Eighth Weekend
Eighth Weekend
Sunday 10 December 2017
On the 8th of December the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is celebrated around the world. The Catholic Church honours Mary being born pure and without sin, so that she is worthy to be the Mother of Jesus; of God.
Every year on the Sunday closest to the 8th we mark the Feast Day with a whole School Mass, inviting parents and governors to join us for this special event.
This year Father Leo from St Dunstan’s Church in Southborough celebrated with us. He spoke about Advent and Christmas being a time of renewal, of starting a fresh, and being open to God’s love and forgiveness for us. We were also treated to a beautiful rendition of Anton Bruckner’s Locus Iste (This Place) by our Schola Cantorum during Communion. This lead us smoothly into the climax of the Mass; the Candlelight Procession.
Beechwood Sacred Heart School is the only School in Britain, and one of the few in the world, still celebrating this important Feast Day with a Candle Lit Procession. The whole school walk with candles, and lilies for the younger pupils, out of the Auditorium, along Mater Corridor and through into Mater Square where we collect a picture of Mater Admirabilis which is displayed in all Sacred Heart Network schools around the world. We sing The Immaculata Litany, where all of Mary’s beautiful qualities and titles are listed in Latin. While we only sing it once a year our pupils consider it our School song and proceed to sing it on trips and sports tours when the mood takes them.
8th Weekend Mass is the highlight of the Autumn Term and reminds us that we are nearly at Christmas. It is also the event that our pupils are always most excited about, with many Alumni returning each year to take part. It is always a beautiful, and highly anticipated service, maybe you could join us next year?
Miss V Gillespie – Lay Chaplain
