St Catherine's Trust Summer School: some photos

The end of school quiz.

The St Catherine's Trust Summer School took place last week: it runs from Sunday to Sunday. Numbers have gone up every year for several years, and we welcomed 39 children this year. There was a full minibus load from London, and nine travelled by train from Scotland.

High Mass, with Fr Richard Bailey celebrating and Fr Aidan Keiran as subdeacon: these
priests were involved with the Latin Course which runs alongside the Summer School.

The Summer School exposes children to a week of traditional liturgy, which they would only otherwise experience by visiting a monastery. We have sung - usually High - Mass every day, sung Compline each evening, Benediction twice in the week; each day begins with the Rosary. We always have Stations of the Cross on Friday.





We have a couple of visiting speakers: this year is was Canon Scott Tanner ICKSP from New Brighton, and Fr Mark Higgins from Ramsgate. They gave us Benediction after their talks.



There are, of course, lessons. This isn't a Summer Camp: we do have games and activities and outings, but a lot of the week is spend in classrooms, divided up into three groups. Our Chaplain, Fr Andrew Southwell, teaches Catechism every day; we also have drama, history, philosophy, history of art and whatever the teachers feel inspired to talk about. Naturally, we also give an introduction to Latin, and even Greek, and teach Gregorian Chant. This year we had a couple of polyphonic motets at the final Mass which were prepared during the week.

Canon Scott Tanner ICKSP gives Benediction

The venue is the attractive Franciscan friary and retreat centre of Pantasaph, which includes the Pugin church of St David's, in the lovely Welsh countryside. It is a short distance from the Catholic shrine of St Winefride's Well at Holywell.

Compline

This year we visited St Mary's, Warrington, which now belongs to the Fraternity of St Peter and celebrated Mass there; and we visited Chester, the site of two early Christian martyrdoms, and one of England's most picturesque cities.



The first of our Summer Schools took place in 2005, and we have the same core team. We have been in three different venues, but we've been at Pantasaph for a few years now and I hope we'll remain there. It has been interesting to see whole families of siblings pass through the school, to watch them grow up. It has been a privilege to teach them.



They keep coming back, so clearly we're doing something right! It is all made possible by the sponsorthship of the Latin Mass Society, and others: a big thank you to all our supporters, including the very generous parents. This support makes it possible for us not to charge a fee: a core principle of the school.

St Mary's Warrington

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