This year the Feast of St Edmund took place on Friday 1^st December 2017.   We celebrated our patronal feast day with a whole school Mass.  The Mass also marked the end of our Mission week here at St Edmund’s Catholic Academy, Wolverhampton – a double celebration.  Thirty guests were present including the Deputy Mayor Councillor Phil Page and Deputy Mayoress Elaine Hadley-Howell.

The focus of Mission Week was based on Pope Francis’s address at World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland, in July 2016 when he encouraged young people to ‘Leave the sofa and make your mark’. The Kristian Thomas Sports Hall, where the event took place, was an abundance  of ‘Make your Mark’ black and white t-shirts which had been kindly donated by Wood, Goldstraw & Yorath, Architects, Stoke-on-Trent and Lads and Lasses Schoolwear, Wolverhampton.  Examples of the student’s prayers over the week were displayed and the whole community gathered, including the majority of our support staff.

We were blessed with the presence of the Soli team – Catherine Smith, Vicki Chatten and Rick Netherwood and the St Edmund’s choir led us in the St Jude Mass.  Fr Michael Dolman,  Vocations Director,  was the chief celebrant and he was joined by Monsignor Mark Crisp, our school Chaplain, Fr Jonathan Veasey Director of Diocesan Education Service and Fr Jan.  Two class representatives from each class led the procession of clergy with 10 altar servers in attendance.

Students from our Sixth Form led the readings and during the Offertory the student representatives gave their tutor group’s ‘Coat of Arms ‘as an offering.

Fr Michael’s Homily was based of the reading from Corinthians, reminding us that we do not have anything if we don’t have love.

‘Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude’ ‘Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things’. ’Love never ends’.

We finished the Mass with the schools Mission Song which raised the roof of the Sports Hall!

Christ the eternal King

With angels to You we sing

Knock on the door of my heart

With Your grace O Lord

Make Your mark

After Mass guests, staff and class representatives visited the Peace Garden where Monsignor Mark Crisp blessed the recently erected statue of Our Lady.

The day ended with staff and guests gathering for afternoon tea.  Mrs Hughes, Principal said, “It was the best day of her teaching career bar none”.