Y11 Leavers Mass

Year 11 pupils participated in a celebratory Leavers Mass with celebrant Fr Mario on Thursday this week. A specially created Mass booklet was awaiting all pupils to follow the service, which displayed their recent year photograph to retain as a keep-sake.

Arriving as Year 7s in September 2016, our leavers probably started their journey at Corpus Christi with excitement but also possibly with a little bit of trepidation after leaving their Primary schools. During their five-year journey through school, our pupils have no doubt made many friends, with all teachers and staff of the school helping them on their way and all joining them to celebrate their special Mass.

After a warm welcome by school Chaplain Emily, Deputy Head Boy Adam Newton read the First Reading (Jeremiah 29:11-14)) followed by a Responsorial Psalm 65 presented by Deputy Head Girl Georgia Walkden-Fenerty. The Second Reading (Corinthians 12:12-20) was read by Deputy Head Girl Lucy Simpkin which was followed by the Gospel from Matthew 5:13-16.

Fr Mario’s homily reflected on the Gospel and encouraged pupils to go forward and meet their next challenges in life with faith and their own ‘light’ shining. He described how Corpus Christi has been like a mother to all throughout the last five years, helping them not only to learn, mature in body and mind, but also importantly, has encouraged their Christian faith to grow and to have been part of the ‘One Body’ within Corpus Christi. Fr Mario encouraged our leavers to be good ambassadors of our school and always cherish their faith and God’s goodness and choose a path in life with God by their side.

Head boy and girl Charlie Shorrock and Heli Bhakta together with Senior Prefects Josh Dickinson, Fatima Babar, Mickey Charnley and Ellie May Duffy all joined in the celebration with bidding prayers to spiritually celebrate the imminent farewell of Year 11. Senior Prefects Caitlin Stoney and Umayr Amin then presented the Offertory.

Mr Hubbard and Head of Year Mr Horn gifted all leaving pupils with a personalised Corpus Christi booklet reflecting on our school motto ‘Together in One Body’, for all leavers to remember their five-year faith journey at our school.

Headteacher, Mr Hubbard, thanked celebrant Fr Mario and everyone present for attending the Mass and reflected on the fact that today’s celebration was to be the last time we would all be all gathered together for Mass. He told our Year 11 leavers that he hoped they would get good GCSEs but stressed that it is not just all about exams. He concluded the Mass by telling pupils, ‘It is more important that your time here at Corpus Christi has given you the opportunity to be the type of person you want to be, to try and always be giving and not taking, trustworthy, tolerant, but ultimately always ready to do the right thing, stressing that their ‘Faith’ nurtured here during the last five years, will always make the big difference in how you progress through life.