St Bernard's High School

Start of Year Masses

All students have a start of year Mass which takes place at St Helen’s Church. The entire House attends these Masses, which are celebrated by a number of Diocesan priests and those from St. Helen’s Church. On occasion we are joined by Parishioners, which is always a good experience for our students to see and meet Parishioners from St Helen’s.

Form Masses

Every week on Tuesday at 2 pm Form Masses take place in our School Chapel. These Masses are planned by the Liturgy Prefect for that Form in conjunction with the Form Tutor and the Chaplain.

House Masses

In January, St Bernard’s celebrates their House Masses, which are held in St Helen’s Church. These Masses are organised in conjunction with the Reading, Altar Serving and Youth Ministry, and are celebrated mainly by the priests at St Helen’s Church.

Charities

As a school, charity work is very important us. Throughout the year, forms will raise money for their chosen charities and will fill in an events form for any activities they wish to do to raise money. There are too many to list but they include: Great Ormond Street Hospital, Charities to aid dementia patients, Marie Curie and Church In Need. There is also whole school charity fund raising, which takes place at certain times in the year. Charities for which money and donations of food and goods are raised include:

CAFOD
SVP
Harp
Women’s Refuge

Liturgical/Spiritual calendar

CAFOD Family Fast Day: Friday, 4th October soup and a roll lunch

Harvest Festival Mass: Year 7 and families -Thursday 10th October at 6pm

Holy Days of Obligation: All Holy Days of Obligation, which fall during term time, are celebrated at St Bernard’s in whole School Masses

Rosary in the Chapel: 8:30 am in the Chapel during the month of October – led by the Chaplain and/or Sixth Form Head Student Team

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: 22nd November 2024, 7th February 2025, 23rd May 2025

Advent Services at lunchtime:

Friday 29th November 2024
Friday 6th December 2024
Friday 13th December 2024

OTHER EVENTS:

Monday 9th December Feast of the Immaculate Conception: Voluntary Mass for Staff & Students

Ash Wednesday Services: Wednesday 5th March – Whole School

Stations of the Cross: every Friday in Lent

Services of Reconciliation in the Chapel throughout Lent during registration led by House Liturgy Prefects and other Sixth Formers

Individual Confessions are offered during Advent and Lent

Thursday, 3rd April 2025 - Passion Masses

Retreats

Year 7, Year 9 and Sixth Form House Liturgy Prefects for 2024-2025 academic year.

St Vincent de Paul Society

St Vincent's Centre, Southend is a community centre, part of the St Vincent de Paul Society of England and Wales, which provides local support for vulnerable families and individuals. St Vincent de Paul Society is in 153 countries where they seek to ensure that the needs of local people in poverty are met. They emphasise supporting the most vulnerable, particularly the homeless, those who are vulnerably housed or ‘sofa-surfing’. Their support is also extended to elderly people and those who are isolated, living in poverty, or who just need additional support. This is achieved by providing packages of food, clothing, and household items. For the poor with medical concerns, the Society also has medical checks and counselling available.

The Young Vincentians of St Bernard’s High School work closely with the St Vincent Centre in Southend. They have undertaken food and clothing drives; attended functions that support the isolated elderly; have volunteered at the Centre to receive public donations and have become involved in a myriad of tasks to facilitate the smooth running of the Centre. In addition, some students have raised funds for the Ukrainian people by participating in a car wash, and worked energetically with our allotments where food is grown for the market to help local people in need.

Catholic Life