The Year of the Jubilee

In 2025, the Church is celebrating a Jubilee Year. A Jubilee year happens every quarter century and is a ‘Holy Year’ and a time of renewal and a deepening of our relationship with God.

The theme for this year is Pilgrims of Hope. Pope Francis has invited Catholics to renew our hope and discover a vision that can "restore access to the fruits of the earth to everyone". We are also invited to rediscover a spirituality of God's creation in which we understand ourselves as "pilgrims on the earth" rather than masters of the world. 

How are we at St Bernard's are celebrating the Jubilee Year?

The Jubilee Year began on 24th December 2024, when Pope Francis opened the Jubilee Year for the Global Church Family. A month later, on 24th January 2025, communities gathered once again for the Jubilee Launch Day, marking the official start of local celebrations and reflections of hope. The spirit of service and compassion continued on 2nd May 2025, when people took action for their local communities, delivering flowers to neighbours and residents in local care homes as a heartfelt sign of hope. We followed with a Pledge of Hope on the 4th June and we will have our final celebration day on the 21st November with 'I Sing Pop' which will be held at our Holy Family Church.  

Light of Hope - Saving the best for last!

We are delighted to share the exciting news of a very special whole-school project that beautifully reflects our school’s ethos and our focus on the Year of Hope. As part of the Headteacher’s Challenge, children were invited to write lyrics for a brand-new school song of hope. We were thrilled to receive entries from nearly half the school, a true testament to our children's creativity and enthusiasm.

The winning lyrics, written by Tasshvi (Year 4), were set to music by our music specialist, Dr Bunce. The resulting song, Light of Hope, became the focus of an incredible journey in music lessons this term. The project culminated in a full-school recording and the production of a powerful and uplifting music video.

We are so proud of the children and all they have achieved, and we are excited to share the finished video with our school community: