4 October is the feast of St Francis of Assisi. St Francis was a remarkable man and even though he died very nearly 800 years ago his example and his legacy still inspire countless people today. One such person inspired by St Francis is Pope Francis, who took the name ‘Francis’ upon becoming Pope, in honour of the great saint who lived so many years ago.
One of the things that St Francis is renowned for is the love that he had for all God’s creation. He loved animals. He loved nature. He loved the seasons. He loved all that God has created. It seems very fitting that on the feast of St Francis we are celebrating the Harvest in school, giving thanks for all the gifts of the land with which God has provided us. We give thanks to God and we pray for those in our world who do not have enough to eat.
St Francis lived a life of simplicity; he had nothing that he did not need, preferring to go without so that others may benefit instead. Again, it seems fitting that in our own school we have been following the example of St Francis this week with our collection of goods for Cobham Foodbank, which has been so generously supported by pupils, students and families. Thank you so much for your support.
As well as simplicity and a love of creation St Francis is often associated with a prayer for peace. ‘Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,’ is a prayer that is always appropriate, but at this time of conflict in our world there is a particularly pressing need to pray for peace. Let peace begin with each of us.
October is the month of the rosary. I was delighted to be joined in the chapel by a group of Year 3 and 4 pupils on Wednesday, taking up an invitation to come to the chapel during a break time to pray the rosary. Our prayer too, was for peace, while we reflected on the joyful event of the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, when both were expecting children.
Our Parent Prayer Group will be meeting for the second time this term on Monday, this time ‘remotely’, from 9.15am-10.00am. All parents are warmly invited; please do contact me (chaplain@notredame.co.uk) if you would like more information about how to join the meeting on Monday. On Monday we will be reflecting on John 2:1-12, the wedding at Cana.
Finally, thank you very much indeed to all those parents who responded to the school’s recent survey about the mission, ethos and prayer life of the school. The feedback and comments received are very helpful as part of our continuous self-evaluation.
