Care of Creation – Mass of Welcome
On Monday 6th October we were delighted to welcome students, parents, staff, governors, and our Dominican Sisters to the Welcome Mass, the opening Mass of the new academic year. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop James Curry, who led us in a beautiful and inspiring act of worship centred on the theme of Care for Creation.
In his moving homily, Bishop James reminded us of our shared responsibility to care for our common home, Mother Earth. He spoke of our students as the hope for the future, encouraging us all to live good and faithful lives so that we may help make the world a better place. He reflected, too, on those most affected by the challenges of our time, the poor, the disadvantaged, and especially women and children, who so often bear the heaviest burdens of both climate change and ongoing conflicts around the world. His words invited us to respond with compassion, courage, and a renewed sense of purpose.
Bishop James also reminded us that St Dominic’s is a place where dreams are made, a place where young people can grow in wisdom and grace, becoming fully rounded individuals ready to make a positive difference in the world.
We are truly fortunate at St Dominic’s to be surrounded by beautiful gardens and the richness of nature. As part of our celebration, we created harvest boxes filled with the fruits of our allotments, including an enormous marrow and several butternut squashes grown by Dominic Kelly, who takes care of our grounds. These offerings were a joyful reminder of the abundance of God’s creation and of our duty to nurture and protect it.
We would like to extend our thanks to all who participated, our readers and servers, and especially our choir led by Abigail, for giving their time and talents to make this celebration such a fitting and faith-filled start to the year.
Clare Castell | Chaplain
