Praying together for peace at St Illtyd’s

At St Illtyd’s Catholic High School, time is dedicated each morning to collective worship, each week we explore a theme linked to the liturgical calendar, scripture or current events. At the beginning of the term, we celebrated the International Day of Peace, One Million Children Praying the Rosary, Remembrance Day, World Teacher’s Day and many more.

Current global events mean that conversations about peace are more important than ever. They help foster empathy, understanding and a sense of unity within our school community. Pupils created a wall of peace, exploring what it means to them and how they can encourage it. In the exploration of Peace, the Aid to the Church in Need (A.C.N.) invited catholic schools across the world to join the prayer campaign One Million Children Praying the Rosary on October 7th. October 7th was the Feast of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary and in the morning, we prayed the simple but powerful prayer of the Rosary for peace.

During form time we gathered in quiet reflection on Remembrance Day. Year 8 pupils visited the local memorial and laid a wreath and began a beautiful floor of poppies—each one a symbol of hope, sacrifice, and remembrance.

Victoria Wonnacott, School Chaplain

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Visit to Nicholas’ Orthodox Church

At the end of last term Mrs Wonnacott and Will Rawson, Teacher of Religious Education, took a number of KS3 pupils to Nicholas’ Orthodox Church as part of their Religious Education studies. The trip gave them a rare and beautiful opportunity to step inside a different Christian tradition, to see how faith is expressed through art, architecture and prayer.

Pupils explored the church and spent time studying the icons that lined the walls, they received explanations from amazing parishioners from the Greek community in Cardiff. They learned how every colour, shape and gesture carries symbolism that teaches believers about God. They were introduced to key ideas in Eastern Christian theology and discovered how much Catholicism shares with the Orthodox tradition.

A highlight of the visit was the guided meditation we led beneath the Christ Pantokrator, the great icon of Christ in the centre of the ceiling (the same as the one in our school reception). Sitting in reflection, listening to Orthodox chant under the icon helped pupils appreciate the peace and beauty that the Eastern Church encounter worship. The pupils were curious and respectful, many now quote ideas from the visit in RE lessons, which has been wonderful to see.

Will Rawson, Teacher of Religious Education

Croeso Y7

At the beginning of the school year, we officially welcomed Year 7 into our community. We listened about what builds a community like ours: love, humility, friendship, and forgiveness, "put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" - Colossians. Thank you to Canon Grey for joining us and guiding our new pupils through the Mass, and to our senior prefects who read beautifully and guided pupils with their form candle.

Victoria Wonnacott, School Chaplain

Y10 Curriculum Enrichment

During October, pupils from Year 10 took part in Curriculum Enrichment activities focusing on the role of Mary in the Catholic Church and learning about some of the many visions of Our Lady that have appeared throughout history around the world. There is less focus on the topic of Mary in the new GCSE syllabus, so it is an important activity for pupils to participate in.

Pupils were asked in groups to look at different visions of Mary including Guadalupe, Lourdes, Knock and Fatima. They then had to present to the rest of the group what they had found out about each vision and why it is important in the Catholic faith. The sessions finished with a period of meditation and praying the Rosary in the Chapel with Mr Brown. The meditation focused on the intercessory nature of Mary who can go to God with our prayers and worries on our behalf.

David Brown, Head of Religious Education

World Teacher’s Day

Pupils across the school were invited to vote staff for the Teacher Awards. 76 members of staff were nominated for one or more awards. Those who received nominations were presented with a certificate for their category/categories while nine members of staff received overall winner in their category. Members across the chaplaincy teams showed their appreciation for our amazing staff by handing out cookies and teacher awards certificates during form time. We appreciate all you do — today and every day!

The overall winners were as follows:

1. Best Sense of Humour – Mr Richards

2. Worst Jokes – Mr Nelson

3. 6/7 Award – Mr Taylor

4. Fashion Icon – Miss Dennis

5. Life Coach – Mr Walsh

6. Most Encouraging – Mrs Fry

7. Patience of a Saint – Miss Sharp

8. Most Quotable – Mr Brown

9. Kindness – Mrs Mumford

Victoria Wonnacott, School Chaplain

Happy St Illtyd’s Day

On the 6th November we celebrated our school's patron saint with a beautiful Mass, sweet treats, and plenty of smiles. Pupils took part in a St Illtyd’s Day Quest in the morning, a free cookie at break and proudly wore their St Illtyd’s stickers to mark the occasion. A joyful day of faith, community, and celebration.

Victoria Wonnacott, School Chaplain

Growing together

St Peter’s RC Primary School

We recently visited St Peter’s RC Primary School to lead a reflective meditation for the Year 6 pupils, centred on the story of Christ in the desert. The session guided the children into a quiet desert of the mind, where they reflected on their own inner struggles and connected them with the temptations Christ faced.

The pupils learned that angels can be understood as the good voices that guide us towards courage, kindness and truth. Holding a small stone to symbolise a personal burden, they reflected on scripture, spent time with Kramskoi’s painting of Christ in the wilderness, and explored how Christ understands every human struggle.

Each child then laid down their symbolic stone and received a small angel wing as a reminder of God’s guidance and care. We were supported throughout by members of our KS4 chaplaincy team, whose kindness and enthusiasm helped the session run smoothly. It was a beautiful moment of faith shared between our two lovely schools.

Will Rawson, Teacher of Religious Studies

St Alban’s Catholic Primary School

It was a pleasure to collaborate with the pupils from St Albans Catholic Primary School this term. We met twice to explore different topics of Catholic Social Teaching and linking the Rights of a Child. Firstly, we explored the vital message of Article 13: that every voice matters. We enjoyed hearing their perspectives and passion for ensuring everyone's right to expression is heard. On the second occasion, members of the chaplaincy teams went down to the primary school to discuss Article 27: helping the poor, and everyone’s right to a safe space, food and clothing. We look forward to creating an action plan together.

Victoria Wonnacott, School Chaplain

St John Lloyd RC Primary School

We were blessed to be able to celebrate the Jubilee Day with the Mini Vinnies from St John Lloyd Primary in November. Members from the Year 7 Chaplaincy led a beautiful collective worship celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope. Pupils held pebbles in outstretched hands to feel the weight of worry, they then placed that worry down and painted their stones with messages of hope. The stones will be placed around our Chapel and garden.