A ..Message .From the Chaplain - Settling into a New Role

A year ago, I was interviewed by a local newspaper about my new role as Chaplain to Royal Russell School.  The interview was part of a series entitled “Happy to be…..”.  In this case, the article told the readers of Croydon how happy I was to be a chaplain, and how I had found my dream job!  Well, I’m not sure I used the phrase “dream job” (!), but certainly I had found in Royal Russell a school community which was friendly, energetic, caring and supportive.  I was made to feel very welcome and settled in quickly.

The life of a Chaplain is an interesting one, and it finds me under two authorities: that of the Headmaster and that of the Bishop of Croydon.  It makes my role somewhat different from other members of staff.  I have the honour of being Head of Religious Education at the Senior School, play a central role in the pastoral support network for students, and run the Chapel services that hopefully help our community to reflect and consider the more spiritual aspects of life.  I also spend time in the Prep School, and overall it is a bit like being the vicar of a parish, especially as many students and staff live on site.

Another aspect of School life I am able to be involved with is that of charity fund-raising.  I was impressed and heartened by the response of students, staff and parents last year to the various appeals that were made.  WaterAid, World Vision, Macmillan Cancer Relief, Great Ormond Street, Oxfam, Shelter……the list goes on.   So many people worldwide were helped by the generosity of those connected with our school.

Every December, the Chaplaincy makes an appeal during our Christmas services, and last year we supported a new charity for the first time.  I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you a bit more about it, because during the Summer, I was able to visit the charity to see how our money was being used.  The charity is called Magnet High School, and is run by the Right Reverend Jeremiah Kibobi.  He is a man who was brought to our school last October by a lady who used to be a governor here.  We spent a few hours together, and I was able to show him around the school - and somehow in the short time we had together, our lives seemed to connect, and after a few prayers and ideas were shared, the seeds were sown for our school to develop a link with his school in Nairobi, Kenya. 

The first thing to happen was that forty of our students began writing to forty of their students.  Then, we were able to raise £1500 for their school funds through the Christmas appeal.  This money was well spent, as the school runs entirely on donations and receives no income from the government.  The same is true of the other two projects that the Bishop also runs, an orphanage of a hundred children, and a post-18 vocational ‘college’, which supports about twelve students.  The three projects are grouped together under the NGO ‘Vicods’, and they are doing great work for the orphaned and destitute children they support. 

During my summer visit, I was humbled to see just how hard the staff work, for very little money, and with very few resources.  The students are so grateful for the little they have, and they work so hard having been given the opportunity to better themselves. 

This Christmas, 2006, our appeal is going to try to raise £4000 to help the school build some wells to capture rainwater.  This will save them money, as they currently have to buy water from the town’s water supply, with the water truck having to make ten trips a day! 

As for the future, I am planning to visit the school again next year, hopefully with a few Royal Russell staff, and the following year to take a small group of students to experience African life and life at Magnet High, something we are already getting excited about.

Overall, it’s been quite a year, and one I will remember fondly.  I do want to thank everyone who helped me to settle into my new role at Royal Russell, and I pray that our school, its staff, students and parents, will continue to know God’s blessings now, and in times to come.

The Chaplain
Rev. S. J. Padfield