My Story

I know quite a few people who work at St Mary's College in Hull so I can tell this story and the person concerned can remain anonymous.

They were in school one day when somebody enters the room and says they are from Connexions. For anybody who isn't familiar, Connexions is the UK Governments careers advice service. Anyway, person from Connexions starts to put posters in the room. My friend looks at the posters. There are a few about jobs but there is also one about always using a condom. In a Catholic school. Great. My friend takes it down.

Jackie Parkes Story

So I go into parent's evening last night. Comment on the fabulous Newman display in the entrance hall apparently borrowed from the Oratory. As I go in the hall notice a Connexions stand with 2 women seated & various booklets. Make a mental plan to check on way out.

So out we go & I stop by & ask ' Excuse me can you tell me if yr Connexions service is adapted to the needs of this being a Catholic School?' Well they were dumbstruck.. 'what do you mean?'.

So I pick up the main Connexions booklet.. 'your daughter should have had one of these' I said she did & we sent it back to school because of the information contained in it & the school apologised saying it shouldn't have been sent out!'. I asked could I keep their copy...'err no!'. So I pick up another booklet..I don't think this was Connexions..so I flip to the back & read in a very LOUD voice ( by this time Mary & Rosie had legged it!)..' Marie Stopes, Brook Adivsory, Family Planning Association..descs of abortion & contraceptive services..etc'

The 2 women didn't know where to put themselves..went pale in fact..so I walk off with that one..catch the Head Teacher on way out ' can I have a minute? ' sure..' can u just take a look at this?' HT ' Oh I'm really sorry...that's the NEW girl'. Yeah right!!

Conclusion

Connextions are the UK Governments 'careers advice service'. As part of this careers advice they hand out free condoms and promote contraception. UK Catholic schools welcome them in with open arms - Connextions promise not to promote contraception in the school but then, oh, sorry, oops, they keep forgetting.

Even if Connexions had a perfect track record for never accidentally promoting Contraception in Catholic Schools, what the Schools are doing is allowing Connexions to promote themselves to students as a great place to turn for all kinds of advice. They give them a national free phone number to call (where I am quite sure they don't ask if you were referred by a Catholic school) and there is a website to visit.

The Connexions website has links through to the lovely Sexperience website from Channel 4 and r u thinking? featuring this lovely page.

If we have a proper Catholic school I expect that the governers will mention this and the school will bend over backwards to provide an alternative careers service, perhaps in partnership with the Diocesan Vocations people.

Don't count on it.

It is that time of year again it seems to arrive so quickly!! We were all there with our trendy black folders which you could only just fit all the music in, in a rather cunning manor!

The head opened the service with some nice words and then on with the carols which were interspersed with several readings. James was dissapointed that there was only one reading from scripture but the others were themed with the preparation and waiting of advent. The reading about The Indescribable Gift was nice focusing on Jesus coming to forgive and save us, a really good link between Christmas and Easter which come hand in hand. We sang a few classic carols. with the senior choir singing harmonies which James said sounded good (naturally he is an expert in this) Kevin seemed to be enjoying himself and it was certainly a job well done.

Both the two pieces performed by the senior choir and the one by the junior choir sounded wonderful. I think the choirs have been excelling themself more and more and I will really miss singing with them, maybe I can pop back every now and then. Kevin did not look like we were strangling a cat so it can't have been that bad. Kevin also tried to test our lung capasity with some of the endings! I was worried I would flake out but we had time to recover between readings :o) It is also nice to sing parts to the carols, maybe I can dazzle them round the christmas table when we sing a few this christmas.

Fr John said the last two blessings and then Fr Pat jumped in with a surprise blessing... one of the sixth formers (you may remember him for Joseph) had said that he had been in the school for 7 years (and he was rather involved) and it would be nice to have a special blessing. I have to agree, particularly those students who stay right through, they are a member of our christian community and the school prepares them for the trials ahead, particularly trials as Cathoilcs. Fr Pat did a celtic blessing and it was very apt talking of being the light (and witness) of Christ. It is important to remember that we do not only think of our sixth form (and GCSE students leaving for pastures new) on the day they leave. At the start of the Churches caledar it is only right to start them on their journey into the real world where they are to take Christ with them.

As with these things there is always the worry that you have a story from I dont know... the donkeys point of view, but this evening proved to be a beautiful way to celebrate advent. Well done All.

So, another year another Christmas concert at St. Mary's College. Every year I go along to hear Ella in the Senior Choir...

The Junior Choir were excellent in their rendition of "Carol of the Children" by Rutter. The String Quartet, Flute Choir, String Orchestra and Orchestra were all well rehersed, professional and a delight to listen to. There were some great groups of kids who had done slightly different things... The folk group were superb (and nothing like the crap you get at folk masses). Red Banshee were also very good (again, superior to what you expect when you place an electric guitar in a teenagers hands) - Leona was loving the Red Banshee (loud and red = great). Speaking of thing's Leona loved, the dancing. There were two sets of dancers and both were very well coordinated (considering the huge number of girls on stage).

The senior Choir were very good (Full Disclosure: I'm married to one of them) and I can't not mention the guy on the guitar with his own composition "Oriental Cityscape" and the girl who played with him. She sang a beautiful lullaby which Leona hated because she could tell it was supposed to put her to sleep and she hates sleep. In fact, there were several student made compositions which were all superb. While I expect the sudden ability of students to compose music is largely due to the availability of software like sebelius (photoshop for music) this does nothing to detract from the skill with which they evoke various feeling and emotion. After all, the guy who wrote "Christmas Soon!" probably had sebelius too.

So, congratulations to all involved. Well done.

A gripe? Oh James, tell us it isn't so! Every year I moan about the secularisation of it all. Kid's these days... or is it the grownups? Either way, I didn't hear many carols... perhaps that's not what Christmas concerts are about. Anyway, that's the only criticism: less God than I would have liked.

A mass to celebrate 150 years of the Sisters of Mercy in Hull.

I might have gone, only it was held during working hours and by invitation only (it being in a school and all). Ella got an invitation though because she works there.

In the presence of several diocesan priests two students from the school (young people, not priests) gave the homily.

This evening Fr Stephen asked Fr Massie if he knew who would have been responsible. Neither of them knew but the names of some of the school staff were suggested.

So... is it possible for a lay person to be 'responsible' for what happens at a mass? If not who was responsible?

...or am I right in thinking that none of the diocesan clergy think this is important enough to worry about?

From last Sunday's gospel (which every one of them would have read outloud): The man who can be trusted in little things can be trusted in great; the man who is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in great.

Update (30th Sept): I don't know how they got the idea, but I've heard that some folk have interpreted this blog entry as me "having a go" at Fr Stephen. This was definitely not my intention. If anything, I have portrayed him as caring about what goes on. He is definitely a good man and if I have accidentally defamed him here then I apologise. Also, another eyewitness to the conversation between Fr Stephen and Fr Massie tells me that I have it the wrong way around - apparently it was Fr Massie who asked Fr Stephen. Again, apologies if I got it wrong.