Issue 63 - The Pilgrim - August 2017 - The newspaper of the Archdiocese of Southwark

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News Broadstairs girls win Warteloo Cup Girls from St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Broadstairs have won the Waterloo Cup 2017. The running competition, which was held at Upton, commemorates the arrival on Viking Bay of a dispatch written by the Duke of Wellington announcing the historic victory on the fields of Waterloo in June 1815. Bexleyheath pupils meet Minister School of the year! St Thomas the Apostle College in Nunhead has won the UK Secondary School of the Year Award at the 2017 TES Schools Awards. The award marks an extraordinary turnaround in the school. Five years ago school was the lowest-ranking secondary in the borough of Southwark and facing being placed into special measures. In 2016, however, St Thomas the Apostle ranked 11th in the national league tables for Progress 8. In the intervening years, it had focused on supporting pupils as they pursued their passions. The judges observed that “this outstanding school manages to nurture the unique talents of its students alongside rigorous teaching and high expectations, which resulted in the school achieving its best ever results in 2016.” St Thomas the Apostle College received unanimous praise from the judging panel who observed that “the school’s commitment – not just to improving outcomes, but also to acting inclusively and reaching out to the community – sets it apart from the rest.” On receiving the award, head teacher Eamon Connolly, who joined the school in 2012, said “We are incredibly proud to receive this award which represents the achievements of the entire school community. Excellent academic outcomes are never taken for granted and are supported by the commitment and hard work of all involved.” New film about Fatima A new film about Fatima is to be made. It will be directed by Marco Pontecorvo and star Harvey Keitel and Sonia Braga. The Fatima story has not been told on the big screen since the Warner Brothers 1952 classic, Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima. The publicity for the new film promises audiences: ‘a vivid, immersive, and impressive cinematic experience of this incredible story’, said the World Apostolate of Fatima. In May two of the visionaries, Jacinta and Francisco were canonised by Pope Francis. The Pilgrim August 2017 Inspiring drama head retires Neil Zoladkiewicz has retired of head of Drama at Richard Challoner School in New Malden after 33 years. His final school production was The Tempest, which was performed at the Rose Theatre in Kingston. Mr Zoladkiewicz played the lead role of Prospero the magician with students from Years 8, 9 and 10 forming the cast. Mr Zoladkiewicz established strong links with various theatre companies in Budapest. Pupils travel as a theatre company every February during half-term to perform two plays and run workshops. Coloma pupil plays for England A Year 13 pupil at Coloma Convent Girls’ School in Croydon has represented England at the 2017 Lacrosse World Cup this summer. Orla Ingram was part of the Under-19 squad that took part in the event, which was held in Guildford. She is currently an outgoing games captain at Coloma School, which has recently been rated the top comprehensive school for sport by School Sports magazine. Croydon school reception blessed A new reception at St Mary’s Catholic High School in Croydon has been blessed by Bishop Paul Hendricks. Before blessing the new reception, Bishop Paul also blessed the crucifix, a statue of Our Lady, and photographs of Pope Francis and Archbishop Peter which were then placed there. He also present badges of office to the new school’s student leadership teams. We want your news! Email your stories to pilgrim@rcsouthwark.co.uk or telephone 0208 776 9250. Six pupils from St Thomas More Catholic School in Bexleyheath have met Climate Change Minister Claire Perry after creating a green classroom. The pupils travelled to the Houses of Parliament to explain how they created an outdoor classroom, which used natural light instead of electricity and also used recycled water. The headteacher of St Thomas More, Mrs Doran- Hannon, who accompanied the pupils, said, “The opportunity to speak with the Minister for Page 4 Climate allowed us all to say what we hoped to achieve by building an outdoor classroom; to help future generations to understand that nature and humanity should go hand in hand, alongside one another.” The pupils attended the meeting with head of advocacy at Cafod, Neil Thorns, and young Cafod campaigner, Jason Sheehan, who presented the Minister with a booklet about how people around the world are trying to live more sustainably.
The Pilgrim August 2017 Feature Why does theology matter? Fr David Gibbons, parish priest of St Thomas of Canterbury in Sevenoaks, continues his Duffer’s Guide to Theology Mediaeval arguments like how many angels can dance on a pin (on the point, not the flat end) have given theology a reputation for being pointless (sorry about the pun) and irrelevant. Many people will dismiss theology as cloud cuckoo land. But as I said in the first of these articles, it does matter. One aspect of theology I haven’t yet mentioned is Catholic social teaching. This concerns social justice, and goes right back to the earliest books of the Old Testament. It concerns issues of poverty and wealth, human dignity, the common good, rights and responsibilities, employment and God’s creation. It is a practical outcome of theology, theology in action we might say. Catholic social teaching matters to the people whose lives are improved as a result. It is surprisingly influential (its emphasis on subsidiarity is a foundational principle of the EU, for example) and many Christian Democrat political parties in numerous countries base their policies on it. Climate change is one of the most recent issues to be addressed by this Catholic theology (see Pope Francis’ second encyclical Laudato Si’). Theology matters because its study inevitably influences our moral behaviour. Although the values of western civilisation are derived from Christian principles (the notion of charity derives directly from the parable of the Good Samaritan, for example), these are increasingly beset by new ideas and uncertainties, and there are fewer and fewer agreed boundaries to one’s behaviour. It is as if the river has overflowed its banks and people find themselves battling the floods. What Catholic moral theology does is to create guidelines, rather as the river banks channel the flow of water. This applies to communities, like countries (what is the definition of a just war?) and businesses (what is a just wage?), and it applies to individuals as well. Such ideas as the corporal and spiritual works of mercy we heard about in the Jubilee Year of Mercy are efforts by theologians to help one remember the main areas of moral acts towards others. This assists those of our brothers and sisters in particular needs, and puts the theological concept of love into practice. Such good works also help us to receive the grace we need to grow in holiness and, in the end, fulfil our purpose in this life which is to be with God in eternity. The Second Vatican Council, in Lumen Gentium, said that this holiness or sanctity leads the people of God to “follow the poor Christ, the humble and cross-bearing Christ in order to be worthy of being sharers in his glory”. At the end of the day theology is about helping us to pass over to heaven. Sure, uniting ourselves with Christ in the sacraments and in prayer is a crucial part of this, and a simple but firmly held faith is a lovely thing, but theology helps us by pointing us in the right direction, by keeping us ‘on the straight and narrow path’. Catholic theology is thus a matter of life and death. It is a matter of life or death for those babies which might be aborted or old people euthanased; it is a matter of life or death for innocent people caught up in war. It is a matter of life or death (eternal life or eternal death) for us as individuals, as the way we behave now determines the destiny of our soul. This is a very high claim for theology, the “queen of the sciences” as it is called. Theology puts all other “ologies” into context. Astrophysics may explain the how of the Big Bang and the expanding universe (and Monsignor Georges Lemaitre pictured with Albert Einstein incidentally it was a Catholic priest – George Lemaitre - who was most influential in proposing the Big Bang theory) but is no nearer explaining the why. Philosophy and ethics are determined by belief (or disbelief) in God. Fillet out religious references in English literature and there is little left. Theology is quite simply the most important study one can ever do. The Pilgrim is now online, making it possible to read all the editions since it was launched in 2011. To view it, visit the diocesan website and click on the link on the left hand side of the page. www.rcsouthwark.co.uk Page 5
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Issue 63 - The Pilgrim - August 2017 - The newspaper of the Archdiocese of Southwark

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