St Edward’s College

St Edward’s Sixth Form Retreat

A group of St Edward's College Sixth Form students spent the day on Friday 11
March at the Catholic Chaplaincy of the Liverpool universities on a spiritual retreat.
Jack, one of the students who attended the retreat, summarised his thoughts on the
day:

The Sixth Form retreat was an opportunity for us to renew faith and think closely
about others which is especially important given the situation in Ukraine but also the
issues that many homeless people face on a day-to-day basis here in Liverpool and
all over the world. Given that we currently face one of the biggest humanitarian crisis
since the Second World War, it was a chance to reflect, show humility and consider
how we can help others more.

We started our day at the Chaplaincy where we followed readings, shared prayers
and discussed our different backgrounds as well as our relationship with God. We
met people from El Salvador and Africa. Sylvesta, a trainee priest from Africa spoke
about the struggles in his own country and how happy the people of Liverpool
seemed to him and how much he tries to help homeless people.

In the afternoon we were welcomed by the sisters of The Missionary of Charity, who
care for the homeless in the city, where all the students were given jobs to help
prepare the evening meals. During prayer, we were reminded of our fortunate
lifestyles and the everyday experiences that we sometimes take for granted. The day
finished with an opportunity for confession which made us all think about our choices
in life. I’m sure that I speak for all when I say that the day was both rewarding and
reflective.

Whitechapel Waterfront Walk for the Homeless

Members of the St Edward's College Faith in Action and Edmund Rice Advocacy groups
braved the windy weather on Saturday 19 February to complete a sponsored Waterfront
Walk, raising over £630 for the Whitechapel Centre, the leading homeless and housing
charity for the Liverpool region.

The Waterfront Walk was first inspired by the homeless charity’s outreach team, who are
out every morning come rain or shine from 6am, walking 5 miles or more around the city
streets to find and help people who are sleeping rough.
The group forsook their beds for a 6.30am meet-up at the King's Dock in the city centre to
begin the walk along the waterfront to the Sitting Bull statue in Otterspool, south
Liverpool, appreciating the sunrise over the river Mersey as they reflected on the hardships
faced by those living on the streets.

St Edward's shows their support for the Ukraine

The news from the Ukraine has touched all at St Edward's, especially as our beloved school
priest chaplain, Father Taras Khomych, is himself a priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic
Church. When the invasion began Father Taras was interviewed on national news about the
situation in his homeland and, inspired by his quiet strength and dignity, the school
community rallied together to collect donations of clothing and toiletries on our return from
the half-term break.

Ash Wednesday saw Father Taras celebrating Mass in Chapel with ashes offered to pupils at
break time. After school, we offered the Rosary in Chapel for the deliverance o f Ukraine
from its invasion with all the attendant suffering and bloodshed.  On Friday 4 March, with
only a few days' notice, we were pleased to deliver two vans' worth of donations to the
Polskie Merseyside Centre; we continue to show our support with the wearing blue and
yellow ribbon pins on blazers and with the collection of cash donations from pupils and their
families.