Chaplaincy

When your child accepts a place at Blessed Thomas Holford you and your family become part of a very special community, which has Christ at its centre. The Chaplaincy is here to enrich this community by ensuring the core gospel values of love, compassion, respect and service are at the centre of all our relationships and activities. The focus of a Chaplain in our college is to promote the Catholic ethos of the school and to assist students and staff in their faith journey.

We believe all members of our college community, of all faiths and none, have a responsibility to participate in the spiritual life of the college. We challenge our staff and students to embrace life fully, reach their potential, and live out the Gospel message.

"Unity happens when we walk together"

Pope Francis

meet our college chaplains

My name is Miss Dickinson, and I am delighted to be the Chaplain here at Blessed Thomas Holford.
The role of Chaplain is really important in any college. Not only will I help to support you with your faith journey but I will also be working to ensure the college meets its commitments to Catholic Social Teachings, social outreach and community building.

I am another person that anyone (staff or students) can come to talk to at any time. It may be that you have questions around your faith life, but it might be that you just need to chat to someone about the pressures of college or what’s going on in your life. I am always available.

You will find me either in the Heart of BTH or the Chaplaincy area. My door is always open, and I will always make time for you.

My name is Mrs Miller and I love being the Chaplain at BTH. As chaplains, our vocation extends beyond guiding students in college to creating opportunities for them to encounter their faith more deeply through pilgrimages and wider experiences of the Church community. We are committed to building the foundation for spiritual development, enabling young people to grow in confidence as they take responsibility for their own prayer life. By providing support, encouragement, and formation, we help students to discover their capacity to lead themselves and others in faith, nurturing a lifelong relationship with God.

Promoting faith is central to inspiring passion within our students, encouraging them to see God in every aspect of life, both in times of joy and in times of challenge. By creating opportunities for reflection, celebration, and remembrance, we nurture a deeper awareness of faith as a guiding presence. Our outreach extends not only to students but also to staff, ensuring the whole college community is supported in living out and sharing the values of the Gospel.

We seek to form students who embody the Gospel call to service through active engagement in fundraising and community initiatives. By animating a spirit of solidarity and social justice, our aim is to inspiring students to respond compassionately to local needs at St. Aidans, transforming faith into meaningful action that reflects the mission of the Church in the world.

Chaplaincy activities

We are blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate our Weekly Mass every Friday morning with members of the clergy, staff, students and the wider college community.
We gather for Whole College Mass several times a year such as Welcome Masses, Holy Day of Obligation, Advent, Lent, and End of Year Masses.
We get together for Wednesday Word on a Wednesday morning in the 'Heart of BTH' to celebrate the Word of God.
A member of our Chaplaincy team leads a Rosary Group every Tuesday morning.
We provide opportunities to participate in, and reflect upon, the Stations of the Cross during Lent.
All our Year 7 students participate in a day's Retreat at Savio House.
Our form groups celebrate their Feast Days in their designated week of action.
Our SVP group meet up on Monday and Friday lunchtime and regularly plan events with our local community.
Student led prayer sessions take place every Wednesday lunchtime and the students volunteer to plan ten to fifteen minute prayer sessions based on the Gospel.

The Heart of BTH

We are blessed with a beautiful prayer space here at Blessed Thomas Holford, located at the very heart of our main college building. Our prayer space is always open to staff and students and acts as a hub for the spiritual life of the college.