Before the purple of the Advent season, red was a significant colour in November. After the Remembrance events, we also marked Red Wednesday on 20 November, a global initiative to highlight religious persecution. As well as raising awareness and praying for those who suffer for their faith, and thanks to many generous donations we raised £800, which will be doubled by one of Aid to the Church in Need’s kind benefactors. The theme of red also continued on the feast of St Edmund Campion, when we enjoyed a day of faith and fun. Thank you to Rhetoric, who showed great Quant Je Puis spirit in organising the fair, which raised funds for Jesuit Missions’ work in Lebanon.
Our theme from the Jesuit profile this half-term has been ‘Grateful & Generous’ and many of you have seen Poets Ludwig and Niklas’s Instagram video on the topic. Indeed, we started the year considering the parable of the talents, and have been thinking about gifts of late, too. According to Saint Ignatius, there are three aspects which make a gift truly special: the greatness of the gift itself; the love of the one who gives the gift; and the usefulness or benefit of the gift given. As we approach Christmas, perhaps we can with profit apply this Ignatian thinking to our celebration of the Incarnation. One of our classrooms on the Lower Gallery bears the name Robert Southwell. A contemporary of St Edmund Campion and a Jesuit martyr like him, in his poem The Nativity of Christ he offers us this beautiful encouragement: “Gift to this gift let each receiver be.”