St Edmund’s Catholic Academy is delighted to invite prospective parents, carers and students to join us for our virtual open evening on Thursday 8 October 2020.

More information will follow.

Find out more: https://bit.ly/3jSZEJ3

When school reopens students will only be in for one day during the first week as we bring back the community gradually and ensure that they have plenty of space to become comfortable with our new ways of working.

Wednesday 2 September: Year 7 and Year 11

Thursday 3 September: Year 8 and Year 10

Friday 4 September: Year 9 and Sixth Form

Year 12 to attend school at 9:30am on Friday 4th September.

Year 13 to come in for exams only commencing 2nd September (timetables have been emailed to year 13).

From Monday 7 September all students will be required to attend school all week.

There are new routines that will be in place for when the autumn term starts. Due to the serious nature of the current situation, there is a lot of information and several documents on our website – please take some time to discuss the points with your child, as this will make their return in September smoother.

Important information – read now: https://bit.ly/3is3VSK

Thank you for your continued support.

I Desire Mercy

“If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men.”  Matthew 12:7

The Apostles of Jesus were hungry and they picked heads of grain as they walk along to satisfy their hunger.  As a result, the Pharisees condemned the Apostles for doing what they claimed was “unlawful” on the Sabbath.  They claimed that picking heads of grain as they walked along was considered “work” and, thus, they violated the law requiring rest on the Sabbath.

Really?  Did the Pharisees seriously think that the Apostles sinned by picking grain as they walked along to satisfy their hunger?  Hopefully it’s not hard for us to see the absurdity and irrationality of this condemnation. The Apostles did nothing wrong but were condemned nonetheless.  They were “innocent men” as Jesus points out.

Jesus responds to the irrationality of the Pharisees by reminding them of the Scripture, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”  And He points out that the Apostles were wrongly condemned because the Pharisees do not understand this passage and this command from God for mercy.

The Sabbath commandment to rest was from God.  But the commandment to rest was not a requirement for its own sake.  This was not some legal requirement that somehow honored God just by strictly keeping it.  The Sabbath rest was primarily a gift from God to humanity in that God knew we needed rest and rejuvenation.  He knew we needed time each week to slow down, offer special worship to God and enjoy the company of others.  But the Pharisees turned the Sabbath rest into a burden.  They made it out to be a strict legalistic observance that did nothing to glorify God or refresh the human spirit.

One key truth we can learn from this passage is that God calls us to interpret His law through the eyes of mercy.  Mercy always refreshes us, lifts us up and fills us with new energy.  It motivates us to worship and fills us with hope.  Mercy does not impose a heavy legalistic burden upon us; rather, God’s mercy and law together rejuvenates us and refreshes us.

Reflect, today, upon how you look at God’s commands and His law.  Do you see it as a legalistic and burdensome requirement?  Or do you see it as a blessing of God’s mercy meant to lighten your load?

Lord, help me to love Your law.  Help me to truly see it in the light of Your mercy and grace.  May I be refreshed by all You command and be lifted up by Your will.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Laying Down Your Burdens
Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

This invitation from Jesus is one that we may need to hear far more often than we realize. It’s a gentle invitation to let our Lord lighten our daily burden, relieve our worries, our stress, our concerns and all that weighs us down. It’s an invitation of love and mercy and is one we should always accept.
What is it that burdens you? What is it that weighs you down and tempts you to fall into depression, sorrow or even despair? Is there something that you tend to think about obsessively? Is there some concern that you can’t seem to shake? Whatever it is that troubles your heart, Jesus wants to lift it.
Sometimes we can go through life with heavy burdens that we are afraid to let go of. We can be fearful of coming to Jesus and fearful of letting Him in. Coming to Jesus means we must face whatever it is that burdens us with honesty and openness and we must face these burdens in the presence of Jesus.
But the key thing we need to know is that Jesus is gentle, merciful and generous in forgiveness and grace. He longs to lift our burdens far more than we long to have them lifted. He sees the oppression many face and so deeply desires to have that oppression eliminated.
Reflect, today, upon that gentle invitation from Jesus: “Come to me.” Come to Him without fear and without hesitation. Turn everything over to Him and let Him sort things out. He loves you more than you know and will set your feet on the right path.
Lord, I do come to You and I do lay down my life and every burden before You. I give You my life, my hopes, my fears, my past, my future and everything that worries me. Jesus, I give You everything. Jesus, I trust in You.

Charity Walk and Sports Week
One of St Edmund’s Catholic Academy traditions is the end of year charity walk. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, it is unable to take place, but as a school we still wanted to raise money for our three charities, voted for by the students.
The three charities this year are. Compton Hospice, Cancer Research UK and Plastic Oceans.
Students and staff are making their donations through Parent Pay. We thank everyone who has donated.
We have challenged the students and staff to do at least 30 minutes of exercise a day, from walking up and down the stairs, to dancing, gymnastics, walking etc.
‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies’ – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Being Childlike
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” Matthew 11:25

Life is complicated. Or is it? That’s a good question. At times things can seem very complicated. Situations we find ourselves in, relationships with family and friends, our future, our past, etc., can all seem burdensome and complicated at times. But the truth is that it doesn’t have to be. The truth is that God’s answers to the most “complex” questions in life are often simple enough for a child to understand.

In the passage above, Jesus affirms that the Father reveals His answers and wisdom to those who are childlike. Interestingly, He also states that the Father has “hidden these things from the wise and learned.” So this begs the question…is it better to be “wise and learned” or “childlike?” Obviously the answer is that it’s better to be childlike.

This may seem confusing at first. It can seem strange to say that it’s not good to be “wise and learned.” But what that means is that it’s not good to be a person who thinks they have it all figured out. It’s not good to be arrogant and a know-it-all. It’s not good to be so filled with pride that we think we have all the answers.

The ideal is to have certain characteristics of a child. In particular, it’s good to be one who is open, curious, and willing to learn. It’s good to look at life in the simplest of ways and to stick to the basics. Sure, it’s good to grow in wisdom and knowledge of the things of God. But true wisdom and knowledge always maintain a certain innocence and simplicity. They maintain a basic goodness and acceptance of right and wrong. Life does not have to be complicated, it needs to become exceptionally simple.

Reflect, today, upon how ready and willing you are to turn to God for the simple and clear answers to life’s most difficult questions. Reflect upon how willing you are to turn to God in trust and hope knowing that God has all the answers to your life.

Lord, once again I turn to You in trust. Help me to realize that all wisdom comes from You rather than myself. Help me to always turn to You as a child would and help my life to remain simple as You desire. Jesus, I trust in You.

This week staff in our ADT department put together over 70 Creative Study Packs for GCSE & A-Level learners from across Art, Design & Technology and Engineering.

The packs included fine liners, magic markers, pencil crayons, sharpeners, rubbers, pencil, glue stick, water colours, inks, masking tape and many other things to help complete practical and design work they haven’t been able to finish due to lock down.

ADT staff personally delivered study packs to the students who were really excited, happy and grateful they were that we took the time out to make sure they had what they needed to progress.