Jubilee 2025
In this Jubilee year, Pope Francis invited us all to be signs of hope in our world and this holy year will be a significant and memorable moment for children and young people. Reflecting on Jesus’ message of the good news of justice, freedom and love, there are opportunities for the whole school community to experience the joy of taking action as Pilgrims of Hope in building a better world.
Jubilee Launch Video
On Monday 13th January, St John's launched the Jubilee Year with an assembly led by Ms O'Donnell. Pope Francis set the theme of this Jubilee as “Pilgrims of Hope” and wished it to be a year of hope for a world suffering from the impacts of war, the ongoing effects of COVID-19 pandemic, and climate crisis.
Throughout the Jubilee Year, a Torch of Hope will travel to every school in our Trust. The torch will be passed from one school to the next and schools will be invited to focus activities and liturgies around their time with the torch. For us, we will be receiving the torch last, to welcome us into our soon-to-come new school building, for which we have had to have hope for a long time! We look forward to sharing with you the many ways in which we will be celebrating this jubilee year so keep an eye out in our newsletters.
Below is a video created by Deacon Liam Lynch, and contributed to by children from each school in the trust, introducing the Jubilee year.
Pilgrims of Hope
The theme of this Jubilee year is 'Pilgrims of Hope'. This year, groups of our children have carried out pilgrimages in the name of St John and were keen to remember their hopeful missions.
Jubilee Celebrations
Jubilee of Mary
To mark the Jubilee of Mary in October, we joined the other ASCAT schools in a decade of the Rosary. It was very special to join together in the collective aim of praying for Mary's intercession in our lives.
Thank you to Deacon Liam for leading us in worship and also for gifting us all a set of rosary beads for each child to continue to pray the rosary during this special month.
Jubilee of Families, Grandparents and the Elderly
To mark the Jubilee of Families, Grandparents and the Elderly, we welcomed many grandparents and family members in for a special afternoon tea. Children got to spend some quality time with their family members, playing bingo, doing some shared colouring and listening to our wonderful choir sing a selection of joyful hymns, all washed down by tea, coffee and plenty of biscuits!
Jubilee of Disabilities
The children were given the opportunity to mark the Jubilee of Disabilities by experiencing what it is like to play sports with a visual impairment. Led by our Year 6 Sports Crew, each class was able to play blind football, using blindfolds and a specialised football with a rattle inside! It was very tricky at first, but some of us got the hang of it in the end. It made us appreciate our senses and helped us to think considerately about those who live their lives with disabilities.
Jubilee of Artists
This year's Art Week had the focus of the environment, based on 'It's Up To Us:
Jubilee of Bands
Earlier this year, we were visited by Rock Steady Music School, who demonstrated many musical instruments we had not tried before. After an amazing demonstration of a medley of songs, some of the children were chosen to join the Rock Steady band and play 'We Will Rock You' (which many of us know as our lunchtime prayer, 'We Will Praise You') to a packed out assembly hall! We certainly have some budding musicians in our school and some people discovered God given talents they didn't know they had!
Jubilee of Children