12 Days of Christmas - Day 6

So here we are, another year gone by and for all the partying and celebrating going on tonight we want to focus on something a little bit more serious today.

You may have heard of the an organisation called 'To Write Love On Her Arms' who help people suffering from depression. Well take a look at our blog post and find out more...

12 Days of Christmas - Day 5

Time for a video we think! Everyone loves a good Christmas Advert and this one may have come in time for New Year rather than Christmas itself but the message is just as relevant to each of us.

Our reflection for the 5th Day of Christmas focuses on doing some good in this world and sometimes opportunities to do that spring up in the most surprising places. 

12 Days of Christmas - Day 4

We have been searching through some of our favourite blogs again and found this wonderful little craft idea which is perfect for children in those days after Christmas.

Georgia lives in Pretoria, South Africa, and runs a blog called Love and Lollipops so click here to see what other fabulous activities she has to offer.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 3

Today is the day in which we look at the story of the Holy Innocents in the Gospel when King Herod ordered the slaughter of children in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas.

Read our reflection below to see how the story of the Holy Innocents is very relevant to all that is going on in our world today as we pray for those children living in war torn countries.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 2

We love a nice bit of Christmas Craft and we're sure that you do too so today's activity should keep you busy for a while!

Lucy Rabideau is an American lady who runs a blog called Catholic Icing and today's activity comes from that very blog.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 1

Today is the day that we kickstart our blog again and we hope that you will join us for the journey.

Today is an easy one, we ask nothing of you other than to simplify things and we can all do that right?

Mission 2015 - Review

Take a look back on the highlights of EMS Mission 2015 featuring footage from each session with YMT along with all of the other events that have taken part regarding the Chaplaincy in our school this week.

Can you spot yourself in our video?

Mission 2015 - Day 5

Highlights of the fifth day of EMS Mission 2015 focused on Year 10 and Year 9 sessions with YMT and Ask Aido held at lunch time with Fr Adrian Tuckwell.

Mission 2015 - Day 4

Sixth Form were in the hall this morning with YMT and were given a session focused on forgiveness and the story of Bud Welch, the Oklahoma bombing and the Waco disaster.

Year 10 had their time in the hall during the afternoon session to work with YMT and yet again there were some very impressive moves on display from many of the students taking part in hot bagels!

Mission 2015 - Day 3

We're half way through our Mission in school and today saw Year 8 heading into their sessions with YMT and thoroughly enjoying the experience.

This morning we also had our drama workshop with Sixth Form students who are going to be leading the drama during Family Night and after school our younger students who are part of the dance group were practicing their routine as well as having a few laughs along the way.

Don't forget, our family night is on Wednesday 21st October at 7pm so please come along!

Mission 2015 - Day 2

Today's sessions with YMT were for Year 7, many of whom were experiencing their very first event with the Youth Ministry Team. Some of the Year 7 students knew the team as they had visited the Youth Village for the Primary School Festival last year but other students who attended some of the non-feeder primary schools were meeting YMT for the first time.

Much fun and laughter was had in the hall today while Year 7 threw themselves into everything YMT asked them to do and it's fair to say that Hot Bagels is now their favourite game!

Mission 2015 - Day 1

The mission has begun! Year 11 were the first year group to experience the mission and meet YMT today with X and U band both taking part in different sessions throughout the day.

There was also some great work from Year 7 students in RE lessons with Mr Morrison and Mr Hammond on the theme of our whole school mission 'Step Up To Life'.

Mission 2015 - Preparation Day

Mission Man was in school today to advertise the forthcoming mission and had plenty of fun wandering the corridors and dropping into lessons. Did you see Mission Man in school today?

The dance group were also practicing today to begin perfecting their performance for the Family Night taking place at EMS on Wednesday 21st October.

A highlight of today however has got to be the delivery of our Mission t-shirts and students couldn't wait to get their hands on them.

Are You Ready?

We are currently getting ready for our Mission here in The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College and that makes it a very exciting time for us just now.

The preparations are in full swing now with a team of students known at Mission Control getting everything organised including daily reflections for us to use in form time throughout the mission.

Here is their first production simply asking 'Are You Ready?'

And just for a little bonus video to kick start things... YMT are most definitely ready!

CAFOD Fundraising

Students at The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College raised loads of money for CAFOD today - watch out for the grand total soon! A massive well done to all involved including students, staff and other helpers and most importantly those who came along to buy those lovely cakes and cups of soup! Orders for photo-booth key-rings or prints can be made at the chapel from Tuesday, see the EMS Chaplaincy page on Facebook for more details. Well done everyone!

Ampleforth Retreat 2015

Once again this year we visited Ampleforth for our Lenten retreat. The weekend was full of fun, games, laughter, prayer and reflection and we will be bringing you some videos shortly of some of the highlights of our weekend. For now though why not head over to Facebook and check out the gallery of images we've just uploaded. It's worth it just to see some of the outstanding Superhero costumes on display!

Lenten Retreat to Ampleforth, March 2015.

Posted by Hartlepool Youth Ministry on Tuesday, 7 April 2015

He is Risen!

Happy Easter everybody! We've come to the end of our Leten fast, reached the end of the Triduum and here we are celebrating the new life that Jesus won for us by his victory over death. HE IS RISEN! Here is a little video that we posted a couple of years ago but it's worth reflecting on again... Oh Death, where is your sting? Oh Hell, where is your victory? Oh Church! Come stand in the light! Our God is not dead, he's alive, he's alive!

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." - John 11:25-26

Walk of Witness Photographs

Yesterday 120 people belonging to the newly formed parish of the Holy Family walked to the War Memorial in Hartlepool as an act of witness of Christ's journey to the cross. Parishioners walked from the seven Catholic churches around Hartlepool carrying a cross with then met at the War Memorial. Unfortunately the weather was poor but this didn't dampen our spirits and we simply moved the service to St Joseph's church. Thank you to everyone who got involved in our 5th Walk of Witness, a wonderful act of faith from everyone involved.

Walk of Witness 2015

This year saw our 5th annual Walk of Witness take place with members of the Holy Family parish walking from the 7 Catholic Churches around Hartlepool before meeting at the War Memorial. Watch the video below to see footage of the event:

Illustrated Guide to the Triduum

We found this fantastic infographic earlier today from FOCUS -  The Fellowship of Catholic University Students - based in the United States. By their kind permission we've been able to share it with you and hopefully this will help you to have a better understanding of just what goes on in the Church these next few days during the Triduum.

Their blog has a lot of other great resources on it. Check it out at focus.org/blog

Walk of Witness, Good Friday

40acts Kids Wallchart

Here's something for the younger kids as we head through Lent. Download the wallchart courtesy of 40acts and try to take on the challenges set each day. Let us know how you get on!

St Francis of Assisi prayer

Candlemas BBQ Gallery

Tonight saw 60 people attend our 5th annual Candlemas BBQ and what a wonderful evening we had. We started the night in St Mary's Church with a beautiful prayer service arranged by Naomi (our chaplain at EMS) and led by Fr Nick. From there we headed out into the garden to finish our service around the fire pit before enjoying hot dogs, burgers and plenty of games! Head over to Facebook or check out the gallery below to see a selection of photographs from this great event.

Post by Hartlepool Youth Ministry.

Cardinal Tagle in Newcastle

Winter BBQ 2015

Sunday 1st February 2015 will see the 5th annual Winter BBQ take place at St Mary's Church on the Headland. Come along for 5pm and join in our celebration for the Feast of Candlemas and why not bring your friends along too? All are welcome!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 12

So we've made it to the end of another 12 Days of Christmas feature here on our blog and want to thank you all for your support throughout that time.

Today is the start of a new adventure for all of us, a new page to write, a new chapter of our lives ready to begin. Hello adventure...

12 Days of Christmas - Day 11

We've nearly made it to the end of our 12 Days of Christmas feature for this year but today we have a great blog for you.

We guarantee that you have some old socks laying around the house that you really should have thrown out by now but haven't got around to yes? Well today is the day that we put them to good use thanks to Darkroom & Dearly!

12 Days of Christmas - Day 10

Today we'd like to bring you another story also from Creative Youth Ideas which provides us with real food for thought as we head into the New Year. Here we are at the beginning of something fresh and exciting ready to begin again. Let's make sure when we look back at this year we can be happy with the things we've done and decisions we've made.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 9

Time for a little story as we make our first steps into the New Year. This is a little story we found on Creative Youth Ideas although the author is unknown. Take time to read each line of this story carefully and think about the changes you can make during the new year.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 8

We all love Pope Francis! He's breathed new life into the church and provides us with advice when he addresses people that directly link the teaching of the bible to our everyday life in the world today.

Rappler.com put together a Pope Francis List of New Year's Resolutions using quotes form the last year and that's what today's blog is based on.

12 Days of Christmas - Day 7

This time last year we asked you through this blog to think about making a memories jar and filling it with good memories throughout the year. Now it's time to open up your memories jar and get yourself ready for the same again in 2015...