Catholic Life

In Loving Memory of Pope Francis

At St Hugh’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, we are united in sorrow as we mourn the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, who departed this life on 21st April 2025.

We give thanks for his remarkable life of service — marked by humility, compassion, and a deep concern for the poor and the vulnerable. His example of faith and love continues to inspire our mission as a Catholic school.

As we reflect on his legacy, we renew our commitment to care for those most in need, just as he taught us through word and deed.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace. Amen

Time for Prayer

We pray for the happy repose of the soul of the late Holy Father

O God, immortal shepherd of souls,
look on your people’s prayers
and grant that your servant Pope Francis,
who presided over your Church in charity,
may, with the flock entrusted to his care,
receive from your mercy
the reward of a faithful servant.
This we ask through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

CAFOD- Remembering Pope Francis

“As the world mourns his passing, Pope Francis’ legacy will be remembered as one that brought the Church closer to its mission of love, mercy and justice.

Pope Francis was a passionate advocate of children and young people, calling them the ‘joy and hope of the Church and the world!’ (Spes Non Confundit, #12).

Pope Francis said that his own life story was a journey of hope. He understood that in a world that can feel scary or divided, God’s love and the hope it brings is needed more than ever. In fact, he made hope the theme of this Jubilee Year. Pope Francis has inspired us all to work for a better world.

In this Jubilee Year we have already seen children and young people in England and Wales respond with great enthusiasm to Pope Francis’ call to be Pilgrims of Hope.

https://cafod.org.uk/education/education-resources/remembering-pope-francis-in-schools

Catholic Social Teaching

Teaching children about global issues and encouraging them to see the world through other eyes is of huge importance. We aim at St Hugh’s to allow children to thrive in the progress of their knowledge of social justice to become in the future citizens with global awareness who seek justice and peace. We have embedded Catholic Social Teaching into our curriculum through our oracy project and have made links by adding big questions into the Science, Geography and History planning.

Children are also keen to commit to being global through fundraising events for charities like CAFOD, HCPT, Let them eat cake and the Shepherd’s Food Ministry. They enjoy creating events in school to fundraise for their own charities (e.g. British Heart foundation, Water Aid, Heart links etc.). Teachers support Catholic social teaching by regularly making links to the children’s Religious Education programme. Some examples of this Faith in Action this year are when EYFS donated food and toys to charities. Key stage 1 helped the community by making cards for the local nursing home and neighbours bordering the school grounds and Key stage 2 made positive messages shared using social media platforms. Children regularly donate food items to the Local Foodbank as the collection box is regularly filled and donations taken to the Arise Church on Birchwood Avenue which is our local collection point.

Jubilee 2025

The Holy Father has announced that 2025 will be a Jubilee Year, an event that takes place every 25 years. The theme for Jubilee 2025 is “Pilgrims of Hope,” and it will serve as a year of hope for a world enduring the impacts of war, the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the climate crisis. School communities are invited to come together as pilgrims of hope, pledging to work collaboratively for God’s kingdom of justice, peace, and love. Each class has made a pledge for the Jubilee year, which they will begin working on during the Lenten term.

Our Jubilee journey began with a visit from Ann Neale, the Nottingham CAFOD representative, who is also a director of our Multi-Academy Trust. This Lent, we aim to raise money to support communities, such as those in Kenya, which Mrs. Neale shared with us.

In Kenya, there is a group called the Glitter Group, a community severely affected by drought. CAFOD has supported them by assisting in the purchase of livestock and crops.

We are planning fundraising events to help them acquire more livestock, including chickens, which Mrs. Neale affectionately referred to as “Glitter Chickens.” The Mini Vinnies will be meeting this week to discuss fundraising ideas, ensuring that CAFOD can continue its vital work supporting communities around the world

Synod 2025

On Tuesday, 21st January 2025, we gathered with all the schools in the Our Lady of Lourdes Multi-Academy Trust for a meeting that was part of the ongoing synodal journey that began in 2021. This deeply spiritual and reflective process provided an opportunity for delegates to engage in listening to Scripture, sharing ideas, and building relationships. We left the meeting feeling inspired to share our knowledge and insights with other students within our Multi-Academy Trust.

One of the ideas we brought back was the creation of our own Eco Club. Mrs. Hargrave-Nanton has introduced the Eco Team to the school and is currently preparing activities and eco-focused initiatives for the Lenten term. This work is inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’, which calls on us to care for our common home. As part of this initiative, students will be encouraged to find ways to improve the school grounds and adopt more environmentally friendly practices.

Additionally, one of our school governors introduced us to a valuable resource called Superbook. Mrs. Pallister has since launched the Superbook Club, which meets every Wednesday lunchtime. The aim of the club is to foster a love for Scripture and to develop the children’s religious literacy.

CAFOD Lent 2025

Glitter Chickens Fundraiser

This Lent, we are raising funds for CAFOD to support the Glitter group in Kenya, a community affected by drought. The money raised will help purchase crops and livestock, enabling the group to rebuild their livelihoods. Our goal is to buy as many chickens as possible for the Glitter group!

We are particularly proud of Noah in Year 1 and Junior in Year 2. They have already begun fundraising by creating and selling artwork. Noah raised £49, while Junior raised £60. Miss Noor’s class has raised an impressive £140 through a collaborative effort, with Mrs. Boyns crocheting numerous glitter chickens and selling them to the staff. Along with the funds raised from the Easter egg hunt, the school is on track to raise over £300 for CAFOD.

Let Them Eat Cake – Support Lincoln homeless

On Friday 30th March 2025, Mrs. Foster from Let Them Eat Cake visited the Upper Juniors to talk about her work with the homeless in Lincoln. The dedication and compassion shown by the volunteers involved is truly inspiring, exemplifying real discipleship. Both the children and staff were deeply moved by the stories she shared, and it is clear how much of a difference the charity makes in the lives of many.

We were delighted to present Mrs. Foster with a cheque for £249, and we hope this contribution will support the provision of resources for the night café or go towards meals and food supplies.

Mini Vinnies -St Vincent de Paul

Children at St Hugh’s have a Mini Vinnies group, with children from Year 3 to Year 6 forming a part of the St Vincent de Paul Society. The St Vincent de Paul Society is a voluntary organisation dedicated to tackling poverty in all its forms. Mini Vinnies meet each week at St Hugh’s to discuss, pray and talk about ways that they can make a difference in their communities.

Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural Development

As a Catholic School the four elements of Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development are all linked and are intrinsic in all that we do. In order to allow children to flourish and reach their full potential. St Hugh’s Catholic Voluntary Academy provides the children with the tools required for their future, so they can live life to the full and engage in their role as global citizens. At St Hugh’s our school this is actively promotes this through our school motto ‘To live, love and learn through the light of Christ’.

Spiritual Development

Children celebrate the Liturgy of the Word during whole school prayer and liturgy time, this is led by the prayer leaders. In addition, all pupils have the opportunity to lead Celebration of the Word in their classrooms. They plan and prepare liturgies using resources from NCDRES Chaplaincy Space.

Assemblies, plays and liturgies are also held to mark significant events like Remembrance Sunday, Mother’s Day, May Assembly, Easter and the Nativity.

Masses are prepared to share with the parishioners and Holy Communion preparation for both parishes takes place in school.

Adoration and Masses are celebrated by the Parish Priest or Deacon.

Children encounter other Faiths through first had experiences like visits to the Lincoln Mosque or vi through visitors like Sunita from the Hindu Experience.

Moral Development

Is addressed through social teaching to enable children to recognise injustice and inequalities both locally and globally. Children regularly donate and collect items to support the Lincoln Foodbank, The Shepherd food ministries, CAFOD and the Lincoln Christmas Sacks appeal.

Children are given opportunities to explore moral concepts through RSE materials, Dare training in Year 5/6, School council training and visits, E-Safety Week, CAFOD universal Church topics and Community police visits.

Children are encouraged to live out the moral literacy of our Faith by following a Catholic Virtue. Every three weeks a different virtue is shared and encountered, children are guided as to how they can follow this virtue and strengthen the ethos and values we uphold at St Hugh’s.

Social Development

Peer support and social development within the school, is supported by Sports leaders, Playground Buddy scheme, Mini Vinnies and the School councillors.

Children are keen to help in the community: the infants have been visiting a local care home, the Junior Choir singing in Lincoln Cathedral to raise money for Age concern and the Co-op and visiting a care home. Children have worked with a local charity to design a logo and playground to develop the local park. Mini Vinnies wanted to create their own Foodbank within the school and to donate these items to the Birchwood Foodbank.

Cultural Development

Children are keen to commit to being global through fundraising events for CAFOD, HCPT and the Shepherd’s Food Ministry . They enjoy creating events in school to fundraise for their own charities.(eg British Heart foundation, Water Aid, Heart links etc)

Visits to the Usher Art Gallery, Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage sites, Lincoln bomber command, Lincoln Mosque, Lincoln collection Museum, Lincoln cathedral and Castle help develop pupil’s engagement in different cultural experiences.

The school has provided high quality texts and stories that promote equality and diversity, which allow children to explore as readers to see their own lives reflected and a window into the views of lives and stories that are different from their own.