2. Dear brothers and sisters, I have often thought about how the Church might make clear its mission of being a witness to mercy. It is journey that begins with a spiritual conversion. For this reason, I have decided to call an extraordinary Jubilee that is to have the mercy of God at its centre. It shall be a Holy Year of Mercy. We want to live this Year in the light of the Lord's words: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (cf. Lk 6:36)

3. Year of Mercy Pope Francis has declared the following year to be a jubilee year, to provide us with a focus for our Christian life. The focus is to remind us that we ought to be merciful, that we ought to follow our mission to be witnesses of mercy. It reminds us that we are the face of God on earth and it is through our actions that others will come to know God The year of mercy officially starts in December but we would like to begin preparations so that we can focus upon mercy for as long as possible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbw1aSz165Q

4. Living the Gospel This is a time for us to change the perception of the Church It is a time for us to bring the words of the Gospel alive, rather than confining them to the pages of the Bible As a school this is our ASPIRE focus, our focus, like Pope Francis’ and the Church, is to live out the Gospel message not just to hear it.

5. Mercy…… The Church identifies that there are 7 corporal works of mercy. These are the basics to all acts of mercy and they provide us with a focus through out the year. As a school we are renowned for our charitable giving and this year we will ask you to donate, not just money, but your time, your care and your prayers in order to achieve greatness during the year of mercy.

6. Work of mercy #1 To provide comfort to those who are sick We challenge you to write Christmas cards to people who are sick or those who are housebound. A reminder that someone cares, that someone has taken some time to think of them will bring them great comfort.

7. Work of mercy #2 For practical reasons we cannot carry out this work in a literal sense. But we certainly can remember those who have gone to their eternal rest and comfort those who are suffering.

8. Work of mercy #3 and #4 Throughout the year there are lots of opportunities to support those who are in need of food and drink. Our school is fantastic at creating Christmas hampers and supporting different charities.

9. Work of mercy #5 As a tutor group how many bags of clothing will you aim to collect? Write this on your charter. How else could you clothe the naked?

10. Work of mercy #6 We can offer our prayers. These prayers are challenging as we may find it difficult to comprehend the forgiveness of those people who have hurt others, however difficult this is our Christian calling and an opportunity to show our integrity. You could offer prayers for those in prison that they make seek forgiveness, and prayers for their family and friends.

11. Work of mercy #7 The collection for refugee aid also calls for any equipment that could provide shelter, tents, tarpaulin, sleeping bags. Can you donate to this collection? What can you try to donate? As a school we will also support charities that support the homeless. Could you make a survival pack for the homeless? Could you get creative and make a quilted blanket? Could you raise the profile of charities through social media? Could you contact our local MP to raise concerns? Could a representative from your tutor group join the peace and justice group?

12. Your charter….. By the end of tutor your charter should be pretty full, some of these collections and drives will be before Christmas, but don’t forget that we are going to carry out these works throughout the year. Keep an eye on the bulletins and newsletters for further opportunities to support these works. Challenge yourselves, remember that we are trying to bring the Gospel to life, through our service to God and others and through our charitable works. Together we can achieve so much in this jubilee Year of Mercy