School Groups
Find ways to express your faith at JFK!
As a Catholic school, JFK seeks to provide you with multiple ways you can explore your faith and put it into action. Here we provide you with an overview of whats on offer.
“Inspire. Achieve. Serve."
(JFK School Mission Summary)
REaction
REaction is our 'faith in action' community group at school. It aims to provide you with as many different ways to get involved in the Catholic life of the school as possible and has a Google classroom set up to help you stay in touch and up to date. There is no obligation to take part in anything you don't want to but hopefully we'll have plenty of opportunities for you to explore, have fun and develop skills.
Each month a different project provides you with chances for one or more of the following: Leadership, Fundraising/charity work, Eucharistic ministry, reading at mass, prayer groups, community development and support around the school.
REaction is open to all JFK members regardless of school year. If you are interested in being part of REaction speak with Callum or email cmoore@jfk.herts.sch.uk
Break Time Prayer Group
Every break time, 11:05-11:30, a group of us come together to socialise and pray the morning prayer of the church. No experience is needed and all are welcome.
The group is a great time for reflection, friendship and spiritual growth. There is no obligation to come everyday and the prayer is fairly straightforward to pick up.
Last of all, to brighten the first day of the week, we have the great tradition of 'Cake Mondays' where cake is available during our meeting.
Thursda Martial Arts
At first glance martial arts might seem to have little in common with other activities on this list. The reason it's included however is that, as Catholics, we believe that we are a composite of body and soul. Both must therefore be developed for us to function at our best.
To become a proficient martial artist, both internal and external wellbeing must be developed and, through its practice, we gain a heighten awareness of our bodies current state and needs.
Callum instructs the classes drawing on his 12 years of martial arts experience. As a trained instructor with the Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Institute, an ex-professional mixed martial artist and a black belt in IMA Tae Kwon Do, Callum's hope is to share the life skills, self-awareness and fun that can be obtained through its training.
Lessons will take place from a date TBC in the parish hall of St Marks,1:40-2:25.
Tuesday Mass
Every Tuesday lunch time we have the wonderful opportunity to receive the Eucharist.
Mass is held at St Marks from 1:35-2:00. All are welcome to come and share in this time of peace, communion and fellowship.
Each week a different school form will help lead us in the mass and we a very lucky to also have the support of our Music Liturgy Group.
No sign up is necessary, just come join the community!
Midweek Rest
Wednesday lunch times in St Marks are dedicated to giving you the opportunity to take some time out of your hectic day and enjoy some time of stillness and reflection.
Eucharistic Adoration is an ancient Catholic practice where God, in the physical presence of the Eucharist, is placed upon the altar and you have time just to be still and talk with God.
You can light a candle for any worries or concerns you have and some quite music helps you to relax. Some simple prayer cards are provided to help you get the most out of this time if you're unsure what to do and a member of our team is always on hand in case you want to ask or speak about anything.
You can stay for as long as you like and the church is open from 1:30-2:30.
Monday Wildlife Wardens
A big part of living out our faith is being good stewards of the world God created. Being an issue that is close to Pope Francis' heart, he wrote an encyclical tackling the issue called Laudato si'.
This encyclical explores how we as a community can better care for the world. Our Wildlife Wardens puts this into action around the school but especially in their renovation and maintenance of the school pond and surrounding area.
The group is open to all years and meets every Monday lunchtime over at the Pond. While we do have spare gloves it is recommended you bring your own. Depending on which jobs you want to get involved with you may also require wellies. We also have a Google Classroom set up for notices, competitions and wildlife support tips.
Get in touch with Callum, Miss Digby or Mr Moss for further information.
For a summary of Laudato si', watch the following short video
Thursday Martial Arts
At first glance martial arts might seem to have little in common with other activities on this list. The reason it's included however is that, as Catholics, we believe that we are a composite of body and soul. Both must therefore be developed for us to function at our best.
To become a proficient martial artist, both internal and external wellbeing must be developed and, through its practice, we gain a heighten awareness of our bodies current state and needs.
Callum instructs the classes, drawing on his 12 years of martial arts experience. As a trained instructor with the Traditional Chinese Martial Arts Institute, an ex-professional mixed martial artist and a black belt in IMA Tae Kwon Do, Callum's hope is to share the life skills, self-awareness and fun that can be obtained through its training.
Lessons will take place from a date TBC in the parish hall of St Marks,1:40-2:25.
Friday Music Group
'He who sings, prays twice'
Song is a wonderful way to express ourselves and this extends into how we express our faith.
If you like to sing, play instruments or organise the technology around it we'd love to have you involved.
The group meets every Friday lunch time and is led by Mr Ridout. Meetings start at 1:45 and finish at 2:25.
Before and After School Prayer
Prayer is an opportunity for a deep and profound encounter with God. It can anchor us through a storm and lifts us higher during our times of joy.
The church provides us with a simple daily prayer format that allows us to develop this wellbeing at regular intervals. This prayer is known as the Divine Office and can be prayed up to 7 times a day.
As a Benedictine Oblate, Callum prays three of these a day: Morning Prayer (Lauds), Evening Prayer (Vespers) and Night Prayer (Compline). At school you can join in and learn these prayers at 8:30am for Morning prayer and 3:35pm for Evening Prayer. Each prayer lasts roughly 10-15 minutes.
These prayers are open to all members of the school and no experience is required.
Break Time Prayer Stations
Every break time, prayer stations are set up in the church of St Mark for staff and students to come in and use as they wish.
When we talk about prayer, we often describe it as being a 'personal relationship with God'. This is because we believe that all people are able to commune with God, receive answers from God and become aware of God's presence within and around them.
While prayer is always directed at God, how we do it can take many different forms. Different styles of prayer will appeal to different people depending on who they are and what is happening in their life.
As we develop our spiritual well-being, we become comfortable with more and more styles of prayer. To begin however, St Jerome invites us to 'pray the way you can, not the way you can't'.
This doesn't mean give up on prayers you find difficult but instead to use a prayer style you find easy as the foundation for your relationship with God.
