Catholic Life

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.

Our school chaplain is Fr. Jason Mahoney. He celebrates Mass with us every fortnight and together with our families, friends and parisioners we share in the Eucharist and feast together.

At school masses, we are given the opportunity to serve on the altar. Fr. Jason trains our altar servers and supports them through Mass. Many of our servers go on to serve on the altar at church and at St. Bede's when they move on to middle school.

Archdiocese of Birmingham

We are currently in the Liturgical season of lent

Many Catholics believe that Lent is the most important part of the Church's Liturgical year. It represents that period when the ministry of Jesus reached its crescendo. It remembers those last 40 days, when Jesus went up from Galillee to Jerusalem before his crucifixion and resurrection.

 

As Jesus begins his journey to Jerusalem, he tells his disciples that he will be betrayed, that he will be crucified. He also tells them, that it must be this way, not only to fullfill prophesy, but also to complete his ministry and his mission on Earth. This is the first glimpse of the shadow of the cross, where Jesus will die for our sins and our salvation.

 

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent. For Christians, it’s the beginning of a period of contemplation, when we take more time to focus on prayer, meditation and silence. The cross, as the symbol of Christ’s suffering, is at the centre of all the worship during Lent. It is a time to remember how much Jesus suffered so we might be saved.

The 40 days of lent give each one of us time to reflect on our own brokenness but also to reflect on what Christ did for us and the gift of life he gives. This period leads into and through Holy Week.

In school, the prayer cloths on our prayer tables will be purple. We know that purple represents a solemn time of waiting. During advent we waited for the birth of Jesus and now, during Lent we wait for Easter; for Jesus's death and resurrection, as promised in the scripture. 

This holy season of Lent, at St. Thomas More, we will be reflecting on the sacrifices we can make and the way we, as agents for change can support those in our local and global community raising money for others in need. This is part of our Catholic Social Teaching repsonsibility; Option for the Poor. We are proud to support CAFOD, Father Hudson's Caritas, the £1 pledge and our local Redditch foodbank during this time.

As a school we would like to thank our entire community for the support you have provided for our families and local community this year. 

Together, we have supported a number of initiatives that have helped to make a difference to the lives of others. 

Thankyou to all our parents, carers and children for helping us to help others.  

We are currently supporting Cafod as our Global charity, Father Hudson's Caritas as part of our National charity and our local Redditch foodbank as our local charity. We support our own families in the community throughout the year.

CAFOD

During Lent we are raising money for those in need globally by taking part in the Big Lent Walk.

What we do The Big Lent Walk 2025

Father Hudson's Caritas

During Advent we joined in with the reverse Advent calendar and we collected hygene and sanitary products for refugees and people in need.

About Us - Father Hudson's Caritas

Redditch Food Bank

During our Harvest Festival we collected food for those who have none or very little so we could support poeple to feed their themselves and their families.

About Us - Father Hudson's Caritas

Aid to the Church in need

On Red Wednesday we supported ACN to help people globally who are persecuted for their faith.

Aid to the Church in Need | Our Mission

The children in Year 3 are currently preparing to the sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion. They are preparing in class and with their parents as part of our sacramental worskshop programme.

The children will complete six workshops which are:

Unit 1 Belonging and Celebrating

Unit 2 Listening and Caring

Unit 3 New Life

Unit 4 Reconciliation

Unit 5 First Holy Communion

Unit 6 Going Forth

Please keep the children in your prayers as they progress on their journey of faith.

Please click HERE for the list of dates for family workshops and masses that will take place throughout the year. If you have any questions or queries about the programme, please contact the school office for more information. 

1 Corinthians 11:23–29 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgement on themselves.

Catholic Social Teaching

"Our faith calls us to love God and to love our neighbours in every situation, especially our sisters and brothers living in poverty. Following in the footsteps of Christ, we hope to make present in our unjust and broken world, the justice, love and peace of God." (Cafod)

Catholic social teaching (CST) is rooted in Scripture, formed by the wisdom of Church leaders, and influenced by grassroots movements. It is our moral compass, guiding us on how to live out our faith in the world. 

Our CST calls us as a school to work for the common good, help build a just society, uphold the dignity of human life and work for the justice and dignity of all of our brothers and sisters.  Pope Francis emphasises that it is our duty to work together to bring about a more just and peaceful world: to put love into action. 

We, as God's family, are called to love our neighbours, especially our global neighbours living in poverty. Following in the footsteps of Christ, we hope to make present in our unjust and broken world, the justice, love and peace of God. 

At St. Thomas More Catholic First School, our dedication, commitment and pledge to become agents of change are rooted in our mission to be 'God's Servant First.'

Solidarity 

We recognise that we are part of one human family and we each have a responsibility to help each person achieve their full potential. Pupils connect with other children from schools across Our Lady of the Magnificat to participate in extra curricular activities including sporting events, curriculum competitions, music and choir performances and Collective Worship. We fundraise for local, national and global charities and recognise the need in our own school community and work closely with our community to provide support to families in need. 

                                                                Dignity 

Each and every pupil at St. Thomas More is valued as a unique person, made in the image and likeness of God. Pupils learn about and show respect to one another. Our school prides itself on its inclusivity and our behaviour policy sets out the proactive strategies that all staff use to encourage positive behaviour and support each pupil to meet their full potential. Tolerance is promoted through continual learning about other faiths and cultures and charity fundraising (including CAFOD, Father Hudson's Caritas, our local Redditch foodbank and others) gives pupils the opportunity to make a difference to lives of disadvantaged people in the local, national and global community. Our Future Leaders programme enables pupils to oragnise and lead on social action, making a marked difference to the world in small ways that have a big impact.

Common Good 

We work together, looking beyond our own personal interests, towards building a better future for all. Our Future Leaders, including Eco-Warriors, Wellbeing Champions, Chaplaincy and Digital Leaders make an exemplary contribution to the school community through their work in supporting younger pupils in classroom and on the playground, promoting stewardship, collecting house points, promoting fundraising events and charitable actions. Pupils are recognised for their personal efforts in contributing to the common good, through house points and certificates in weekly celebration assembly.

Dignity of Work and Participation 

Work is more than simply being able to earn money. It is about being able to support yourself and your family. It is about finding something you’re good at and feeling important. We believe that everyone deserves to find a job they enjoy. We promote staff wellbeing through outr Gratitude journal and Mystery Book Buddies half termly treat, and all adults set an example of mutual respect through their words and actions. Through our work, we help others to grow closer to God. 

We recognise and respond to the call to be an active part of our community. God didn’t make us to live by ourselves. We’re meant to interact with others. The relationships we have help us learn about ourselves and others. Therefore, God wants us to get involved with those around us; supporting one another and helping build a better world for all. Ours is a supportive and vibrant school community with many opportunities for pupils, parents and staff to get involved. St. Thomas More is a school for children who take an active part in decision making and improving it for others all the time. This is the legacy we hope to leave. 

Option for the Poor 

We think carefully about people living in poverty and how our choices and actions impact the most vulnerable. We support charities in the local community, such as our own families, our local foodbank and others and consider ways to support families in need. Pupils learn about the disproportionate effect of climate change on vulnerable communities and the economic impact of global warming on poorer nations. Our Eco-Warriors led an assembly on the importance of understanding climate injustice and taught us all that we inherit the world from our children and our actions today impact the tomorrows we are yet to see. 

Care For Creation 

The Earth is God’s gift to us and all species have a rightful place in it. Humans share this habitat with other creatures and have a special duty as stewards and trustees of the Earth. We take a special pride in our school environment and we treasure the outdoor spaces that are available to us. Our Eco-Warriors and Digital Leaders ensure that the school environment is able to be enjoyed by all and our policies reflect careful consideration of material resources. 

 Peace

Peace is a cornerstone of our faith. Christ, the Prince of Peace, sacrificed himself with love on the cross.  “Peace… is an order that is founded in truth, nurtured and animated by charity, and brought into effect under the auspices of freedom.” Pacem in Terris, 1963, #167

Our Catholic Social Teaching calls us to take responsibility for bringing peace to the world. We pray for peace in countries where conflict is commonplace and seek to bring an end to suffering as a result of it. 

As members of the Catholic Church, here at St. Thomas More we are all called upon to preserve the dignity of all human beings, to care for creation, and to reach out to our sisters and brothers in need. We commit to do this as God's Servants First.