Catholic Life and Chaplaincy at Bellerive
Our Chaplaincy is rooted in the tradition and Ignatian spirituality of the FCJ Sisters and our school community continues the work started by Marie Madeleine. The FCJ Values of Excellence, Justice, Dignity, Hope, Companionship and Gentleness are at the heart of all we do.
Students start each day with collective worship in form time and there is afternoon prayer. There are many opportunities for fundraising throughout the school year. Special feast days and occasions are a cause for celebration and involve the whole school. We have excellent partnerships with our local parishes and embrace working collaboratively with our local churches.
All students are welcome to take part in Chaplaincy activities. FCJ Group and Faith in Action are two of our current chaplaincy groups. Students should see Mrs Henry if they are interested in joining any of these groups.
It is important that young people have the opportunity to take responsibility for their faith, therefore we offer activities out of school for pupils to engage with the Church and wider Catholic Community.
The Chapel
The Chapel is a beautiful sacred space in our school that offers the whole community a place of prayer.
The Blessed Sacrament is reserved in the chapel, making it a very special place in our school. Small Masses are celebrated here and it is an inclusive place at lunch times for pupils looking for quiet or who wish to pray and is a place of companionship.
We have worked with staff and students to produce a Bellerive Prayer Book, a repository of traditional prayers and acts of worship for use in school. A copy can be accessed at the bottom of the page.
In 2023, Bellerive became the first secondary school in the Archdiocese to be awarded CAFOD’s Live Simply Award, recognising the efforts of our staff and students to live sustainably and in solidarity with the poor around the world.
The school community demonstrated its commitment to a number of actions, including supporting FCJ projects in the Philippines and work with refugees and asylum seekers here in Liverpool. Inspired by Laudato Si, the school has long had a commitment to reducing excess waste, including encouraging staff to bring their own mugs to meetings and ensuring that takeaway boxes from the school canteen are compostable. The work we do in school reflects the 2019 Chapter Calls of the FCJ Society to ‘Care for our Common Home’; “We want to help each other to reflect constantly on how our lifestyle decisions, small or large, affect the earth and the poorest peoples of the Earth.”
Siobhan Farnell, CAFOD Live Simply Schools Coordinator, was delighted to confirm that Bellerive FCJ Catholic College has achieved the Award, saying “The pupils and staff have thoroughly embraced living simply, sustainably and in solidarity with the world’s poorest communities. Their actions have been truly inspiring and will make a real difference to the lives of others in their school, local community, and our global neighbours. Congratulations to the school on gaining the Live Simply Award”.
Useful links
https://www.liverpoolcatholic.org.uk
https://www.ignatianspirituality.com
https://www.catholiccentral.com
Below you will see a copy of the latest Catholic Life of the school newsletter which outlines all the many things which happen at Bellerive to engage students with their faith and the world around them, together with a number of other documents that support our Catholic Life. Please click on the links below: