17 September 2020
Fr Gerry Devlin, Chaplain
Our Sacred Heart Goal for this academic year is “A Personal and Active Faith” and it was brought to life on Wednesday 16 September when we were delighted to welcome Mr Javier Ferrán, Chairman of Diageo, and soon to be Chairman of British Airways. He talked to our Lower Sixth students and staff about how faith is important to him and how we can bring faith and Christian values into the work environment.
Mr Ferrán spoke about how we can learn to be happier individuals in a talk entitled “Joy of life, joy at work”. For him, kindness, joy and living in harmony with our Christian values can lead us all to have a happy and fulfilled life.
Mr Ferrán discussed the joy of giving versus receiving, how religious belief is a factor for good, the importance of kindness and how we should learn to appreciate the present moment. His experience in the world of business has shown him that happy people are more creative, more energetic and more successful and he believes that corporate cultures must allow individuals to thrive. He also emphasised the need for social responsibility and a respect for ethical values, which result in a pride in belonging and being productive.
We are so grateful to Mr Ferrán for taking the time to join with us and share such wise and inspiring words, which support Woldingham’s ethos and the Sacred Heart Goal for this academic year. It was an uplifting evening and, as school Chaplain, my hope is that in the years ahead students will go on to assume active leadership roles within the Church and society, benefitting from the time they spend as part of the Woldingham community knowing that, “we are called to act justly, love tenderly, serve one another and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).
