St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School

Our Catholic Life – Our Journey in Faith

The Catholic life of St. Cuthbert's is rich in opportunities for children to encounter God and to deepen their relationship with Him as a loving, compassionate Father. Below we aim to share with you  many of the elements which make St.Cuthbert's Catholic Primary school so special. 

Our Parish

At St. Cuthbert's we have  strong links with our Parish community. We are so lucky to have the church next to our school grounds. Father Paul is a regular visitor in school and each class in turn enjoys joining the Parish for weekday Mass on a Thursday . 

First Holy Communion and Reconciliation preparation

Sacramental Preparation for Reconciliation and Holy Communion usually takes place when the children are in Year 3 and is led by the catechists in the parish. 

What are the Mini Vinnies?

‘Mini Vinnies’ is the name for a St Vincent de Paul Group for primary aged children. We get  together to organise, and talk about, helping others in need within our school community of Wigton and our wider community.

The children attend a church service dedicated to Rememberance. The older children plant their crosses around the statue of Our Lady. We also  lay  a wreath on behalf of our school at the Cenotaph as we remember those who have served and those who continue to serve our country especially the people of Wigton.

In October,  the school deliver a Liturgy to celebrate Harvest. The families of St. Cuthbert's support our collection for the Food Bank. As Catholics it is important for us to be like Jesus and help those who are less fortunate. It is wonderful to see our school come together as a community and be Good Samaritans. We now have a permanent food collection point in school. Thank you for all your donations so far.

Following the National Eucharist Congress  held in Liverpool, schools of the Diocese of Lancaster are invited by Bishop Paul to observe a ‘Year of the Eucharist’. The aim of this year is to develop a deeper understanding of the Eucharist as the ‘source and summit’ of the Christian life and to encourage and foster regular devotion to the Blessed Sacrament within our schools. Rather than organising central events, the Diocese of Lancaster Education Service will work with schools, deans and local clergy to encourage Eucharist Adoration at a local and deanery level.

This is an opportunity to enhance our devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and share the Cardinal’s hope for a 'rejuvenation' of love for the Eucharist in our school. It is important to remind ourselves that Christ is at the heart of our schools and learning and that 'We grow, learn and achieve by following Christ.'

Every year, during Lent we walk with Jesus on the road to Calvary. We attend church and all classes are involved in the service,  and as a school we work togther to remember Jesus' journey in a number of different ways such as our own journey of the different stations or a joint piece of art work.

The Posada is a custom brought to us from Latin America, where the crib figures of Mary and Joseph, journeying to Bethlehem, spend each night of Advent in a different home across the parish.

Children are invited to take part in this beautiful custom as a way of truly putting Christ at the heart of Christmas.

Each year the children visit both Love Day House and Inglewood Care Home to sing carols. Visiting the sick is a Corporal Work of Mercy and we are very proud of the children for entertaining the older members of our community. 

The celebration is named after the Christingles that are lit during the service. Christingles are made from an orange decorated with red ribbon, sweets and a candle. 

Each element of a Christingle has a special meaning and helps to tell the Christian story:

• The orange represents the world
• The red ribbon (or tape) symbolises the love and blood of Christ
• The sweets and dried fruit represent all of God’s creations
• The lit candle represents Jesus’s light in the world, bringing hope to people living in darkness.

We are lucky to be situated very closley to our local parish church and Father Dadson is a regular visitor to school. The classes take it in turn to attend weekday masses and we attend church at various times in the liturgical year. 

Father Dadson also delivers Mass within the school hall and as always parents and family members are very welcome. 

We are also very lucky to be supported by the Cor et Lumen Christi Community who plan whole school activities based aroud the liturgical year. The children are exposed to a variety of Bible readings and  hands-on resources.

On the 18th March we will celebrate the Feast Day of St. Cuthbert's. We have a whole school Mass in school and welcome family members and the parish. And yes... there is cake! 

Each term we come together as a school to learn about another world religion. We celebrate the differences and similarities between Christianity and this other world religion and often have different guests into school or visits to special places of worship. 

After hearing Pope Francis had written a letter addressed to every person on the planet, asking us all to protect the earth, a group of pupils asked if they could set up a Laudato Si club. They meet every fortnight to discuss ways in which they can help protect God's beautiful world. 

We are very lucky to have an atrium in school. Mrs Carlsson runs The Atrium Club where the children explore and experience the Word of God in a prayerful environment.