Mental Health & Young People
Webmaster • March 6, 2020
Supporting Young people in Schools - Extract from A&B Diocese News
WE KNOW THAT more and more people are living with poor mental health and that this is having a devastating impact on individuals and communities. Young people of all ages are facing unprecedented pressures in life, leading to anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating
disorders. Right now, more and more young people are struggling to cope with their mental health. For this reason,
the health and well-being of young people is a key priority in all our schools. As an Education Service, we believe a nurturing school
community can have a significant impact on a young person’s emotional well-being and welfare. Our family of schools have
a vital role to play in supporting pupils’ mental health and well-being; good mental health allows pupils to develop resilience, engage fully in their learning and grow into healthy adults. For a student’s well-being to thrive during school hours, teachers need the skills, confidence and knowledge to nurture young people’s development. Equally, we recognise that teachers need to be supported with their own
mental health and well-being throughout their career. In the Autumn Term the Diocesan Education Service ran a two-day Mental Health First Aid course to promote the role of Mental Health Champions in school. The two-day course provided delegates with:
• an in depth understanding of young people’s mental health and factors that affect well-being;
• practical skills to spot triggers and signs of mental
health issues;
• confidence to reassure and support a young person in
distress;
• enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgmental
listening;
• knowledge to help a young person recover their health
by guiding them to further support—whether that’s
through self-help sites, their place of learning, the
NHS, or a mix-
• engaging with parents, carers and external agencies
where appropriate;
• ability to support a young person with a long-term
• mental health issue or disability to thrive;
• tools to look after your own mental well-being.
The training, which was warmly received by all participants, ensured that all trainees could return to their school
communities confidently equipped to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a first aid
basis. As part of their Catholic mission, schools are encouraged to be proactive and take positive action to establish communities
where pupils and staff are nurtured and supported. Increasingly, we see more and more outstanding examples in our schools where emotional well-being is being placed at the heart of the school curriculum. Where best practice is evident, whole-school approaches
and activities designed to ensure pupils and teachers can thrive include things like:
• Designated mental health leads
• Mental health and well-being governors
• Mindfulness and meditation sessions
• Cognitive behaviour therapy
• Thrive programmes
• Rainbows – bereavement programme
• PSHE and SEAL programmes
• Activities to promote exercise
• Forest school approaches
• Circle time;
• Classes on self-esteem and resilience;
• School pastoral teams and home liaison workers.
To support schools in developing this practice further, future training days on Mental Health and Well-Being are being scheduled.
Schools will have the opportunity to learn from experts in this field and share best practice case studies
from their own school setting. For more information about Mental Health and WellBeing training in schools, please contact Claire Martin,
CPD Administrator at: claire.martin@abdiocese.org.uk
Article obtained from A&B News - Read More Here
May is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, honouring her as the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven. We will crown her statue in our churches this weekend. We have a longstanding First Saturdays Devotion in our parish and it was good to see so many parishioners and visitors at the recent visit from the World Apostolate of Fatima, England & Wales, in March this year. They write... What is achieved by fulfilling the Five First Saturdays devotion? In the first instance we comply with the desire of Jesus to establish devotion to Mary’s Immaculate Heart, as revealed by Our Lady in her second apparition on 13th June 1917. She then went on to say, “I promise salvation to those who embrace it, and these souls will be loved by God, like flowers placed by me to adorn his throne.” When we fulfil the requirements for making this devotion, as revealed by Our Lady on 10th December 1925, we make reparation for the thorns of blasphemies and ingratitude which pierce Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart and by which she is offended. Our Lady then promises to assist those souls who make this devotion “at the hour of death with the graces necessary for salvation.” What a wonderful consolation, to know that at the moment of death when it is natural to feel a sense of apprehension, one need not fear because Our Lady will be there to assist with the graces needed to ensure eternal salvation! May God bless you and Our Lady pray for you. Fr Graham
Join us for a Table Top Sale in aid of the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) on Saturday 9th May at the former St Charles Borromeo Church, located at the junction of Ham Road and Chesswood Road in Worthing. Doors open at 10.00 a.m. There will be a wide variety of items for sale — bric-a-brac, clothes, books, and more. All proceeds will go to support the charitable work of the SVP. Please come along, find some bargains, and support a great cause!
The temporary base the SVP runs out of the former St Charles Borromeo Church needs more helpers. We need help with: • additional drivers - under 70 years old with licence category C. This would be on a rota x1/ month • repairing furniture - small repairs to donated furniture. • sorting of donations - kitchen goods, clothing, bedding etc. If you can help with any of these please contact: Rosaleen Murphy, St Catherine's - stcatherinessvp@gmail.com Sheila Padwick, St Michael's - TreasurerA010406@svp.org.uk Ann Olliver, St Peter's - PresidentA010406@svp.org.uk
Would you be interested in being a small group leader, refreshment maker or prayer minister at our diocesan Young Adult retreats? The Diocese of Arundel and Brighton are looking to run Young Adult retreat days for those aged 18-35 across the diocese. Each will be a day of Faith, Fellowship, Formation and Food! But we need your help...if you are aged 18+ and are interested in supporting these events, please email the Diocesan Youth Project Officer, Bex Driver E : bex.driver@abdiocese.org.uk
Saturday 18 July 12 noon – 4.15pm , Church of Our Lady of Consolation & St Francis, West Grinstead, RH13 8LT. A pilgrimage for people across our diocese - the day includes Holy Mass, a personal Consecration to Our Lady, the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, Exposition, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Adoration and Benediction. There is no need to book, to find out more contact Linda C-Dominguez T:01273463463 or M:07944377252 or Jayne Lock M: 07816422851 or E: jayne.lock1@gmail.com . Please bring a packed lunch.
The Diocesan Vocations Team has launched a special month of prayer for vocations beginning this Sunday. As Catholics, we know that God has a plan for each of us and has called us by name through our baptism, to holiness. He continues to call out to us each day to be His disciples; some to the married life, some to the single life, some to religious life and some to the priesthood. In a Message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Leo highlights the importance of daily prayer and cultivating a personal relationship with God: “We must urgently recommence our vocational ministry and renew our commitment to evangelisation” he said. “In light of this, I invite everyone –– in families, parishes and religious communities, as well as bishops, priests, deacons, catechists, educators and all the faithful –– to commit themselves more fully to creating conditions that allow this gift to be embraced, nourished, protected and accompanied, so that it may bear abundant fruit. “Only when our surroundings are illumined by living faith, sustained by constant prayer and enriched by fraternal accompaniment can God’s call blossom and mature, becoming a path of happiness and salvation for individuals and for the world. By embarking on the path that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, shows us, we come to know more deeply both ourselves and the God who calls us… “Dear brothers and sisters, dear young people, I encourage you to cultivate your personal relationship with God through daily prayer and meditation on the Word. Pause, listen and entrust yourselves. In this way, the gift of your vocation will mature, bringing you happiness and yielding abundant fruit for the Church and the world.”
‘United in prayer we save our children’ ‘Mothers Prayers’ was launched in England in 1995. At that time, two grandmothers felt led by the Lord to pray in a special way for their children. The movement has spread throughout the world and is now in over 100 countries. Our parish group meets on the first Friday of the month, in the Parish Room at St Peter’s, from 10.00am until 11.00am. Open to all mothers, including spiritual mothers, godmothers and grandmothers. “As mothers learn to trust each other, through their prayers and sharing together, their burdens become lighter”.
Our thanks go to one of our very talented parishioners, who has created this beautiful display, depicting the tomb of our Lord. We encourage you to come and spend some time here. We have some cards listing some of the important details to look for. Please take one away with you.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Priests are called to be shepherds too, modelling their life on the One who lays down His life for His sheep. Vocations to the Priesthood find their source in Christ. It is not my priesthood but His. In fact we are all His and all our vocations, whatever they are, come from Jesus. When we pray for vocations to the priesthood we should look to see what Jesus wants and He looks at the heart for faithful disciples to become shepherds. Pope Leo writes about how we discern our vocation. He says "create space to listen to the Lord's voice". “In this way, you will come to know the Lord. Through the intimacy of his friendship, you will discover how to give of yourselves, whether through marriage, the priesthood, the permanent diaconate, or consecrated life”. Creating space for interior silence means we begin to recognise His voice through Eucharistic adoration, spending time each day meditating on the Bible, doing works of charity, and participating fully in the sacramental life of the Church. Jesus also describes Himself as the door to the sheepfold. No one comes to the Father except through Him. He guards His sheep and is the protector of our souls. He knows each one of us and what He is asking us to be and do. Let us discern and recognise His voice in the midst of the noise and anxiety of life. His voice is the password to our soul. May God continue to bless you this Eastertide. With my daily prayer for you. Fr Graham
Friday 29 May 6.30pm , English Martyrs Catholic Church, Goring-by-Sea, BN12 4UH. People across our community of faith are invited to join Worthing Deanery Justice & Peace Group and pray for peace in our world. The Mass, celebrated by Fr Liam O’Connor, will offer an opportunity to pray for all those impacted by war, and for healing. All are welcome, there is no need to book.