Advent Chaplaincy Programme
Advent Family Learning
This Sunday is New Year in the Church! It is also the start of the season of Advent. Our young people have been learning about the history of God’s people and the ups and downs of the relationship between Him and His people. His people, as we often do, strayed from their bond with Him but God is always faithful. He sent prophets to call the people back and they told of a rescuer who would bring healing and salvation.
In Advent, rather than prematurely celebrating Christmas, we take time to focus on the darkness of the world in need of the rescuer (the Messiah) when Jesus was born and the darkness of our lives without Him too. This is a time to learn to wait for God like the people of Israel did. If we do this, the joy of Christmas- the coming of the Light of the World will be even greater!
Here are some ways that you and your family can make the most of Advent.
Create/buy an Advent Calendar- Don’t just eat the sweets! Read a short bit of the Advent story and think about it through the day. Share your thoughts at dinner.
Make or buy an Advent Wreath and light it when you are al at home.
Make a Jesse Tree and learn about each figure it depicts
Family Rosary– Advent may be a great time to begin praying as a family after dinner or before bed. Start with a decade of the Rosary (5mins). This will change your lives!
Make an advent playlist (Traditional / Modern) and avoid Christmas movies- save them until Christmas! This is not to kill the fun but increases the anticipation for Christmas!
Attend Mass more often if you are able.
Red Wednesday 2020
In keeping with our longstanding partnership with Aid to the Church in Need, Turnbull High School celebrated Red Wednesday- a day to raise funds and awareness for Christians who are persecuted for their faith.
Our usual events were not possible this year but pupils made donations and wore red, the colour of martyrs, with their uniform to show solidarity with those who are oppressed, tortured and killed for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Following what has become a Red Wednesday custom across the UK, we lit up our oratory Red.
Our Aid to the Church in Need group led the event and did a great job with advertising. Joined by Fr Monaghan and Mr Pearce, the group also joined to pray the sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary, meditating on the suffering of Jesus and the suffering His Church.
Patronal Feast Day 2020
Our Patronal Feast in 2020 was unusual for two reasons: the COVID restrictions prevented our customary celebrations and it was the first time that our feast day has fallen on a weekend!
As I am sure you know by now, no challenge holds us back at Turnbull and so we celebrated the Vigil of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary and joined together through the miracle (!) of Microsoft Teams.
The day began with a service that was prepared by the S6 Caritas Class, following the theme of Catholic Education Week; Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. Staff and students prayed together from their classrooms as the service was delivered through the smart board. The Caritas pupils challenged us to reflect on this unique claim of Jesus and our fidelity to following him as the only way to the Father and Truth incarnate.
To conclude, we renewed our Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that was first made by Archbishop Tartaglia during our 40th anniversary and the centenary of the apparitions of Our Lady at Fatima. His Grace kindly sent a video greeting and reflection and imparted his blessing on our School community. We were also thrilled to receive a lovely video message from the young people of St Matthew’s Primary school who were so articulate and kind. One day, they will be celebrating our Patronal Feast Day!
Period three, the Caritas class led the recitation of the Holy Rosary from different locations around the school where we have images and statues of Our Lady.
Last period all pupils engaged in a fun, inter-house quiz that was prepared by the Caritas pupils and as I type, Mr Cuthbertson is tallying the scores to determine this year’s winner.
As we raise our hearts to God, we reach out our hands to our neighbour and this year was the first year that we have collected baby clothes for the Cardinal Winning Pro-Life Initiative who help young families who are struggling.
You made them rulers over the works of your hands
As part of a whole school focus on the climate, S1 have been analysing Psalm 8 – the wonder of God’s creation and mankind as its climax!
God made creation for us and charges us to be good stewards. To care for all creation, we must start with protecting its crowning glory- all human life.
Prolife talks for S5 & 6
We are delighted to have our partners @spucscotland delivering online sessions on the science of the development of child in the womb to our S5 and 6 classes this month. Heart breaking to hear real life experience of those affected.
It is so important that we realise that the science of life from conception backs up what the Catholic Church has taught since the first century– Faith and Reason.
S3 Scripture Retreats
During our recent topic on the Deposit of Faith: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, our S3 pupils were treated to an online retreat session. The retreat was led by Mairi-Claire, a former Turnbull Pupil, who is now the leader of the Archdiocesan Youth Team.
The session complemented our unit learning by focussing on how the Bible is God’s living word and ways in which God wants to speak to us, if we take time to crack it open!
We were thrilled with how well the online session works and we will be using this medium again as we find new ways to deliver engaging experiences of the faith in time of restriction.
As always, please pray for our young people as they encounter the Lord through our curricular and chaplaincy programmes.
Mr Pearce
Confirmation Retreats 2020
This year, the RE & Chaplaincy department has had the unusual pleaser of preparing young people to receive the sacrament of confirmation. In anticipation of the delayed sacrament. we facilitated preparation in three ways
- Class learning- providentially, S1 always learn in more depth about the sacraments of initiation at this time of year and so we augmented the class learning that would have been taking place.
- Family learning- we made the resources for home learning available to S1 families through Show My Homework
- S1 Retreats- S1 enjoyed a half day retreat which comprised of games, group tasks, drama and time for prayer and reflection. Despite the challenges of making a retreat fit the Covid restrictions, within their class bubbles, pupils had a great time, learned lots and spent time with God in prayer.
Highlights of the Confirmation Retreats can be seen in the following video:
Annual Requiem Mass
S5 Class Masses
S5 Class Masses will be celebrated w/b 26 October.
