Chaplaincy

The chaplaincy team is headed by a full-time lay chaplain, Ed Pike.  He works closely with Father Michael Beattie SJ, our resident priest, and with the other teaching staff who are on the Chaplaincy team. They all meet regularly to plan a variety of events, including frequent eucharistic celebrations, other more seasonal acts of worship, assemblies, retreats and fund-raising activities. The chaplain and Father Beattie are available to any pupil or member of staff and try to get to know every student by playing an active part in day to day college life. The chaplaincy team also prepare those who want to receive the sacraments of initiation - baptism, confirmation, and holy communion.

The Memorial Chapel can seat the whole school community, but for smaller gatherings there is the more intimate Sodality Chapel. The retreat programme embraces several kinds of retreats: the first year have an induction retreat shortly after they arrive in September; the confirmation class have a special retreat immediately before they are confirmed, and there are retreats for each year group during Lent. All these are one-day "in house" retreats. For the senior pupils there is the possibility of attending a more adult style of retreat - a three day residential retreat away from the busy school environment.

Services

Part of our spiritual development is through service to others.  Many pupils are involved: a group goes regularly to the "Derby Tuesday Club". They go to help, but they probably gain more than they give. We send a group to Lourdes with the diocesan pilgrimage - for all, a deeply moving experience. The Sixth Form are involved in a programme of community service, the Arrupe programme. In fact, everything is done to encourage our pupils to realise the aim set out in our Mission Statement, to be "men and women for others." One aspect of this ideal of service is to raise money for a variety of charities. Apart from the more traditional "family fast days", "casuals days", and collections, there are all sorts of sponsored events - usually initiated by the pupils themselves - and often quite exotic! All members of staff are expected to try and realise the aspirations embodied in the Mount Mission Statement, through their class teaching and through the myriad activities they run. The Statement is frequently referred to in Assemblies and homilies, and our performance vis-à-vis the Statement, is regularly reviewed. 

Rudiments Retreat February 2009

30 members of Rudiments (Year 9) chose to go on the retreat that took place over the first weekend of the Spring Half-term. Emma Bentley in 9CLA volunteered to write on the experience:  It was an emotional weekend for everyone with lots of fun and laughter yet enough tears to fill a swimming pool.  At the Briars, we were all split up into small groups, which weren't our usual friendship groups, and for that reason it's probably why the Briars was such a success.  We also did different activities together throughout the day, along with Mass.  I think everyone can now say that the Briars was even better than expected: we all learnt a lot of things about ourselves and other people.  The aftermath of the Briars was that people made new friends, everyone takes into account other people, and Y9 is now even happier.  We would all like to thank Mr McKell and Mr Pike for the opportunity.  It taught all of us a lot about each other, we made new friends and got to know the ones we have and even for some, made us better people and gave us different views about situations.