Lent is the period of 40 days before Easter in the Christian calendar; it is a time of reflection as we prepare to remember the passion and death of Jesus and his glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday.  Our observance of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.

The Prayer Mini Vinnies provided a reverent, moving and thought-provoking experience through the Stations of the Cross over the last four Fridays before school during Lent. The sessions were so well attended by pupils, parents, staff and parishioners from the St Barnabas Cluster.

We also led an online Stations of the Cross with the MK Catholic Schools which was very well received.

As a school, we are carrying out 40 Acts of Generosity throughout the 40 days of Lent. There will be one child from each class carrying out an act of generosity each day. These acts can be carried out in school or at home. Please ask your child about this activity and support them if they have selected one of the acts to carry out at home.

International Evening

Share and Celebrate Your Cultural Heritage  

We had a fabulous International Evening on Tuesday. Thank you to all who came along and shared their delicious traditional dishes. It was a true feast and a wonderful opportunity to come together to celebrate and appreciate the rich and vibrant cultural heritages of our school community.

We were honoured that St Bernadette’s were invited to take part in the Children’s Remembrance Day parade and service at the Woughton War Memorial. Our children were so respectful and reverent throughout the service and they were delighted when they were asked to lay some wreaths at the memorial. They also enjoyed meeting the Sheriff of Buckingham!

The rest of the school gathered on the school playground to respectfully observe two minutes of silence.

 

St Bernadette’s Pilgrimage of Hope

        

In October, our whole school community took part in a Pilgrimage of Hope around St Bernadette’s. We completed a Chain of Hope followed by a visit to the Prayer Garden where we joined our chain to the chains from other classes. We then carried out a decade of the Rosary around the school field and playground. Luckily, the weather was kind to us! We were very lucky to have students from St Paul’s to lead us in a Prayer Space where we heard about the Good Samaritan and thought about ways of loving our neighbours. Finally, in the chapel, we experienced a Prayer Space, ‘Fear Not’ where we thought about things that made us fearful or worried and reflected on how our Lord will calm our ‘storms’. This was a very reflective journey and made us think about how we can be better Pilgrims of Hope and how we can support others in our local and global community. Special thanks to our Prayer Mini Vinnies who helped lead the Rosary sessions.

 

Advent

Advent commences on Sunday 30^th November and we will join together for a special service on Monday 1^st  December. It will be led by our Prayer Mini Vinnies, who will explain the symbolism of the different parts of the Advent wreath which we will construct during the service. We will light a new candle each week as we prepare ourselves for Christmas.

CAFOD provides the opportunity to sign up for daily reflections straight into your in-box during Advent. You can find out more here:  https://cafod.org.uk/pray/advent-calendar

Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee Mass

 

Thank you to all the children and families who attended the special celebration Mass last Saturday at St Paul’s School. It really was a joyous occasion, bringing parishioners together from all across our Deanery. Our children who attended looked very smart in their uniforms and those who read and sang in the Diocesan choir represented the school and their families so beautifully. Many thanks to all members of our school community who attended this special event. You can read more about the Mass in an article on the Diocesan website: https://northamptondiocese.org/latest-news/pastoral-area-jubilee-mass-a-joyful-celebration-of-faith-and-community/

November is the month when we particularly remember our lost loved ones. On return from the half term holidays, we will have a Remembrance Book outside our school chapel where we add the names of anyone from our school community and extended families who we wish to be remembered in our prayers.

Please do let the school office know (office@stbernadettesschool.com ) of any names you would like to be added to the special book.

October Rosary Prayer Group It has been lovely to welcome families to our early morning Friday Rosary Prayer Group at 8:10am in the school chapel. Friday 24th October will be the final chance – please do consider joining us between now and then. We have plenty of sets of rosary beads available for your use.

    

First Reconciliation and First Communion 2026

In our cluster of parishes (Christ the King, Our Lady of Lourdes, St Bede’s, St Edward’s and St Mary’s), preparation for Reconciliation and Communion will begin after half term. The programme is for children in Year 3 and upwards. This year parents are to come to the Open House on any Monday in October to register their child. Open House takes place at Christ the King Church, Frithwood Crescent, Kents Hill, MK7 6HQ, each Monday between 5.30pm and 7pm. Please come on any Monday evening during October, to register. The programme will begin with a meeting for parents on Monday 3rd November.

 

 

Celebrating Our Catholic Schools

Thank you so very much to the many families, staff members and governors who supported the special Mass on 5th November at Christ the King church in celebration of our Catholic Schools. We were quite overwhelmed by the level of support and received such nice feedback from parishioners. It was lovely to see so many children present, all smartly dressed in their uniforms. They read and sang beautifully and were a real credit to their families and to our school. Your support with events such as this is greatly appreciated.