agents of change - working together for justice, love and peace, both locally and globally. We want to build a fairer world, where every person, and the earth, can flourish.
Pilgrims of Hope Launch Assembly
Mrs Lea launched the Year of Prayer with an assembly about Pilgrims of Hope. She shared Pope Francis' message, shared what we will be doing to join in with the Year of Prayer, prayed the Jubilee Prayer and sand Missio's Pilgrim Calypso. We also Zoomed with other Catholic schools in Warrington who were having their launch assembly at the same time, to show Solidarity.
Chaplaincy Team
Our Chaplaincy Team helped to launch Pilgrims of Hope by displaying our banner on the school fence. They also took the items collected for our Bag of Hope to 'Room at the Inn', as well as collecting items from other schools, helping to show the Catholic Social Teaching Principles, Subsidarity and Solidarity.
Bags of Hope
With other Catholic schools across Warrington, we created Bags of Hope, linked to the Catholic Social Teaching Value – Option for the Poor. They contained items such as warm clothing, sleeping bags and toiletries. We then donated them to 'Room at the Inn' and the bags will be distributed to those less fortunate, and the homeless. By working with others, we have also showed Solidarity.
Year of Hope - Holy Doors
Mrs Lea held an assembly about the Holy Doors during the Year of Hope. A Holy Door is a door to a Catholic church that grants to those who pass through it a plenary indulgence. This means they are absolved of all sins. The idea of a door or gate as a symbol of entry into the Lord's good graces comes directly from the New Testament.
Pilgrims of Hope - Pledges
We are Pilgrims of Hope. We walk in solidarity with our sisters and brothers, sharing challenges and celebrating joys. We promise to be agents of change, working together for justice, love and peace, locally and globally. We want to build a fairer world, where every person, and the earth, can flourish. As pilgrims of Hope, we are on a mission, and we wrote pledges about how we can achieve this - pledges which benefit the Common Good of others, and the world we live in. These were then presented in two books, one which will be kept at school, and one which will be given to our Church, St. Peter's.
Jars of Hope
Each child at St. Peter's has written down a hope they have for the Common Good and for the future of our world. These have been placed into each year group's 'Jar of Hope', which have been placed on the Collective Worship tables. These hopes will be shared during class Collective Worships as part of our Respond and Go Forth.
Pilgrim Calypso
Please click on the image below to listen and sing along to the Pilgrim Calypso from Missio.
Preparing for Pilgrims of Hope
KS1 Display
In preparation for Pilgrims of Hope, an artist came in and worked with children from FS and KS1. They looked at a picture of Kandinsky’s artwork and discussed the use of colours, lines and how colour can help us to explore emotions.
The artist explained that red shows love, passion and self-sacrifice, which links to Christ’s sacrifice and His boundless love for humanity, but also the fire of the Holy Spirit and His strength that animates Christians.
Orange shows joy, enthusiasm and energy, which links to the light that illuminates the path of faith. Green shows hope, growth and rebirth.
Blue represents faith, peace and tranquillity, which links to evoking the sky and spirituality, and inviting contemplation and prayer.
The children then listened to My Lighthouse and drew on coloured circles, thinking about what shapes they can see when listening to the music.
KS2 Display
On our Mission Day, Mr Tinsley led a prayer station based around the lyrics of the song ‘My Lighthouse’. The children discussed the meaning of the lyrics and how we can always turn to God in our time of need – He can be our light, our hope.
On wave templates, the children then wrote what, or who, gives them peace in their troubled sea, thinking about their friends, family and even the teachers at school.