On Wednesday 23rd January, St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School, Willesden enjoyed a very special Mass in which Bishop John Sherrington officially reopened the school following the devastating fire of September 2015.
During Mass, Bishop John also blessed the new altar and the new stained glass window that had been commissioned through the generous fundraising of parents. The stained glass window depicts the presentation of the Infant Jesus at the temple, which was the focus of the Gospel passage read by Fr Stephen Willis.
Bishop John spoke about the scene in the window representing two important things. The first is that it reminds Christians about their baptism when their parents presented them to the Church. The second is, light comes streaming through the window and the school goes out carrying the light of their faith into the wider community.
Special guests in attendance included Ms Tolley, Brent Strategic Director for Children and Young People and the Mayor of Brent Councillor Arshad Mahmood. The school also welcomed Daniel Coyle, Headteacher of Newman Catholic College, who provided learning areas at his school for six weeks so that the education of St Joseph’s children could continue uninterrupted while temporary classrooms were being installed on their own site.
St Joseph’s were also delighted to welcome representatives from the Catholic Children’s Society who provided a significant financial donation to the school just days after the fire.
A special recognition was given to the governing board who were at this celebration. The Governors tirelessly support the school community by volunteering their time and wide range of skills to support the children and staff.
St Joseph’s now looks forward to a bright and hopeful future for the whole school community.
