Chaplaincy

Jesuit schools are fortunate to be guided by a well-developed statement of the characteristic features which contribute to a recognizably Jesuit style of education:

The Characteristics of Jesuit Education, published in 1986, for worldwide use across all 2721 Jesuit schools, colleges and universities, sets out what a school needs to be and do if it is to be true to its Ignatian identity and fulfil its Jesuit mission. Our model of chaplaincy stems from this but has been specifically developed to meet the needs of students and staff at St Ignatius. There are eight key areas that we can identify:

1. Encounter with the person of Jesus Christ

2. Personal philosophy of life

3. Prayer

4. Worship

5. Social outreach

6. Leadership

7. Involvement in the life of the Church

8. Pastoral care

The College aims to assist each individual student in their spiritual development. The range of opportunities offered in the furtherance of this aim increases as students proceed through the school, as does the degree of choice.

“The spiritual quest is quite simply that of recognising the God who comes to meet us, and of having a free heart with which to respond to that meeting” - Archbishop Vincent Nichols

Social Outreach

The Chaplaincy and whole school are involved in a number of social outreach initiatives. The students join campaigns, raise awareness of and help to plan and run fundraisers throughout the year for local and international charities.

During Advent 2023 the student Faith in Action group chose two charities to support -

To support the Catholic Children's Society the Faith in Action group held a bake sale, a Christmas accessory day and had a retiring collection during our Advent Carol Service.

To encourage students to donate to the Foodbank form classes were given an Advent Giving Calendar containing a list of urgently need items.   

During the 2022-23 academic year each year group chose a charity to support:

Year 7: Jesuit Missions

Year 8: North London Hospice

Year 9: Nightingale Cancer Support Centre

Year 10: Jesuit Refugee Service UK

Year 11: Catholic Children's Society

Sixth Form: Cardinal Hume Centre and Women at the Well 

We also have regular collections supporting Enfield Foodbank for which we have our own drop off point.

In November, Year 7 students joined in Jesuit Missions COP 27 - Walk. Pray. Change campaign. The challenge was to walk a mile, pray for their partners in South Sudan and for a positive outcome to the COP 27. The miles walked were added to the grand total with the target being 3,677 miles, the distance between Glasgow and Sharm el Sheikh.

During Advent we joined with Exodus Youthworx and other local schools and organisations in the Love Christmas campaign - providing Christmas Hampers for families in the local community. 

 

Leadership

Students lead the daily Examen. Those who attend Wednesday prayer lead the Rosary and Stations of the Cross. During the liturgies throughout the year students take an active role in reading, serving and distributing Holy Communion as Eucharistic Ministers. Older students train and teach the younger members to Altar Serve. Students also lead assemblies.

Each year the College Captain and Vice Captains attend a Leadership Conference. The conference is run by the Jesuit Institute and is hosted by one of the Jesuit schools.  This provides the students with the opportunity to develop their leadership skills through a variety of mediums including, debating, critical thinking and preparing and delivering presentations.  It also gives them an opportunity to meet other Jesuit head boys and head girls, and to make new friends.

Our Fatih in Action group choses the charities we support, leads Acts of Worship to raiase awareness and fundraising.

In previous years, members of the Sixth Form have participated in the CAFOD Young Leadership programme which trains students to be CAFOD Ambassadors in school, leading assemblies and fundraising for their different campaigns.

 

Involvement in the life of the church

We have direct links with local parishes and the London Jesuit community, and priests from the local deanery and the Jesuit community reguarly visit the College. Every other year one of the monthly deanery meetings is held at the College.

Local and Jesuit priests offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Advent and Lent. 

A number of students and staff have been trained as Eucharistic Ministers and many of the students are readers and servers at Mass.

Students have the opportunity to visit Westminster Cathedral and other religious sites of interest throughout the year.

Encounter with the person of Jesus Christ

The whole school day offers students and staff opportunities to encounter Jesus Christ. There are set times of prayer and reflection. Each piece of work that the students prepare is marked at the top with AMDG, Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam, (for the greater glory of God). 

The College also makes provision for the students to take time out from their busy schedules and to have a day of retreat/reflection with their individual form classes. During this time the students learn about mediation and personal prayer and are provided with the opportunity to experience Ignatian meditation in order to encounter Christ.

Personal philosophy of life

Jesuit education places an emphasis on, and assists in, developing the role of each individual pupil as a member of the human community. Students, teachers and all within the community are encouraged to build a unity with others that goes beyond race, culture and religion.

Jesuit education also stresses the importance of understanding the context in which teaching and learning takes place, and the need to constantly evaluate the power and value of what has been taught. 

Students and staff are encouraged to continually find ways to develop and improve. The Magis (more) underpins all aspects of learning and development. This is the Jesuit philosophy linked to Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam (for the greater glory of God), by doing more for God the rest of society benefits. The pursuit of academic excellence is appropriate in a Jesuit school, but only within the larger context of human excellence. The success of Jesuit education is measured not in terms of academic performance of students or professional competence of teachers, but rather in terms of human flourishing.

Across the world, Jesuit schools seek to form the spirit of their pupils through reflection and the art of discernment, as schools of prayer and faith. There is an attentive care and knowledge of our pupils as individuals ‘cura personalis’ (the whole person) which allows them to flourish and provides support and encouragement when life at home or at school is difficult.

Latest Tweets

@st_ignatius Jul - 4
"Our year 9 Mandarin students arrived in Beijing safely. Ready for the connected flight to Kunming, our destination." -Ms Li pic.twitter.com/nsivTiVQSw
@st_ignatius Jul - 4
What a morning! 6 coaches, 2 minibuses and a bus were all on site this morning to take our students on various different trips as part of the final Magis Drop Down Day of the year.#AMDG pic.twitter.com/4qLnyaFWh0
@st_ignatius Jul - 3
Bon Voyage! Our Y9 Mandarin students have just set off on their trip to China. We look forward to hearing all about it!#AMDG pic.twitter.com/HapnB4sLPs
@st_ignatius Jul - 3
A new chapter. A brand-new school with amazing facilities and grounds will be built on our current site. Bowmer&Kirkland Community Event: Thursday 17 July 5–8 pm More information can be found here: https://t.co/l5FC9Z42M3#AMDG pic.twitter.com/qH4JZMOfGj
@st_ignatius Jul - 2
Whether you are drawn to our strong academic record, our Jesuit ethos, or to our supportive and inclusive community, this evening will provide everything you need to decide if St Ignatius is the right fit for your son. Reserve you place today!#AMDG pic.twitter.com/83mpSFqc2r
@st_ignatius Jul - 1
The library was thrilled to welcome the best-selling, award-winning author, Anthony McGowan, to meet with our year 7 students. They were treated to animated stories about how his new book, The Beck, came about and each received a signed copy.#StIgsLibrary #AMDG pic.twitter.com/FedAEAbyJE
@st_ignatius Jun - 30
There was great excitement in the library as the first eligible students received their choice of book from the vending machine having borrowed and read 5 library books. We are looking forward to more students qualifying for their free book!#StIgsLibrary #AMDG pic.twitter.com/ucWES0cncQ
@st_ignatius Jun - 30
The word of the week is cooperative, a farm, business or organisation that is owned and run by and for their members The person of the week is Jose María Arizmendiarrieta, a priest who founded the world’s largest worker-owned cooperative business in the world #AMDG pic.twitter.com/uBb33WCK3D
@st_ignatius Jun - 25
We are extremely grateful to for showing our students around their Anaerobic Digestion Plant. It was fascinating to see how organic materials are turned into biogas and to learn about the improvements in sustainability that Olleco is delivering#AMDG pic.twitter.com/DjqIdAaVHu
@st_ignatius Jun - 23
Word of the week is algorithm, a set of rules to be followed in calculations Person of the week is Ada Lovelace. In 1843 she proposed that machines could follow rules and that numbers could represent other entities- a transition from calculation to computation #AMDG pic.twitter.com/Yf40YLqV3A
@st_ignatius Jun - 19
Year 12 Mentoring Day. On Wednesday, every Year 12 student had an appointment with the Sixth Form Department where they spoke about their recent PPE results and what they need to do to make sure they achieve their desired destination after St Ignatius.#AMDG pic.twitter.com/eSzDSQvhPl
@st_ignatius Jun - 17
We are proud to announce that St Ignatius Governor Deborah Thompson has been awarded an MBE in the Kings Birthday Honours List She has been involved in education in Enfield for more than 50 years and we are very grateful to have benefited from her experience for nearly 10#AMDG pic.twitter.com/lCdPAHAMcZ