Our Faith in Action
“You too, dear young people, can be joyful witnesses of his love,
courageous witnesses of his Gospel, carrying to this world a ray of his light”
(Pope francis at world youth day 2013)
At St John Fisher we are proud of our faith and hope that others can see our light shining in the wider community in which we live. We strive to live out Gospel Values, exemplified in The Beatitudes, and follow Catholic Social Teaching through our charity work and the way that we treat others.
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12)
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.
Gospel Values
Faithfulness & Integrity
Dignity & Compassion
Humility & Gentleness
Truth & Justice
Forgiveness & Mercy
Purity & Holiness
Tolerance & Peace
Service & Sacrifice
At St John Fisher our pupils are exposed to and immersed in these Gospel Values from the moment they join our community. Our curriculum is planned and sequenced, allowing pupils to explore these values through all subjects, especially Religious Education and SMSC. Our strong and supportive pastoral system alongside our extensive extra-curricular provision and pupil leadership opportunities, including the School Council, the Prefect system and our Anti-Bullying ambassadors, provide the platform through which our pupils can develop an understanding of their own dignity and that which should be afforded to others.
“Human persons are imprinted with God’s image. Their dignity does not come from the work they do, but from the persons they are.”
Pope John Paul II
Catholic Life and Mission
We have dedicated staff and pupil teams of Catholic Life and Mission champions.
Staff Team
The staff team meet on a voluntary basis each half term and includes staff from across the curriculum departments, including support staff, teaching staff, middle and senior leaders, governors and our local parish priest. Our meetings have covered a variety of topics including how we can improve our prayer and liturgy in form and the new inspection framework to the new chapel design and addressing the practicalities of having a tabernacle.
To compliment the staff team, we have a pupil team who also meet each half term. These are our Catholic Life and Mission Pupil Ambassadors. Applications for these roles were invited from all pupils in years seven to ten, of which 40 pupils were appointed and commissioned at our Easter Masses. These roles are very positive for our pupils, empowering them and developing confidence and leadership skills and enable them to live out the Gospel values. They are an asset for our school community. The team support our prayer and liturgy in school; initiating ideas and taking the lead in collective worship. They also help to plan, organise and lead other activities in relation to our Catholic Life and Mission, including numerous charity and fundraising events and care for our environment, including litter picking in the local community.
Pupil Team
Faith in Action Award
Pupils are invited to work towards achieving their ‘Faith in Action’ Awards.
We have pupils working towards all levels; bronze, silver and gold. To achieve these awards, our pupils undertake various activities both in school and in the local community to support the Catholic Life and Mission of our school.
Charity
Our school community continues to participate in various charity events. In recent years, we have helped to raise significant funds to support numerous charities including those close to our community, such as The Brick and Daffodils Dreams, those at a national level, including Macmillan, Guide Dogs and Young Minds, and internationally including Cafod and the DEC Ukraine Appeal. In addition to fundraising, pupils have also been involved in other aspects of charity work such as gathering food donations for The Brick, organising concerts for senior citizens, and planning the restoration of a garden at a local care home.
Fisher Factor Challenge ('FFC')
Our Year 7 are encouraged to participate in our the ‘FFC’ (Fisher Factor Challenge). This is a small card containing tasks for the pupils to complete, like a mini Duke of Edinburgh Award without the residentials! The aim is to incorporate faith, service, and extra-curricular into simple challenges for the pupils to complete.
Retreat Programme
Our academic year begins with the Year 7 day retreats. Each form spends a day together, getting involved in different activities enabling them to begin building their form community. At the end of the day, the pupils participate in a teaching Mass. This helps all pupils access this aspect of our Catholic life, allowing them to participate with increased understanding in future celebrations.
At the end of the year, our CLM Ambassadors enjoy a day’s retreat off-site to help them reflect on their year’s work and plan for the coming year. In past years they have enjoyed working with Cafod Volunteers on projects at St Joseph’s, Formby.
Photos at St Joseph’s, Formby for all our ambassadors - workshop led by CAFOD about their latest campaign.
Lourdes Pilgrimage
Year 10 and Year 11 pupils are encouraged to take part in the Archdiocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes.
For more information about all that we are involved in at St John Fisher, please visit our Facebook and Twitter pages.