Chaplaincy

Nicholas Breakspear is a Catholic school where we make sincere and constant efforts to live in a manner that is worthy of our calling as members of a Catholic community.

To aid our Community in this desire we are supported by our Chaplaincy team. Chaplaincy is a distinctive feature of a Catholic School. Its purpose is to support the spiritual development of students and staff and to offer pastoral support as part of the wider staff team.

We are fortunate that we have our Chaplaincy Centre (Emmaus Centre) to help accompany students at different stages of their spiritual journey. A drop in centre is available at lunch times for all students to find a safe place to talk to trained members of staff. Students come seeking support when they experience difficulties in their lives. Some are coping with a bereavement or loss, some might have argued with friends or are struggling with different issues. All find a place where they can talk through their problems and are encouraged to find a way forward.

The Chaplaincy Centre is also the venue for our Chaplaincy courses which offer a more formal support for those students in need of support. We work in partnership with external agencies, including STEP to offer these courses. The courses include:

• Tough Stuff for those students in years 7 and 8 who might benefit from learning to understand their feelings relating to loss and help them develop strategies to cope.
• Rainbows for those students in year 9-11 and provides a safe setting in school in which young people can talk through their feelings with their peers who are experiencing similar situations. They are helped to articulate their feelings by a trained facilitator.
• Haven is a six week course providing a safe space for those pupils who are struggling with stress and anxiety. This course is all about passing on practical tools to help manage and reduce anxiety levels.

Our School Counselling service also is housed in the Chaplaincy Centre.

Year Group Chaplains

Rev Canon Norbert Fernandes is Parish Priest of Church of Our Lady, Queen of the Apostles, in Welwyn Garden City. He is the Year Group Chaplain for Year 9.

Fr Michael O’Boy is the Parish Priest of St Alban & St Stephen, St Albans. He is the Year Group Chaplain for the Sixth Form.

Fr John Casey is Assistant Parish Priest at St Alban & St Stephen, St Albans. He is the Year Group Chaplain for Year 7.

Canon Shaun Lennard is the Parish Priest of Our Lady and St. Vincent in Potters Bar. He is the Year Group Chaplain for Year 10.