Spiritual life
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Saint Martin's was founded in 1948 by the Dominican Sisters of St Catherine of Siena based in King William's Town, South Africa. Our Catholic heritage is the foundation of our school and influences all aspects of school life. As such, supporting our pupils to develop spiritually and morally is of fundamental importance. Prayer is a normal part of school life as is a focus on kindness, charity and religious development. Divinity (Religious Education) is a core subject alongside Maths, English and Science. All pupils sit GCSE RE.
See below a little insight into some of the work that we have been doing with the student’s supporting our catholic life and collective worship.
This week's theme is prayer
Monday's Mission- prayerThe theme for this week is prayer. Your challenge is to find a new way to pray. This could be opening the Bible to a random page, reading what you find and then spending some time with God thinking about what that passage says. Or it could be that you make a creative way to pray through art, music or your surroundings. Don’t forget to send in your photographs to Lucy Chapman by Thursday and they will feature on the NDCYS Friday Night Live Show
race to the vaticanTo make sure we enhance our physical health and mental well-being, The Challenge Is On - this is a whole school challenge, a virtual pilgrimage to The Vatican and back !
All pupils & parents, staff & governors are encouraged to participate to walk, run or cycle the virtual c4000KM. This is a challenge for all the family to get involved in, with the distances being recorded for either Staff or Students, counting against the total virtual distance, again it’s All Staff versus Student and Family challenge!! The added competition is for our students to complete more miles than the staff!! Are You Up For It ? 
Day 1 results- Race to the vatican
ash wednesdayCardinal Vincent has issued a pastoral letter inviting us to reflect on the meaning of the ashes we receive and suggests how we can celebrate Ash Wednesday at home this year.
Today marks the beginning of Lent, a time for turning again to the practice of our faith, in prayer, self denial (fasting) and practical generosity (almsgiving). Ash Wednesday is the doorway into this season of renewal. 
this week's theme is healing
This week's act of worshipRoses, hearts and scriptureSpreading a little Valentines love around school. Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14
Monday's mission-healingThis week’s mission is to pray for anyone we know who needs healing.
This week's theme is care
Monday's Mission-careThe theme of the week is ‘Care’ and your mission this week is to show someone you care for them. Think of someone who does a lot for you; a teacher, parent, grandparent, friend and do something to show them you care for them. Maybe you are going to make them a cup of tea, draw them a picture, do something which you know will make them smile or perhaps you can think of a creative way of showing you care.
Year 9 worship wednesdayThe theme for this week is care
Think this week about who takes care of you and who you take care of. What does it mean to be cared for and what difference can it make to your life? CARE FOR THOSE YOU ARE PRAYING FOR, PRAY FOR THOSE YOU ARE CARING FOR During these difficult times, now more than ever gives an incredible opportunity for the Church worldwide, to unite in prayer so that our family, friends and neighbours can know Jesus’ love and care. care act of worshipThis week's theme is inspire
St Thomas Aquinas Feast DayToday, is the Feast of St Thomas Aquinas, the patron Saint of our Academy.
All 22 schools in our CMAT will be gathering together (virtually) at 9:00am this Thursday morning. No live or pre-recorded lessons will be taking place at this time, to allow all students to virtually come together and celebrate this liturgy. inspire act of worshipour staff 'inspire' usMonday's mission-inspireThis week’s word of the week is ‘Inspire’, and Tom Baptist has set us our weekly ‘Monday Mission’. As you will see in the video, Tom’s mission for you this week is to write a letter to someone who inspires you. Perhaps you could tell them what it is about them that is so amazing, why do they inspire you and what do they inspire you to do?
who inspires you? How can you inspire others?worship wednesdayThe theme for this week is Inspire.
The word inspire means ‘filled with the spirit’ and there are times when all of us take inspiration from the events and people around us. We too can be inspired by Christ to change for the better. We want you to think about how you can be inspirational. Year 8 took part in this week's act of worship and they had an opportunity to write letters to people who inspire them. This week's theme is challenge
Thankful thursday act of worshipThis week Year 7 have had the opportunity to explore the good in their lives and in the world, even in the midst of a pandemic
Monday's Mission- challengeEvery Monday, during the ‘Monday Morning Club’ on NDCYSlive on YouTube, you are going to be set a mission or challenge based on the word of the week and linked to encouraging you to be a Disciple!
Here is this weeks mission, based on the word of the week, ‘Challenge’. Luke has set you the mission of learning a new skill to help someone with a challenge. I wonder if your skill could be something to make someone laugh or smile, that is something we could all do with at the moment! Examen prayer resourcethis week's theme is discipleship
students participating with the weekly theme of the weekthis week's theme is epiphany
blessing our homes 2021There is a beautiful Catholic practice of blessing your home on the Feast of The Epiphany of the Lord. Students and staff have been blessing their homes, thank you for taking part.
. 2020 was such a hard year for so many. We think blessing our homes for the New Year is a beautiful way to invite Christ into our lives. This week's theme is joy
Advent act of worshipPraying the hail mary in adventDuring Advent the Diocese of Nottingham are inviting us to pray an extra Hail Mary each day to prepare ourselves to welcome Jesus at Christmas as openly as Mary did. Well done to all the students who supporting this..
aDVENT FOOD BANK APPEAL 2020Thank you to everybody who donated , you really will make a big difference to local families over Christmas and into the New Year. We collected over 1000kg of food and toiletries which would have had a cash value of £1791.83.
CAFOD ADVENT APPEAL 2020During Advent we have been fundraising for CAFOD. We raised £709.21. We would like to thank all pupils, parents and staff for your generosity and constant support with school fundraising appeals. It is always a blessing to be able to give of what we have to support those who are experiencing great difficulty, now more than ever.
cafod grand total...Thank you to the Year 10 Divinity Team for collecting all the money boxes and counting the money.
spreading joyThis week's theme is Joy, so hopefully we brought a little joy to some of the residents at Saffron House Care Home today. Well done to the Year 7 Divinity Team for supporting this visit.
This week's theme is peace
christmas gifts for saffron houseWe really miss our weekly visits to Saffron House Care Home, so we hope these Christmas presents (wrapped with love) make the residents smile. Well done to our Year 9 Divinity Team for doing a wonderful job!
worship wednesdayWell done to 9V for leading and preparing today's Worship Wednesday for the whole school.
This week's theme is hope
Advent ready...worship wednesday- hopeWell done to 8V for leading and preparing this week's Act of Worship and a special mention to Eve for her performance.
NDCYS VISIT SAINT MARTIN'SOn Thursday 3rd December, we were delighted to welcome the NDCYS - The Briars to Saint Martin’s. They put up their inflatable tent outside and delivered sessions to Year 7+8 bubble groups on the theme of ‘Gratitude’.
The students had a great time and had the opportunity to encounter Christ in a different way, even the weather didn’t dampen our spirits. Year 8 Prayer walk-Saturday 5th DecemberYear 8 Prayer Walk
What a beautiful morning - smiles, friendship, fresh air, faith, and VERY muddy children This week's theme is youth
ADVENT APPEAL 2020During Advent we will be supporting Hinckley Food bank - we are looking for non-perishable food items; beans, tinned fruit and veg, fruit juice, squash, pasta, rice, teabags, sugar, sauces- everything is welcomed.
We recognise that this can be a really tough time of year, especially at the moment during Covid, but even more so for those in the community that are also lacking food and basic essential items, so therefore, we are supporting this valuable community service once again. A huge well done to Y7 Francis for making a brilliant start towards our Advent appeal. 
cafod- advent appeal 2020Well done to Emily in Year 7 for raising £170 for CAFOD. Emily walked 20k- we are very proud of you.
Mitzvah dayMitzvah Day International is an annual day of faith-based social action that takes place in November each year, primarily in the United Kingdom. ... 'Mitzvah' is the Hebrew biblical term for 'deed' or 'commandment', which has come to mean 'good deed' or 'charitable act' . This year, this has been extended to do kind deeds throughout the month of November. Students in Year 9 and 10 study this as part of their topic on Jewish beliefs and have contributed to this charitable action by bringing in food that will go to the food bank in Hinckley.
We are grateful to the students for their act of kindness, referred to as 'Gemilut hasadim ' the giving of loving kindness that expects nothing back in return. 
Red wednesday- 25th NovemberToday our School Community took part in Red Wednesday, an annual event organised by Aid to the Church in Need to raise awareness of those persecuted for their Faith especially Christians.
This week's theme is worship
Friday 20th November-National youth fun dayOn Sunday 22nd November, the Catholic Church in England and Wales celebrates National Youth Sunday: it is a chance for us as a community to celebrate our young people and all the joy they bring to our world!
Today, we have have been celebrating ‘National Youth FunDay’, a chance to celebrate, as a school, the amazing work and dedication of our young people. Happy National Youth Funday from Saint Martin’s worship wednesdayThank you to 7I for preparing and leading our live stream act of worship for the whole school. #worshipwednesday
tHIS WEEK'S THEME IS INDIVIDUALITY
rEMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICEOn the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, time stood still briefly today at Saint Martin’s, as students and staff marked Remembrance Day.....
vIRTUAL REMEMBRANCE dAY LITURGYA virtual whole school Remembrance Day liturgy was delivered and prepared by 7V Divinity, in honour of those who have fought for our country and the students educated the whole school about the symbol of poppies and why we wear them.
Royal British legionWe are very proud of Kara for raising £55.23 for the Royal British Legion. Well done!
this week's theme is saints
St Martin de Porres Feast Day: Virtual CelebrationToday we celebrated Mass as one community, online, and offered our prayers together. A big thank you to everyone who took part today.
Miss Cox- "Thank you for making sure that we can celebrate the Mass together. It was lovely to be part of it." The Bible society training day for year 9Children really love to hear stories – especially Bible stories when they’re interactive, engaging and fun!
On Thursday 5th November, Kerry from the Bible Society, trained 23 students from Year 9, who took it in turn to bring a different bible story to life. We are really looking forward to working with our local primary schools, when we’re allowed to, so that we can put this into action ! This week's theme is equality
Saturday 31st october- Year 9 prayer walkToday we went on a very wet and windy and muddy prayer walk. We walked from Saint Martin’s to the Battle of Bosworth, stopping along the way for prayers, reflections and time to count our blessings.
This week's theme is relationships
Meet the new divinity team 2020/21The Divinity Team are a very dedicated team, who have a vital role in enhancing the Catholic Life of our school. Their role's include delivering class prayer and worship, leading and preparing acts of worship and liturgical events, supporting charities and fundraising events.
Rainbows bereavmentSaint Martin’s is pleased to be able to offer our young people in the school who may have experienced a death, separation or other painful life change in their family, the opportunity to participate in the Rainbows/ Spectrum programme. This is an established and successful programme which is run throughout the country.
It is a self-help group, and provides a safe setting in which young people of the same age can talk through their feelings with other young people who have been through similar situations. Using various fun activities, the programme helps young people to come to a healthy understanding and acceptance of these changes. NDCYS OUTREACH DAY-THURSDAY 15TH OCTOBEROur Year 7 students have settled in wonderfully and have made a great start here at Saint Martin’s. To continue their successful induction, 82 students attended a retreat day on Thursday 15th October.
On their retreat day, students took part in a variety of fun, interactive and reflective activities. The theme for the day was ‘Gratitude’. A Special thanks to Tom Baptist from the Briars for joining us and delivering a great session. This week's theme is the Rosary
praying a decade of the rosaryDuring the month of October our students have had an opportunity to pray a decade of the rosary. Praying together as a school community will unite us in a common purpose as we ask Our Lady to pray for the needs of the world and the church at this time.
hellow yellow- support young mindsWe would like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part on Friday 9th October, we have raised £321. 74 for the charity, Young Minds.
In school we have been thinking about how we can look after our mental health and look out for others too. Well done to Lexi in Y9 for making yellow scrunchies and raising £15 
This week's theme is belonging
Happy feast of st therese of lisieuxToday we celebrate the Feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux, sometimes referred to simply as ‘The Little Flower’. She made an active decision not just to love the people around her, but to convey it day after day through simple acts of kindness.
We are encouraging the staff and children to perform acts of kindness around school, at home and in the world. Children are able to write kind words or thank you notes to individuals, their class or the whole school on slips of paper ..❤️ #bekind 
This week's theme is inclusion
this week's theme is community
meet the new team..Chaplaincy form reps- September 2020
Our aim is to grow as a community of faith and encourage our form group to live out their faith. This week's theme is learning
CAFOD PRAYERWe continue to pray for all those who are struggling around the world due to Coronavirus. Grant us the courage not to rush back to our old ways, but to rebuild our world together, with equality and peace for all. 🙏🏾 CAFOD
BACK TO CHURCH-SUNDAY 13TH SEPTEMBERSt Peter’s Catholic Church welcomed parishioners back to Mass this morning for the first time since March.
. “As I have loved you,” said the Lord Jesus, “so you must love each other.” (Jn 13) . Fr Frank mentioned the remarkable acts of charity, of loving kindness, from the parishioners across The St Dominics community 
spanned and sunshine club-FRIDAY 11TH SEPTEMBERThank you to Fr Frank for delivering a session to our Year 11 Divinity class on Friday. Fr Frank talked about SPANNED and the Hinckley Sunshine club, looking at how the world treats people who are different.
this week's theme is welcome
A special thanks....Grateful Thanks to Andy Lewis and Raymond Friel. We will use your books throughout our School Year and will share your insights and prayers with others.
catholic life boot camp sessionsThank you to our students for their attentiveness in our Catholic Life presentations. We really enjoyed speaking to you about the glory and majesty of the night sky; the importance of the Mass; finding God in all things; our Mission Statement; our Dominican heritage; how Saint Martin de Porres can help us in our daily lives. Ten years on from Pope Emeritus Benedict XV1's Big Assembly we ask ourselves, 'What kind of person do I want to be?' How are we called to be 'Saints of the 21st Century?' Our Faith in Action at Saint Martin' s is truly inspiring where we live out the words of Mt 25; "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me".... From an overnight sleepout which raised over £4000 for the homeless, to collecting food for the Hinckley Food bank, to visiting the lovely residents at Saffron House we are called to be 'men and women' for others.
welcome year 7Welcome to all our new Year 7 students! They have started their day by gathering together with an assembly with Mr Wright.
This week's theme is decisions
mass with bishop patrick on Monday 6th julyA big thank you to Bishop Patrick and NDCYS and all those involved with celebrating a special Mass across our diocese. Well done to Paige and Imogen for taking part and reading the bidding prayers.
It was great to see all the smiling faces and having the oportunity to be one family in faith. 
this week's theme is wisdom
talking all things wise and wonderful with ndcys #wisdom
week 9- keeping in touchthis week's theme is understanding
staff liturgy- June 2020
This week's theme is knowledge
week 7- create your own prayer space at homeThis weeks Missionary Discipleship challenge is to create a prayer space within your home. This could also be done in school, perhaps you could add to your form faith board. Or perhaps, you could create something in school to take home and make a prayer space at home.
this week's theme is reverence
holy spirit walk with me this day..Bishop Patrick has invited us to pray this prayer every morning.
We pray that the Holy Spirit will guide us in our words and actions, just as the Holy Spirit guided the disciples many years ago. We are modern day disciples and it is our job to share the Good News today! You can print it off, colour it in, and place it somewhere in your home or you can create your own poster/artwork with the prayer yourself. 
THIS WEEK'S THEME IS PENTECOST
week 6- share a message of love and hope in a different languageThis weeks challenge is to follow in the footsteps of the Disciples after Pentecost, by sharing a message of love or hope with someone in a different language. Remember to send in a photo or video of you completing the challenge!
with love from us to youThis is a special message to all the wonderful staff at Saint Martin’s Catholic Academy. We are so thankful for your continued love and support during this difficult time. We all miss you very much.
silence is not the answerENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
We have a platform. We will use it. Silence is not the answer & until we educate one another we can not move forward. We can not and should not be ignoring the racial injustice within this world. If you don't understand it, talk about it. Educate yourself, your family, your friends as much as you possibly can. Watch. Read. Listen. Understand the racial divide. Recognise it. Use your voice. Use your platform. Things will not change until we do this. Make a change. We are one. Learn to do good, seek justice, correct oppression. Isaiah 30:17 
Prayer resourcesTen:Ten Resources have produced a series of prayers which you may like to use in school or at home.
Joyful June30 actions to help us look after ourselves and others.
Even in these difficult times there is always something good to celebrate, big or small. Whenever I am anxious or worried, you comfort me and make me glad. Psalm 94 
this week's theme is EXAMPLE
giving thanks for our nhs workersEvery Thursday night at 8pm we will be showing our appreciation for the NHS workers and all those on the front line. During these unprecedented times they need to know that we are grateful.
THIS WEEK'S THEME IS WITNESS
week 3- send a letter or drawing to your parish priest to cheer them upThe challenge this week, is to write a letter to, or draw a picture for, your parish priest or pastor and send it to them to cheer them up and show we are thinking about them.
this week's theme is VOCATION
THIS WEEK'S THEME IS MISSIONARY DISCIPLESHIP
week 2- send a message of hope and loveThe challenge is to send a message of hope or love to someone and encourage them to do the same. This could be a phone call, a text message or even a poster (or a set of posters stuck on the school gates/fence?!).
The year of the word- art competitionIn aid of “The Year of the Word- The God who Speaks”. We launched a Saint Martin’s scripture competition. Students could choose their favourite piece of scripture and decorate it in their own way.
This was a great opportunity for the students to deepen their understanding of scripture. All the art work was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed looking at them all individually. This week's theme is FAITH
week 1- dedicating food to a loved oneThe challenge this week is to make a favourite meal or bake a cake or even just a cup of tea for someone you miss right now and record a short video or a photo with a written message and send it to that person to brighten their day.
THIS WEEK'S THEME IS EVANGELISE
I am the light of the world....Our student's were invited to take a photograph that represents spring and the coming light and hope of Holy week. Thank you for sharing your photos.
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 
Prayer resources whilst at homeEach week there will be daily prayer resources for all student's to access on sharepoint. All prayer resources will follow the NDCYS theme. Also, head over to our CMAT Chaplaincy page- STA Chaplaincy Hub.
This week's theme is alleluia
Holy week with fr frankIt's Holy week and there are lots of opportunities for us to worship from the comfort of our own homes. Check out the St Dominics community and see Fr Frank's live stream schedule for this week.
A message from the staff at Saint Martin'sWe hope this makes you smile and brightens up your day. We are really looking forward to seeing you all soon, stay safe and look after each other. Love and prayers from the staff at Saint Martin's.
The full version video is in the Catholic Life Share Point folder. Palm SundayTomorrow is Palm Sunday! This day is the start of Holy Week and this day we remember Jesus entering into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. As Jesus made his arrival, crowds gathered with palm branches, shouting HOSANNA!!
Christians across the world are uniting this Palm Sunday by putting greenery or palms on their doors because for the first time we will not be able to celebrate this Feast in Church. Join us, find some greenery or make some palms for your windows and doors. Send us your pictures of the witness you are making!(email them to Lucy Chapman) #palmsunday #holyweek #witness this week's theme is passion
RainbowsA rainbow is God’s sign of His never ending love for us. We see rainbows a lot in the Old Testament of the Bible as a sign of God’s promise with his people.
Whenever I cover the sky with clouds and the rainbow appears, I will remember my promise to you and to all the animals that a flood will never again destroy all the living beings. Genesis 9:14 Currently the rainbow has become a symbol of hope during the coronavirus epidemic. So, I invite you to make your own rainbows, in whatever way you choose, be creative! We would love to see the rainbows you have created in your windows so please send a picture of them via email to Lucy or share them on Instagram and tag us. #Rainbow #Hope #Chaplaincy This week's theme is journey
we are loved #cymfed.Members of the Catholic Youth Ministry invited us all to join them in prayer on Thursday 2nd April at 7:00pm in praying for young people and an end to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Staff and students were asked to share their photo. 
This week's theme is almsgiving
Year 11 leavers' liturgyOh what an emotional day it was, as we officially said goodbye to our wonderful year 11 students. Not a dry eye in school (maybe this was tears of laughter as well as tears of sadness though). A big thank you to everyone involved and all who prepared the Leavers' Liturgy.
Please remember we are only ever just a phone call away if you ever need our support or guidance. We wish our students all the best in life and wish you well in your future college lives and in your work. You will be missed. The Big Sleep Out 2020Staff and students swapped their comfy bedrooms to sleep rough for the night to raise money for Lawrence House charity that helps homeless young people.
We started our evening with an opening liturgy led by the children. We were blessed to be joined by Bishop Patrick who stayed and chatted with the staff and children. Bishop Patrick delivered the final blessing. The pupils had an opportunity to reflect on the Good Samaritan scripture reading and how they can show kindness and compassion to others. Louise, the manager from Lawrence house joined us and delivered a short talk on the history of Lawrence house and how they support young people. The 54 youngsters and 5 staff put themselves in the shoes of the homeless, with just coats, sleeping bags and cardboard boxes to brave the elements overnight, away from modern creature comfort. We raised an incredible amount ….£4,666.95 
Lenten frugal lunches 2020As part of our service to the local community we supported St Peter's Catholic Church with their lenten frugal lunches. The children were described as *5 waiters and waitresses.
confirmation welcome massOn Friday 28th February, a large group of our young people made an important commitment; they are preparing for the sacrament of Confirmation.
Alton Castle Residential retreatOn Wednesday 26th-Friday 28th February 2020, 33 pupils and 4 staff took part in a residential retreat at Alton Castle in Staffordshire. The centre offers the children the opportunity of taking part in some really exciting outdoor activities whilst considering their spiritual impact too.
Our theme for the retreat was 'Our calling?', and each fun activity gave the children a chance to reflect on the theme. The children took time to consider what they had achieved so far in their lives and reflected positively on where their life journey was going to take them. The friendly staff led the children in night time activities after dinner which ranged from fun team games to meditations. Over the next two days, the children had the opportunity to take part in three activities each. Mountain Biking, Trekking, Survival, and Archery Each night, the children took part in night prayer; rooms were set to be peaceful and calm, with candles burning and quiet music playing. All the children were involved and eager to take part praying for their own families, friends and concerns. To end the trip we all took part in a beautiful Mass which we had learnt new hymns for. The Mass was the culmination of a wonderful few days where everyone involved had been touched, in some way, by the events which took place at the castle. Our trip was a real success, and we are now putting our improved team work skills to use in school. ash wednesday liturgiesAs a school community, we witnessed the beginning of the Lenten season by celebrating Ash Wednesday. It was a thought provoking and uplifting experience. The ashes were blessed by Fr Frank before the Eucharistic ministers distributed them to students and staff.
Pupil led Act of worshipWell done to 8G for leading and preparing today's AOW. This week's theme is Care.
Year 7 class masses 20207V and 7E have celebrated their class Mass. Thank you to everyone who helped to plan, prepare and evaluate.
"During the Mass I felt God's presence in the chapel and it was a beautiful celebration. It really made me feel closer to God" Connor. St thomas aquinas feast day- cmat event.On Tuesday 28th January 2020, we attended our annual Catholic Multi Academy Trust (CMAT) event to celebrate our Feast Day. The event took place at the Ramgarhia Community Centre.
The Key note speaker on the day was Christine Allen, the Director of Cafod. She shared with us Cafod’s latest focus on the Amazon rain-forest and what we can do to combat the huge amounts of deforestation. As part of all of this, each school was presented with a small tree at the end of Mass, which was blessed by Bishop Patrick. HINCKLEY FOOD BANK-advent 2019 appealToday, a small group of The Divinity Team delivered food donated by the whole school to Hinckley food bank. Jim, a volunteer gave the students that helped drop off the food an educated talk about how some people have to make the difficult decision of choosing between “heating and eating”. They learnt that over the past few years, the demand for food banks has increased as rent has increased but salaries have stayed the same; in the UK, there are now more food banks than there are McDonald’s.
As a whole, it was a very rewarding and eye-opening experience to help those in need and we are proud to see that our students have demonstrated one of our core values of kindness by helping those in need within our local community Next year, we hope to donate even more food and with that we need your help. Christmas Mass- 19th decemberToday Fr Anthony, Fr Simon, Fr Frank and Fr Isaac joined us to celebrate the end of Autumn Term. The Three Masses were beautifully led by so many children. A big thank you to everyone who took part.
supporting our local food bank during advent 2019Following a recent donation from the school, children from The Divinity Team visited the local supermarket to source products for Hinckley Food Bank. What a great way to put our Faith in to Action.
Hinckley across groupFor the four Sundays of Advent this year, Chris, Hinckley ACROSS Group's chef, with the support of his team of volunteer helpers, including students from St. Martin's Catholic Academy, has been cooking four course lunches in aid of Hinckley ACROSS Group.
People pay £20.00 per head for a delicious home-cooked, four course meal that includes canapes and mulled wine, starters, roast turkey main meal, sweet, mince pies and tea/coffee. The money raised from this venture supports paying for people with disabilities, who cannot travel via plane, to visit Lourdes, France, on pilgrimage. The cost of a week's pilgrimage, including full board in a three star hotel, transport on a jumbulance, and excursions while in Lourdes, costs around £850.00 per person. Needless to say, this is beyond the reach of some people, so Hinckley ACROSS Group, led by Ian Coe, does a lot of fundraising during the year to support the venture, helping subsidise people's costs, where needed. Last year, for the first time, Chris's idea of the Advent lunches was 'born'! This particular fundraising effort raised a staggering £1,200.00 and some Advent lunch attendees decided, as well as paying their £20.00 a head for the lunch, to sponsor an individual to travel to Lourdes! People's generosity is amazing! This year, Ian had the idea of inviting students from St. Martin's to volunteer their help as waiters and waitresses! Everyone attending the meals so far have commented on the politeness of St. Martin's students and their capabilities as waiting on staff! Well done to all of the team and good luck for the final Sunday this weekend! The Year of the wordAll of Year 7 have now received their copy of Matthew’s Gospel, this is to Mark ‘The Year of the Word’. The bibles are a gift from the Nottingham Diocesan Education Service. A big thanks to the Nottingham Diocesan Catholic Youth Service (NDCYS) team, for delivering them to Saint Martin’s.
Year 7 advent prayer stationsThe theme of the first week in Advent is Hope. It's about looking to the future and reflecting on what we want for our lives and around the world. Year 7 have prepared this week by taking part in reflective prayer stations.
Saffron HouseWe brought Christmas joy to Saffron House this week
The canaan trustKevin from The Canaan Trust visited Saint Martin's. We enjoyed hearing about the charity's work and they help support homelessness in our wider community.
red wednesday-27th NovemberToday our School Community took part in Red Wednesday, an annual event organised by Aid to the Church in Need to raise awareness of those persecuted for their Faith especially Christians.
Jesse, Gaby, Millie, Gabriel, Connor from Year 8 led a beautiful liturgy in the Chapel at 8.30am this morning reflecting on Scripture, Prayer as well as highlighting examples such as Rasha Drazy and her family. This theme was reflected in tutor prayers for today as well as the Collective Act of Worship that took place in assembly. By the statue of Mary, red roses were placed to remember all those who have been persecuted for their Faith. Our students in Divinity, wrote in red pen for their lesson and explored ‘What is Aid to the Church in Need?’ as well as focusing on stories of those persecuted for their faith. the year of the word-bible tourWelcome Naomi to Saint Martin's. Naomi joined us yesterday from The Briars team, delivering a Matthew's Gospel for every year 7 pupil.
National Youth Funday #NDCYSWe are all called to be 'Significant'. Today we celebrated National Youth Sunday.
Extraordinary ministers of holy COMMUNION -Saturday 16th November 2019Congratulations to our Year 11 students Holly, Hannah and Ryan who have now been commissioned as Eucharistic Ministers at St Barnabas, Cathedral Nottingham. They will now be able to assist with the distribution of Holy Communion during school/parish Masses. What a beautiful celebration this morning.... Ryan and Holly have written this report: On the morning of Saturday 16th November 2019, we were privileged to attend a commissioning Mass to confirm our roles as Eucharistic ministers. In the Mass we signed a declaration of the responsibilities we hold as Eucharistic ministers. It has been a great opportunity for us all to become more involved in our school and parish. We all look forward to helping and serving at future masses. We now feel confident and prepared to fulfil our role.
The Briars Retreat-Year 7On 4th November a collection of our year 7 children began their three-day retreat at the Briars Catholic retreat centre in the Archdiocese of Nottingham. The retreat began with team introductions and room allocations, we then began to look into the love God has for us, and the love we should have for ourselves. The next day we delved deeper into the themes of the retreat, as well as going for a walk and celebrating mass together. In the evening the Briars team hosted a disco, which our pupils really enjoyed. We had a wonderful time.
All saints' dayThe Solemnity of All Saints was celebrated by the whole school, on Friday 1st November 2019. We celebrated with a liturgy of the Word and two Masses.
Saints were people just like us. They felt hungry, tired, angry, and disappointed sometimes, just as we do. But the saints did difficult things even when they didn’t want to because they loved God. pupil led act of worship- 'saints'As a Catholic school collective worship plays a fundamental part of daily school life and enables us all to join together as one in prayer and worship. Each week, different children in each form group prepare and lead their Act of Worship.
Remembrance prayer treeNovember is a month of remembrance for all who have died and we are encouraged to pray for them. Throughout November a remembrance tree will be on display in reception. We would like to fill our tree full of people our school is praying for.
singing at saffron House-wednesday 23rd octoberA group of children from our school choir had a delightful afternoon at Saffron House Care Home today. The residents and the children had a fantastic time chatting and singing. We had the pleasure to sing Happy Birthday to two residents.
CAFOD BRIGHTEN UP day- Friday 11TH OCTOBERThank you everyone for your wonderful generosity as we brightened up the world this harvest. We raised £824.52 by being bright and beautiful. A big thank you to Tricia Henderson from CAFOD who delivered assemblies to all year groups .
faith in action-cymfedFaith in Action (The CYMFed National Catholic Award Scheme). The Faith in Action scheme helps identify and celebrate what is really important and to formally achieve recognition for the many different ways the children contribute positively to the community and the catholic life of the school. Pupils will be encouraged to take ownership of projects and develop them according to their own talents and interests. Meet this years team.
MACMILLAN CAKE SALE-FRIDAY 27TH SEPTEMBERA total of £777.15 was raised for Macmillan Cancer research with our bake sale today. We'd like to give a big thank you to everyone who baked or purchased cakes and donated them to the school.
NEW EUCHARISTIC MINISTERSCongratulations to Holly, Hannah and Ryan who completed their formation and training in order to be commissioned as ministers of Holy Communion. #NDCYS
Year 7 welcome Mass- SEPTEMBER 2019Today Fr Frank celebrated Mass with Year 7 students and staff in our first opportunity to all gather together. This was the perfect way for the students to begin their journey here at St Martin's. The students and staff prayed and sang with great enthusiasm creating a prayerful and celebratory atmosphere.
Vocation DayVocare is the Latin word for 'to call'- and as a Catholic school we believe the biggest calling we hear is from God. We are called to be holy, called to follow God in our lives, called to use our gifts at work. A big thank you to all our visitors who joined us for our Year 8 retreat day. #VocationsDay 2019
SAffron house visitOn Wednesday 12th June we visited Saffron House. The session consisted of a little exercise class (throwing and catching the ball) and some quality one on one talking and sharing stories. Another heart warming visit.
Year 8 planning their liturgyYear 8 are preparing their Vocation Day Liturgy, using the Diocesan liturgy planning sheets. See, Think, Hear, Do..
prayer time in the chapelEvery form group from Year 7-10 will visit our beautiful chapel over the few weeks. All form groups will have the opportunity to reflect and pray. Some images from Year 7 - our theme was 'community'
CAFOD- Step into the gap
On Thursday 23rd May 2019, we invited in Niamh from NDCYS. Niamh is spending her year volunteering at The Briars Youth Retreat Centre with CAFOD’s ‘Step Into The Gap’ programme, working with young people and encouraging them to get involved with CAFOD.
Niamh joined us here for the day, leading sessions outside in the beautiful sunshine. It was a fantastic opportunity to think about ways we could encourage other young people to support CAFOD. I think this has helped inspire us as a school community to raise even more money for CAFOD! It was a brilliant day spending time thinking about our responsibility and our power in the world in a fun and interactive way. Year 11 leavers liturgy
Lenten almsgiving
A big thank you to everyone who donated food items for Hinckley Food Bank. We donated 205.5kg which was worth £359.62. #LentenCharity
big sleep out newspaper article-Hinckley times
community and outreach
Another heart warming visit to Saffron House. Bringing old and young together.
SG10 TEAM
SG10 prepared and led the Act of Worship for lower school. #PositiveThinking #RandomActsOfKindness
Lent Prayer stations 2019
During Lent we have had an opportunity to pray, reflect and prepare for Easter. Some images from our Lenten prayer stations.
Stations of the cross-st peter's church
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CMAT Launch- MONDAY 28TH JANUARY 2019
Members of our Divinity Team had a fantastic day at Morningsdale Arena, as we celebrated the official launch of our new St Thomas Aquinas CMAT.
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JOINT MASS WITH sT PETER'S HINCKLEY AND ST PETER'S EARL SHILTON-SUNDAY 27TH JANUARY 2019
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cafod world gifts
As a result of our Christmas fundraising, we raised over £300 for CAFOD World Gifts! World Gifts is CAFOD’S alternative charity gifts that transform lives. Each form group from Year 7-11 took part in raising money for CAFOD.
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End of Term Christmas Masses
Advent Food Bank Donations
Advent Lituries
During Advent we reflect on the coming of Christ into the world and prepare for the Christmas season. These are some images from our Advent Liturgies...
Advent 2018
Saffron House
Pupils on our weekly visit to Saffron House in Barwell. Having a lovely afternoon getting creative with the residents.#WorkingWithTheCommunity #CatholicLife #PreparingForAdvent
Advent 2018 & Encounter
What is meant by Encounter?
As Bishop Patrick reminded us in his recent Pastoral Letter, it is about a change of heart
and minds, of having personally encountered Christ and responded to his call in our lives. It is an invitation for each of us to encounter afresh, or even for the first time, the personal love that God has for each of us, to respond and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ and to become faith-filled, joyful and outward-looking missionary disciples through an
openness to the Holy Spirit. Beginning with ‘Encounter’, Bishop Patrick hopes that this ‘Advent and Christmas will be a time, when we all encounter afresh the amazing love of God our Father in sending us his Son and ponder again on Mary’s openness to receiving that love’. (Pastoral Letter, November 2018).
The Gospels are full of occasions of Encounter. Jesus meets people with love. In various
ways, he meets people who are in need of him; in him, they find the love of God made man. Jesus suddenly and dramatically breaks through their situations and they are changed by this meeting, he not only offers his friendship and love, he desires their friendship and love. They are met with a choice: to follow him or to return to the life they had before. Encounters with Jesus lead to becoming a disciple, an intentional follower of Jesus, who is seeking to grow in holiness and likeness of him.
As Bishop Patrick reminded us in his recent Pastoral Letter, it is about a change of heart
and minds, of having personally encountered Christ and responded to his call in our lives. It is an invitation for each of us to encounter afresh, or even for the first time, the personal love that God has for each of us, to respond and grow as disciples of Jesus Christ and to become faith-filled, joyful and outward-looking missionary disciples through an
openness to the Holy Spirit. Beginning with ‘Encounter’, Bishop Patrick hopes that this ‘Advent and Christmas will be a time, when we all encounter afresh the amazing love of God our Father in sending us his Son and ponder again on Mary’s openness to receiving that love’. (Pastoral Letter, November 2018).
The Gospels are full of occasions of Encounter. Jesus meets people with love. In various
ways, he meets people who are in need of him; in him, they find the love of God made man. Jesus suddenly and dramatically breaks through their situations and they are changed by this meeting, he not only offers his friendship and love, he desires their friendship and love. They are met with a choice: to follow him or to return to the life they had before. Encounters with Jesus lead to becoming a disciple, an intentional follower of Jesus, who is seeking to grow in holiness and likeness of him.
The Divinity Team
The Saint Martin's Divinity Team, discussing CAFOD world gifts and The Food bank in preparation for our Advent charities.
The Year 10 Rome Pilgrimage 2018
In November 2018 we have our annual Year 10 Pilgrimage to Rome where we visited great works of Christian Art, had an audience with the Pope, visited the main Basilicas of Rome, has Mass at the English College and much more.
Mass for the commissioning of Eucharistic Ministers
MASS FOR THE COMMISSIONING OF EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS AT SAINT MARTIN'S (WITH SOME NICE PHOTOS OF ST BARNABAS CATHEDRAL IN NOTTINGHAM) with three of our Year 11 Students.
The year 7 Briars Retreat 2018
70 of our Year 7 pupils went on the annual retreat to the Briars Residential retreat Centre in Derbyshire. Here are some photos from the week.....
All Saint's Mass
All Saints' Day is a solemn holy day of the Catholic Church celebrated annually on November 1. The day is dedicated to the saints of the Church.
Hymn Practice - LEARNING some new songs for masses this year
The Group with no name!!!!
The group with no name will eventually have a name! However, at the moment this group looks at the Catholic life of the school, planning what we would like to do as a community to develop the spiritual and moral life of the school (PS Now called the Divinity Group)
Welcome to Lucy Chapman
We are delighted to have appointed Lucy Chapman as our new school Lay Chaplain. Most secondary schools have a lay Chaplain to support the Catholic life of the school and support the work of the Priest Chaplain. Lucy worked has a lay Chaplain in Birmingham for 16 years and has happily now moved to Earl Shilton so we have managed to recruit her to Saint Martin's. Lucy also worked at Alton Castle, the Birmingham Diocesan Catholic Youth Retreat Center for a year.
MacMillan Coffee Morning
Thank you to everyone who supported our Macmillan Coffee Morning, especially Mrs Orton who came in to organised the event and all the pupil helpers.
The blessing of our new school Chapel
To mark this anniversary, we will be having various events and other things to mark the occasion. One of the first is the creation of our new school chapel which was be opened by the Bishop on September 21st 2018.
The Year 7 Mass of Welcome
Well done to all our new Year 7 pupils who were so superb on their first day at Saint Martin's
Eucharist Ministers
Will Wright, our Head Boy and Head Girl, Kay-Leigh Pereira and two other Year 11 Students Tallia Jamelynec and Oliver Morgan attended the Adoremus National Eucharistic Congress and Pilgrimage in Liverpool and they have all been commissioned as Eucharistic Ministers.
The creation of our new school chapel
As part of our celebrations to mark the 70th Year of St Martin's school, we have created a new school Chapel. These are some photos showing the transformation from Mr Dixon's RE class to the Chapel. The Bishop of Nottingham will be coming to consecrate it in September.
