Last Friday, 14th March, six of our Year 12s were invited to attend a Lenten retreat, conducted in partnership with St. Edward’s College, Liverpool. In the morning the retreat was hosted by the Catholic Chaplaincy to the Universities of Liverpool, at Philip Neri Church, and then in the afternoon students paid a visit to the Convent of the Sisters of Charity on Seel Street. The morning was spent in prayer and reflection, where students were challenged to think deeply about their faith and values, about their vocations or callings in life and, in this Year of Jubilee, about what the Holy Father Pope Francis meant when he called us to be ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’ This was facilitated by members of the University Catholic Society, who gave their own testimony’s on how they had come into their faith at a young age.

In the afternoon students had a service opportunity at the Sister’s Convent; cleaning the premises and helping to prepare for the soup kitchen that the Sister’s would be running on Sunday. During this time students were also invited to attend Confession. The day was rounded out by the Lenten tradition of ‘Stations of the Cross,’ where we recalled the final hours of Christ’s life as he journeyed to Calvary and were asked to consider the implications of his sacrifice within the context of our own lives. The day offered a rewarding of faith-in-action, allowing for spiritual growth and practical charity, both of which St. Anselm’s considers to be vital in our student’s formation.

Mr Kearney, Chaplain