St Francis Catholic Primary School rated by inspectorate
Inspectors described the school as an 'inclusive and welcoming community' where Catholic values are woven into everyday life.
Abigail Davies, headteacher, said: "This report is a testament to the dedication of our staff, the enthusiasm of our pupils, and the support of our families and parish.
"We are delighted that our Catholic life and mission have been recognised so positively."
The inspection, carried out on behalf of the Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia, highlighted the strong Catholic identity, pupil leadership, and the work of groups such as Faith Ambassadors, Cafod and Mini Vinnies.
The report also praised the school's commitment to Catholic social teaching and its vibrant culture of collective worship.
Pupils were described as happy, confident, and proud' to be part of the school.
Other strengths noted included the school's religious education curriculum, creative teaching, and pastoral care.
The school said the rating affirms its focus on providing high-quality Catholic education and fostering a caring, faith-based environment.
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The Herald Scotland
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- The Herald Scotland
Edinburgh priest celebrates Holy Mass at Everest base camp
The 44-year-old, who grew up in Rutherglen before emigrating with his family to Australia when he was 12, raised a chalice during the Mass using a hewn stone as his altar. The National Catholic Register reports that Fr Doohan was also able to bless the roughly 20 other people present at the Mass with relics that he had brought with him to the mountaintop. Fr Doohan said: 'In 2003, Holy Mass was offered here for the first time by Brisbane priest Fr Morgan Batt, and only in 2024 (in both May and October) did a collection of Indian priests offer the next subsequent Masses — at least to our/their knowledge. 'It's certainly the first Mass offered at Everest Base Camp in the Pontificate of Pope Leo XIV. Heaven has once again come down to Earth at its highest point. READ MORE: "The Mass was the Missa Pro Pace, offered for the intention of Peace in the World. "With limited information of the outside world in this Himalayan region we were still able to read a little of Pope Leo XIV's first Regina Coeli address as he appealed to the leaders of the world: Never again war!" Speaking about the trek to Everest base camp, Fr Doohan said: "It's eight days up and four days back and obviously you feel alot better on the way up than you do on the way down than you do on the way up. Very often you just have to practice a great deal of patience. "A stretch of just a few hundred yards that under normal circumstances you would walk very quickly sometimes is just one foot in the front of the other and that's because your body is being constrained by every possible element." Fr Ninian arrived in Nepal on May 2 to assist a community project at St Ignatius' Church in the Nepalese capital. Fr Ninian Doohan had an eight day trek to reach the iconic location (Image: Father Ninian Allan Doohan) The project is part of a Jesuit Mission and a broader network of activities supporting mobile clinics, special schools, and the general material welfare of the people. The pilgrimage was inspired following the baptism of Gele Bishokarma by Fr Ninian at St Patrick's Church in 2023. He said: "I baptised Gele Bishokarma in December 2023 at St Patrick's here in Edinburgh. He took the name of Andrew in Baptism thanks to the Patron Saint of Scotland, the place where he discovered the Faith, and St Joseph for his Confirmation patron as the Guardian of the Holy Family and Protector of the Universal Church. "I promised him that I'd meet him on his own native soil, and I'd like to help the Church there in any way I can with a small mission, at least to just see our Catholic Faith lived out in the highest point on Earth." Gele, who runs a trekking company, accompanied Fr Ninian on the journey. Fr Ninian then returned to Kathmandu after a four day trek back down the mountains and a helicopter journey back to the Nepalese capital. He said: "Please pray that the Holy Spirit guides further the initiative to have a Catholic church in the region for the use of both locals and visitors alike. "We left a strategically placed Miraculous Medal (of the Immaculate Conception) at Namche, the Sherper Capital, hoping Maternal help will be forthcoming." The Catholic Church in Nepal constitutes a very small percentage of the population, estimated at 0.03%. There are approximately 10,000 Catholics in Nepal, organized into one apostolic vicariate. They are served by 113 priests and 211 nuns across 14 parishes.
Western Telegraph
29-06-2025
- Western Telegraph
St Francis Catholic Primary School rated by inspectorate
St Francis Catholic Primary School received a 'Good' rating across all key areas following a recent inspection by the Catholic Schools Inspectorate. Inspectors described the school as an 'inclusive and welcoming community' where Catholic values are woven into everyday life. Abigail Davies, headteacher, said: "This report is a testament to the dedication of our staff, the enthusiasm of our pupils, and the support of our families and parish. "We are delighted that our Catholic life and mission have been recognised so positively." The inspection, carried out on behalf of the Archbishop of Cardiff-Menevia, highlighted the strong Catholic identity, pupil leadership, and the work of groups such as Faith Ambassadors, Cafod and Mini Vinnies. The report also praised the school's commitment to Catholic social teaching and its vibrant culture of collective worship. Pupils were described as happy, confident, and proud' to be part of the school. Other strengths noted included the school's religious education curriculum, creative teaching, and pastoral care. The school said the rating affirms its focus on providing high-quality Catholic education and fostering a caring, faith-based environment.
The Independent
28-06-2025
- The Independent
At 100, this globetrotting Catholic priest still bakes pies, enjoys opera and performs daily Mass
Throughout his remarkable lifetime, the Rev. James Kelly has baptized thousands of people, married thousands more, ministered to the sick in hospitals, and traveled the world extensively. He became friends with an opera superstar and, yes, even with a saint. The longest-serving priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia recently celebrated the 75th anniversary of his ordination and his 100th birthday. He's grateful to have reached these milestones, but nearly didn't after experiencing a health challenge last year that required life-saving surgery. He feels God gave him some extra time and tries to make each day count. 'The Lord was wonderful to me to give me the health and the strength and the energy to travel, to meet beautiful things — God was always giving me surprises,' Kelly says. Born on Jan. 7, 1925, in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Roxborough to a devoutly Catholic family, Kelly's path to the priesthood seems ordained from the start. He loved attending church. Other children dreamt of becoming athletes, doctors, firefighters. He wanted to be a priest. 'When I was 4 or 5 years old, I'd play Mass,' he says, laughing, as he recalls that his parents were his first congregants. 'I always had a little altar in my room, and I'd have a glass, and some flowers in there, and I'd make a vestment, put a scarf on, and have some candy, and give Communion to everybody." Kelly wakes up at dawn to celebrate Mass at the retirement living community that he now calls home. He listens to opera. He bakes pies. Memories, parachute jumps and climbing a bridge to save a life Sitting in his room, Kelly flips through a photo album detailing his journey. He smiles with every page turn, pointing to black-and-white photos of him as a toddler and milestones as a Catholic — his baptism, confirmation and ordination as a priest. 'I turned down Hollywood!' he says, laughing as he points to the portrait of a dapper, young priest, his hair slicked and flashing a wide smile. He also points to the photo published by a Philadelphia newspaper of the time when he climbed in his Roman collar to the top of a bridge and dissuaded a man from jumping to his death. 'Nobody would climb there, so I climbed up — it was 400 feet high. It was a bitter cold day,' he says. 'I was able to talk to him and break him down emotionally, so he wouldn't jump. I told him, 'What's your grandchild going to say one day: Papa, why didn't you take me fishing?'" He points to other photos of the many ceremonies he proudly led during his 19 years as pastor of Saint Pius X Parish in Broomall, Pennsylvania, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of Philadelphia. There are images of him during a vacation in Mexico when he made a parachute jump. Or that one time, when he visited the majestic Iguazu Falls on the border between Argentina and Brazil, which he recalls as one of the most beautiful sights of his life. 'Everywhere you turned, there was a rainbow, there was a mist … the water gushing forth and spray and the colors," he says. 'It was, as the kids would say, awesome.' Imagination, friends and being grateful for the simple pleasures Imagination, he says, is one of his favorite words, recalling that he wrote his college thesis on it. 'Jesus used his imagination to teach,' he says, in what became an example when he prepared his own sermons. He treasures other memories, such as traveling to more than 100 countries and meeting Saint Teresa of Kolkata, also known as Mother Theresa. Kelly says the two became friends over the years after meeting in Philadelphia and running into each other at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The centenarian also shared the time when he took a group of blind children to a live performance of his friend, acclaimed soprano Joan Sutherland. 'I've been fortunate to meet some of the most magnificent, good people in this world, and they've been most generous and gracious to me," Kelly says. These days, he enjoys simple pleasures: the taste of cherries, a beautiful song, or his favorite meal — roast chicken with mashed potatoes, fresh string beans, and corn on the cob. He loves learning and often attends lectures on music, art history and Egyptology at the Normandy Farms Estates retirement community where he resides in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. His apartment is decorated with a painting of the Virgin Mary that he drew with chalk, a portrait of his mother, and a note signed by the late Pope Francis. On his bedside table, he keeps an image of Carlo Acutis, the Catholic Church's first millennial-era saint. Kelly is inspired by Acutis, who died at 15 in 2006. Especially Acutis' devotion and how he used his computer skills to create an online exhibit about scores of eucharistic miracles recognized by the church over centuries. The ritual of a humble daily Mass and the secret to a long life Every morning, he wakes up without the need of an alarm clock and says the same prayer: 'Lord, what surprise do you have for me today?' 'I hope it'll be a nice one that I'll love and enjoy. I never know, but I want to thank you for whatever happens today.' After a cup of coffee, he celebrates Mass in his apartment for a few residents of his community. 'When I moved here, I never thought I was going to have a private chapel!' Kathleen Quigley, a retired nurse, quipped after a recent service. 'I just love my faith, and he's such a stronghold of faith that it's wonderful for me to have. I just come right downstairs, have Mass, we talk, he shares his food.' Kelly once ministered to large congregations, but he feels the daily Mass in his living room is as important. 'It's not in a beautiful chapel or church. But it's here that I can offer my love and efforts to the Heavenly Father,' he says. After the final prayer, he always remembers to be grateful. 'That's all I can say — two words: thank you. It's wonderful that I have another day, and I might be able to eat some delicious cherries today, and meet people, new friends," he says. "God knows what surprises I'll encounter today.' His secret to longevity? 'I drink lots of milk,' he says, laughing. 'And I say lots of prayers.' __ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
