Richard Challoner School had the privilege of attending the most spiritually rich celebration in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark on 24th September 2025, to celebrate the beginning of this new academic year.
Organised by the Education Service in the Archdiocese of Southwark, our school was invited to attend a very special Mass, together with representative students and staff from no less than 175 other primary and secondary schools in the Diocese. St George’s Cathedral was completely packed and there was a unique, uplifting atmosphere from start to finish!
The Mass was celebrated by the Most Reverend John Wilson, Archbishop of Southwark and Metropolitan, together with four supporting Priests.
Archbishop John started by welcoming everybody and saying what an amazing sight it was to see the Diocese’s schools’ family gathered to celebrate our faith and to mark the start of a new academic year. The Mass date was chosen to fall on the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, which is the oldest place in England, notable for its religious shrines in honour of our Blessed Mother, Mary.
In his homily, Archbishop John asked the congregation to reflect on what it means to have hope and he presented the Blessed Virgin Mary as a perfect example of Christian hope. The Archbishop also drew attention to the banners and imagery on the altar of the two recently canonised saints:
Saint Carlo Acutis (English-born Italian Catholic teenager) and Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati (an Italian Catholic activist), both of whom he described as “Disciples of Hope”.
Archbishop John invited large numbers of students to go up to the Altar and express their view of what it is to be a Disciple of Christian hope, and they provided spontaneous and very thoughtful responses, including:
“Our Lord Jesus WILL come again”.
“Knowing that Jesus will always be with us”.
“Mary brought Jesus into the world and trusted God completely”.
Archbishop John concluded his homily by affirming that nothing can separate us from the love of God, and asking the congregation to think about how each of us can bring hope to 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 Chaplain, felt privileged to join her fellow colleagues to renew her personal commitment and for the special blessing and Prayer of Dedication.


Pupils Experiences at the Diocesan School Mass
The Start of Year Mass was a wonderful experience. We arrived early so we got seats really near the front, and managed to take some pictures in front of the altar. There were lots of lovely classics like Amazing Grace and As I Kneel Before You.
One of the things I enjoyed most was the Homily all about hope.
The Archbishop invited anyone who wanted to say what they thought hoping as a Christian meant to the sanctuary. It was lovely to hear all the responses and thoughts of students from other schools. At the end of the Homily all the adults present renewed their commitment and promise to uphold Catholic values in education. Over all it was an amazing day and I am delighted to have been chosen.
H, Year 8
The visit to St George’s Cathedral was great and was an honour to be chosen. Travelling there was quick and easy. We got there early so managed to get a few photos of us all before. The church was packed with all schools ranging from primary age to 6th Form colleges.
The Mass itself was beautiful with a special message about hope. It was filled with joyful singing both from the choir and the congregation. Thank you for allowing me to attend and represent the school. It was an amazing day and I couldn’t have asked for more.
O, Year 8
When I entered the cathedral, I saw lots of school who also preached the same God. This made me very happy as I knew that God had many followers. The experience was really fun as the priest talked about how we are followers of the Catholic faith and how we have to carry it on. The experience was amazing and I was very grateful to get this once in a lifetime opportunity. The fact that the priest called up students to answer his question instead of doing it himself showed that he wanted to hear about other people’s thoughts on what to do with the catholic faith.
In conclusion, I was just really grateful for this opportunity and I hope I would just like this next year.
M, Year 8
My experience of the start of the school year Mass was incredible. There were so many schools that went to it. I was so happy to be there. It was an unforgettable experience that I will always remember when I see my old Richard Challoner uniform when I’m older.
A, Year 8
The visit to the cathedral was wonderful!!! It was good to be back after Challoner Day. I am thankful to be chosen as one of only five people to go to the Cathedral. First we arrived at St George’s square at 9:05 and then we got on the train to Waterloo. After that we walked to the cathedral and we put our stuff down in our pew. We waited outside the cathedral and saw many different schools with many different ages like our old primary schools. During mass we met the Bishop and celebrated the start of school in one of the grandest cathedrals in England. It was a privilege to go and is going to be one of my highlights for the year.
T, Year 8