Richard Challoner School had the privilege of attending a spiritually rich celebration in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark on 25th September 2026, to celebrate the beginning of this new academic year.
Organised by the Education Service in the Archdiocese of Southwark, Richard Challoner school was invited to attend the very special Mass, together with around 800 representative students and staff from primary and secondary schools in the Diocese. Three of their seven students who attended the Mass had the privilege of being Altar Servers and, on hearing that one of the students was feeling a little nervous, Archbishop John discretely gave some words of encouragement during two key roles on the Sanctuary. St George’s Cathedral was completely full and there was a unique, uplifting atmosphere from start to finish!
Starting with an eye-catching procession with many schools proudly holding their colourful banners and candles, the Mass was celebrated by the Most Reverend John Wilson, Archbishop of Southwark and Metropolitan, together with three supporting Priests. Archbishop John started by welcoming everybody and saying what an amazing sight it was to see the Diocesan schools gathered to celebrate their faith and to mark the start of a new academic year.
In his homily, Archbishop John referenced the first reading from Ecclesiastes, ‘A time for every matter under heaven’ and emphasised that this is the time for us to grow closer to God. Archbishop John then referred to the Gospel reading in which Jesus asked his disciples an important question: “Who do you say that I am?” Archbishop John then asked the congregation to reflect on this question and to consider what it means to know Jesus, to love Him and to serve Him. Archbishop John then invited large numbers of students to go up to the Altar to express their views, and they provided spontaneous and thoughtful responses, including:
We know Him through the Eucharist – We know him in our hearts
We love Him because He saved the world – We love Him because He is omnibenevolent!
We serve Him by loving others as He loved us – We serve Him by learning to forgive others
Following the Liturgy of the Word, Archbishop John invited all the Headteachers, the representatives of the schools’ Governing Bodies, the Chaplains and the Education Service staff, to congregate around the altar to reconfirm and renew their commitment to their special roles, and to join together in the Prayer of Dedication for the year ahead.
Mrs D’Silva, Richard Challoner School’s Lay Chaplain, felt privileged to join her fellow colleagues to renew her personal commitment and for the special blessing and Prayer of Dedication.
After the Holy Communion, a very special presentation was made by Archbishop John to Barry and Margaret Mizen, whose 16-year old son, Jimmy, was murdered in 2008 in an unprovoked attack. Despite the tragic circumstances, Jimmy’s parents have been publicly advocating for peace, forgiveness and compassion, rather than revenge. They established the Mizen Foundation, a charity that works with young people to promote safe communities and peace.
Archbishop John handed over the Archbishop’s Medal in recognition of the couple’s exemplary forgiveness and on behalf of our schools and young people. The congregation reacted with endless applause and a standing ovation.
