Cardinal Nichols celebrates Mass for centenary of London school

Students gather outside Cathedral

Cardinal Vincent Nichols celebrated Mass at Westminster Cathedral today, to commemorate the centenary of Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in Holland Park. During his homily, Cardinal Vincent commended the traditions of the school.

The Cardinal thanked the school for its fidelity to Cardinal Bourne’s founding vision. ‘His concern was mainly with primary education but he had a vision of founding a network of secondary schools across this growing diocese. Your school was part of that powerful vision which took many generations to achieve.’

Cardinal Vincent went on to refer to the opposition which Catholic schools faced a century ago. "Cardinal Bourne had a long battle, conducted very skilfully, to defend and establish the position of Catholic Education as a true and proper expression of parental choice and therefore having a true and proper place in a democratic society. Bourne won the day, and so your school exists, as a memorial to his illustrious predecessor."

The Cardinal continued: "Our battles for Catholic Education today are less intense but real. We live in a very plural society in which cohesion and mutual understanding is so important. Catholic schools recognise this. Thus we put forward systematically the principles on which a good society can be based, drawing on the wealth of Catholic Social Teaching, a treasure that others are beginning to recognise.

‘"n the same vein, we have long recognised the importance of studying the beliefs and practices of other religions, doing so from the constructive basis of a living faith in God. If there is a problem with religious literacy today, with ignorance of other religions, as many are suggesting not least in light of the problems faced in Birmingham, the problem does not lie in faith schools, in Catholic schools. It lies elsewhere, wherever religious belief is treated in a minimal manner, or even disparaged. That is where the problem is to be tackled."

On the same day, one of the school’s PE teachers Chris Bailey completed his ‘Vaughan to Run’ challenge. Between 14 and 19 September, he ran the 193 miles from Cardinal Herbert Vaughan’s birthplace in Gloucester to his final resting place in the Cathedral, which was commissioned by the Cardinal.

The funds raised will be donated to Aid to the Church in Need and the Good Shepherd Project which helps provide a place of safety and education for 990 local refugee children on the Sudanese/Eritrean border. He was joined along the route by a number of past and present pupils, staff and well-wishers, passing through five Catholic dioceses and over thirty parishes.

Cardinal Vincent’s homily text follows:

Today I offer my warmest congratulations to The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School as we celebrate together this centenary. I congratulate and thank the School for the fine traditions it has fashioned and maintained over these 100 years since its modest founding on 21 September 1914. I thank the School, and all involved in it, for its fidelity to a founding vision together with its development in response to constantly changing demands. Cardinal Vaughan School is both steadfast and innovative, a point of real strength in the diocesan network of schools and one willing to play its part, as called for by its motto, in loving and serving fellow Catholic schools in the Diocese. I thank you for this.

The founding vision of the School is that of Cardinal Francis Bourne. On coming from Southwark to Westminster in 1903 he made education one of his key priorities. His concern was mainly with primary education but he had a vision of founding a network of secondary schools across this growing diocese. Your school was part of that powerful vision which took many generations to achieve.

Cardinal Bourne’s time was a time of profound and widespread opposition to Catholic Education, not from a secularist standpoint but from the dominant Protestant Liberalism of the day. Cardinal Bourne had a long battle, conducted very skilfully, to defend and establish the position of Catholic Education as a true and proper expression of parental choice and therefore having a true and proper place in a democratic society. Bourne won the day, and so your school exists, as a memorial to his illustrious predecessor.

Our battles for Catholic Education today are less intense but real. We live in a very plural society in which cohesion and mutual understanding is so important. Catholic schools recognise this. Thus we put forward systematically the principles on which a good society can be based, drawing on the wealth of Catholic Social Teaching, a treasure that others are beginning to recognise. In the same vein, we have long recognised the importance of studying the beliefs and practices of other religions, doing so from the constructive basis of a living faith in God. If there is a problem with religious literacy today, with ignorance of other religions, as many are suggesting not least in light of the problems faced in Birmingham, the problem does not lie in faith schools, in Catholic schools. It lies elsewhere, wherever religious belief is treated in a minimal manner, or even disparaged. That is where the problem is to be tackled.

At the heart of a Catholic school – as is demonstrated in this great celebration of Holy Mass – lies the person of Jesus. He calls us together, person by person, so that we can know, love and serve him – amare et servire – and in doing so find our fulfilment, just as St Paul says: ‘I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord; I repeat, what I want is your happiness.’

Source: Archbishops House