On 1 July, Bishop John celebrated Mass at St John’s Catholic Primary School in Rickmansworth to mark the 50th anniversary of the school’s opening in 1965. The Mass was concelebrated by Fr Shaun Church, Parish Priest of Rickmansworth, Mill End and Chorleywood, and attended by pupils and staff past and present. Among the congregation were the first headmistress of the school, Sr Sheila, and her successor, Mrs Maureen Glynn.
In his homily, Bishop John asked the students to think about what was needed to build a school. The pupils suggested important attributes, such as classrooms and accessories, and one student said the Church. It was on this point that Bishop John focused; telling them that Jesus is the heart of a Catholic school and the crucifix on the wall behind him was a reminder of His love for us. Bishop John also discussed the role of a bishop and his crozier which makes him look like a shepherd and how the pupils of all the 215 schools in the Diocese are his sheep.
After Mass, Bishop John blessed a new birdbath in the school garden which had been donated to the school by the parents of the Year 6 pupils. Before he blessed it, he told the students about the Pope’s new encyclical, Laudato Si’, which talks about care of our common home and how they should be stewards of God’s creation.
