This year our school had the largest group out of all schools in the Diocese, with 35 students from Year 10 representing our school community on the Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes. The students gave up a week to volunteer by helping and supporting assisted pilgrims on their pilgrimage to Lourdes through taking them to and from events, supporting them in their faith journey and providing fellowship by getting to know them and each sharing their respective stories. This year was also Mrs Woliter’s 30th pilgrimage (and counting!) to Lourdes. Throughout this time, she has shared special pilgrimages with many staff and hundreds of students. We thank her for her service over the years.
Alongside caring for their pilgrims, students had the chance to develop their own faith through procession and praise, as they attended catechesis sessions led by the Diocesan Youth Service. These sessions featured speakers who shared their own faith journeys and offered students the opportunity to reflect on their own faith. They also gave students the chance to get to know students from other schools across the Diocese.
Pictured below is our Year 10 group along with 17 additional students who used to attend our school and are now studying at Notre Dame Catholic Sixth Form College. Some of these came with our school two years ago but others had heard about how amazing the trip is and wanted to experience it for the first time in Year 12 (lower 6th) at College. This significant contribution from the students embodies our school prayer “help us to build on the best traditions we have inherited and hand on to those who come after us the Christian virtues of faith, hope and love…”
If you are in Year 9 and would like to learn more about the pilgrimage, check out the Lourdes noticeboard at the end of the RE corridor.
