28 September 2018
On Monday, Year 7 travelled to Aylesford Priory in Kent to celebrate together in a Day of Reflection, organised by the Southwark Youth Services team. The theme for the day was Personal Growth, the Sacred Heart Goal for this academic year. The students were given time away from the school to think about their own journey in life to date and how they could grow as individuals by using their gifts and talents in serving the needs of others.
The students worked in pairs and engaged in teamwork, helping them to bond with others in their year group as we build up our school community together. In looking at the parable of the sower (Mt 13:1-9,18-23), the students shared their personal journeys with one another and talked about the areas in their lives which they are hoping to grow and develop. The challenge is to appreciate where we are ‘rooted’ as individuals and what we can do to help develop our school community and beyond. The students put together a Romero Cross on which they wrote their thoughts and ideas of how they can build a better world. As Archbishop Oscar Romero challenged us, ‘Aspire not to have more but to be more’.
The day concluded with the celebration of Mass and everyone returned in a very happy mood knowing that we all grow and develop each day and, as St Madeleine Sophie Barat remarked, the challenge is to ‘Be humble, be simple and bring joy to others’.
Fr Gerry Devlin, Chaplain
