Chaplaincy work within SJHNS

Chaplaincy work within the school accompanies and supports students at different stages of their spiritual journey. We aim to provide students with a wealth of different faith experiences alongside our celebrations of Mass in the Liturgical Year. Students have the opportunity to pray and lead prayer in a variety of ways and settings within the school, to live out their faith through outreach work, charity and to take part in a variety of retreats and faith experiences both in and out of school. Chaplaincy also offers support to students on a daily basis, supporting with friendships issues, bereavements and all other types of emotional barriers to learning.

 

Our Chaplain & Lay Chaplain

Fr Charles Miller- Meet our school Chaplain

(give Fr Charles the opportunity to write a short Paragraph.)

Alfie - Meet the Lay Chaplain

My name is Alfie, I have been a chaplain for around 6 years. Since spending a year working on the Kenelm youth trust mission team and working with young people at Alton Castle and Soli house I fell in love with showing people the beauty of faith. I am always up for a good conversation about faith and enjoy having difficult conversations challenging parts of my faith. If you ever have any questions or just want to come and chat please come see me in CA01.

Parish outreach

Throughout the year we visit all of our local parishes to help lead the Liturgy. This is a great way for young people to meet others in their Parish and also for them to be introduced to roles within the Parish. Students help with the Liturgy of the Word, the offertory, the music, the collections, welcoming Parishioners and tidying up after Mass. If you would like to know more about our Parish Masses please see the RE contact in the contact us page or contact cn.admin@hccmac.co.uk

 

 Community Outreach

We have a number of links with local charities and care homes that we try to support in practical ways as well as through our donations, especially during Lent and Advent. This work gives students the opportunity to put their faith into action and truly live out Gospel values. We help to support the Foodbank, Cyrenians, Fr Hudson's Care and a number of local care homes. We reach out to our local community and invite them to join us for Mass regularly throughout the. Our Peace and Justice work is a strength within our school community and fosters many links within the city again providing students with the opportunity to help others as well as enabling them to learn from issues in the past.

 

SJHNS Choir

The school choir grows annually we meet once a week to rehearse, the choir and band support our Masses as well as performing throughout the school year at other events and local care homes. The Music department works closely with the Catholic Life team to ensure that our school is supported well in its music ministry.

Kenelm Youth Trust

We work closely with the Kenelm Youth Trust to provide a number of faith experiences for our students. These includes mission trips to Brazil, pilgrimages to Lourdes and a number of retreat days, outreach activities and Masses throughout the Year which we accompany and encourage students to attend. The Kenelm Youth Trust is made up of Soli House, Alton Castle and the Birmingham Catholic Youth Service. Together they strive to provide lots of opportunities for young people in our diocese. Please see their website for more details www.kenelmyouthtrust.org.uk

Retreats

We offer students the opportunity to go on retreat to Alton Castle in Year 8 and Soli House in Year 9 & 10. These centres are run by the Kenelm Youth Trust and offer young people the experience to appreciate God's creation in nature through outdoor activities and time for personal prayer and reflection. The students celebrate Mass whilst on retreat and they are offered the sacrament of reconciliation along with small group morning and night prayers.

Additionally The Catholic life team in the school work with tutors of different year groups to run retreat days for students an opportunity to come off timetable to learn about themselves and the interactions they have with those around them.

Leading Lights Team

At SJHNS our Leading Lights Team is a core part of our school community. Every tutor has two selected Leading Lights which change termly, these are representatives from their tutor to support in the running and practice of the Catholic Mission of our school. They are representatives in our school individuals who aspire to live out Faith in Action. All members of our school community try to live out Faith in action lead by our Leading Lights, below are some amazing examples of Faith in Action in our school.

To recognise our students amazing dedication to living out the Gospel values rewards and recognition of acts of service and charity are baked into our schools ASPIRE program allowing students to see that their service has been acknowledged.

St John Henry Newman Biography

St John Henry Newman (1801–1890) was a priest, theologian, and one of the most influential religious thinkers of the 19th century. Originally an Anglican clergyman, he became a leading voice in the Oxford Movement before entering the Catholic Church in 1845. Newman was known for his profound scholarship, inspiring preaching, and deep pastoral care. He later founded the Birmingham Oratory, where he devoted much of his life to ministry, study, and writing. His reflections on faith, conscience, and the purpose of education continue to shape Christian thought today.

Newman was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI on 19 September 2010 during a historic Mass in Birmingham. This moment is especially meaningful for our school, as our students and staff crafted the furniture used during the Beatification ceremony, leaving a lasting mark on this significant event. He was canonised in 2019, becoming the first English saint to be recognised in this way in over four decades.

Since then, Newman’s global significance has continued to grow. He has been named both a Doctor of the Church, recognising the enduring value of his theological writings, and the Co-Patron Saint of Catholic Education, honouring his lifelong commitment to learning, truth, and the formation of young minds.

Today, St John Henry Newman stands as a model of intellectual curiosity, integrity, and faith—an inspiration to our school community and to Catholic education around the world.