The Chaplains had a lovely day at St Mary’s on Tuesday 26th June. They found out about ‘Hope in the Future’ and how we can begin to link School and Parish together. They made a poster showing how Sacred Heart School help the community. They were extremely lucky to receive a framed San Damiano cross that has been blessed by Bishop John Arnold.
The role of Pupil Chaplain has a very high profile in our school and we are now on our fourth team of Pupil Chaplains.
Some of the tasks these pupils carry out include welcoming new pupils and staff to our school, leading assemblies and liturgical events, delivering worship and leading fundraising initiatives.
Our Chaplains are; Milton, Summer, Millie, Emily, Phoebe and Wiktoria
Where does the name Chaplain originate from?
The 11th of November, as well as being Remembrance Day is also the Feast Day of St Martin of Tours. St Martin is special to the chaplaincy team because it is from him that the name chaplain originates.
Martin was born in the year 316, he was a native of Sabaria, an ancient province of the Roman Empire which we now know as Hungary. His father was a senior officer in the Roman army. He was named after Mars, the god of war, meaning ‘the brave, the courageous’.
The family moved to Pavia in Italy. When he was 15 being a son of an officer meant that he had to join the army himself. While he was a soldier stationed in Gaul he experienced a vision.
He was at the gates of the city of Amiens with his soldiers when he met a scantily dressed beggar. He impulsively cut his own military cloak in half and shared it with the beggar.
That night he dreamed that Jesus came to him and returned the half cloak Martin had shared with him. He heard Jesus say to the angels: “Here is Martin, the Roman soldier who is not baptised; he had clad me.” When Martin woke his cloak was restored. The miraculous cloak was preserved as a relic.
The Latin word for “short cloak”, cappella in Latin, was extended to the people charged with preserving the cloak of St. Martin, the cappellani or “chaplains” .
The dream had such an impact on Saint Martin that he was baptised the next day and became a Christian. He decided to leave the army and became a monk near the city of Tours.
Martin worked for the conversion to Christianity of the people, making many preaching trips through western and central France. In the course of his work he became extremely popular, and in 371 became bishop of Tours; he refused to live in the city and instead founded a monastery for his residence a short distance outside the walls.
St Martin died on 8th November 397 at Candes, Tours, France of natural causes; by his request, he was buried in the Cemetery of the poor on 11th November 397.