Things continue to run at a pace in the Religious Education department and in the wider faith life of our school. In order to maintain our spiritual growth under the current restrictions, our chaplaincy programme looks a little different this year. Weekly ‘Pray as you go’ meditations are posted on Show My Homework each week, Thursday Mass is running each week for BGE pupils and ‘Monday Meditation’ sessions aim to give senior phase pupils an opportunity to unwind while finding peace and reflection through praying with the scriptures.
It has been a delight to reinstate our Aid to the Church in Need group on Tuesday lunchtimes- the only group of its kind in Scotland. This group, currently aimed at S1 and 2, raises money and awareness for the plight of persecuted Christians around the world while having lots of fun! I have been very impressed by those who have joined or returned and warmly invite any interested S1/2 pupils to come along.
Our chaplaincy programme is integrated with our RE curriculum which follows the Liturgical Year. A highlight for all of us is the S1 Welcome Mass which is unable to take place this year. S1 study the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass each September and join together for a Class Mass with our chaplains so we decided to combine the two and have Class-Welcome-Masses! Under the guiding hand of Fr Monaghan and I, our new pupils put into practice all of the signs of reverence that they had learned about in class and participated very well in the liturgy. 
They received a prayer card bearing the school prayer which they can keep as a reminder that once you become part of the Turnbull family, you are always a part of the community. S3 have been studying the sacraments of healing and we are grateful to Canon Hill for making the sacrament of penance available to them.
As we continue to follow the liturgical and devotional year, pupils will have the opportunity to take time in RE to revisit the great gift of the Holy Rosary and participate in October devotions. It would be wonderful if this were a point of unity between school and home and as part of our Family Learning initiative, I invite you to pray the rosary together at home- a devotion which carries plenary indulgence!
Our Caritas class for 2020-21 have made an excellent start with their faith learning and have been exploring Pope Benedict’s encyclical ‘Deus Caritas Est’ or ‘God is Love.’ As their understanding matures through studying the sacred scriptures and the writings of the Fathers of the Church, pupils are finding ways of sharing their learning and putting the virtue of Charity into practise. A significant project that is underway for them is the organisation of Catholic Education Week celebrations, which culminate in our Patronal Feast Day.
Finally, I would like to pay tribute to Mr Hughes who retired as Principal Teacher of Religious Education after 16 years of faithful service. Mr Hughes brought a great passion for the faith to the classroom and the wider life of the school that has influenced countless souls. We will miss Mr Hughes greatly and thank him for his fidelity to Christ and the teaching of the Gospel in a culture that is increasingly hostile to The Faith. Mr Hughes’ last day concluded with a class Mass at which he presented the school with two stunning antique holy water stoups before he received a solemn blessing from Fr Monaghan.
For my part, I am delighted to be leading the Religious Education department and whole school chaplaincy at Turnbull and look forward to sharing the joy of the Gospel with you and your families. Please know that all the past, present and future pupils, families and staff of Turnbull High School are in my daily prayer intentions.
Yours in the Lord
Mr Pearce
PT RE
A beautiful drawing by Christopher in S1
