St Christopher’s CE High School and Sixth Form were delighted to welcome the Archbishop of York, the Most Revd and Rt Hon Stephen Cottrell, for a special visit in October.
The Archbishop’s visit formed part of a day of engagement and reflection across the school community, joined by the Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Revd Philip North. In a packed programme, they met pupils, students and staff, participated in Q&A sessions, and led assembly worship, celebrated Holy Communion, and had conversations about faith, leadership, and hope for the future.
The morning began with Archbishop Stephen attending the staff briefing, offering words of encouragement to teachers, and praising St Christopher’s as exactly the sort of school he would have sent his own children to if he had lived in the area.
Following this, the Archbishop met with Lower Sixth students in the Lecture Theatre for an interactive Q&A session. Sixth Formers devised some excellent questions, ranging from assisted dying to his funniest story, which turned out to be one about the late Queen. It gave our Sixth Formers the opportunity to explore questions of faith, vocation, and modern life with one of the most senior leader in the Church of England.
The Bishop of Blackburn led the Year 9 assembly, before later joining Upper Sixth students for their own Q&A session. The question times were excellent opportunities for our young people to engage thoughtfully with the Church’s mission and discuss how faith in Christ can inspire action and purpose in their lives.
Music played a special part in the morning. The Senior Vocals Choir, featuring pupils from Year 8 through to Upper Sixth students, performed during the Year 8 Service of Holy Communion, celebrated by the Archbishop, including a beautiful rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer” written by Lucy Walker to mark the Archbishop’s Tour.
Headmaster Richard Jones described the visit as “a wonderful opportunity for our pupils, students and staff to meet with two deeply inspiring church leaders. We were honoured to welcome the Archbishop of York and Bishop Philip to St Christopher’s and were greatly inspired by a morning of conversation, worship, and reflection.”
The visit formed part of the Archbishop’s ongoing commitment to meeting with young people and educators across the North of England, encouraging them to live out their faith confidently and compassionately in today’s world, and it was a great honour that the Archbishop chose make St Christopher’s a stop on his tour.