Chaplains
The Chaplaincy is there to help, listen, guide, and to support pupils and staff. At the heart of Benedictine spirituality is its life of prayer and the art of listening, listening to God’s Word and listening to others.
The centre of any Catholic school is its life of prayer: sacramental worship, devotions and personal prayer. As a Benedictine school the school teaches and fosters the ancient monastic form of praying the scriptures – Lectio Divina.
The School promotes, encourages and assists pupils and staff to take greater responsibility for the spiritual life of the school, inspiring pupils to run chaplaincy activities and to instil a life of faith in all areas of school life. By empowering staff and pupils to take on spiritual roles, the Church’s teaching on the role of the laity to be missionary disciples is met.
The School is a Catholic school in the Diocese of Clifton. It works closely with the Bishop and with the other catholic schools of the diocese, taking part in retreats and meetings, sharing ideas and resources. As a Benedictine school it also shares ideas about Benedictine education with the other Benedictine schools in this country.
FR MICHAEL PATEY
School Priest Chaplain
MPatey@downside.co.uk
PAUL ANDREWARTHA
Lay Chaplain
PAndrewartha@downside.co.uk