Read all about the ways that pupils in St Andrew's Primary, Bute have been Pilgrims of Hope in their local community.

This year, we have been on a journey together in faith, celebrating the Jubilee Year of Hope. Through prayer, reflection, and action, we embrace the light of Christ and become beacons of hope in our communities. Here are some of the things we have be doing in our school.

In St. Mark’s Primary School, children have been engaging in monthly activities to commemorate the Jubilee Year. Read all about how they celebrated the Jubilee of Security with their Campus Cop, the Jubilee of Disabilities and their Pilgrim Passport in the document attached.

S6 Caritas Launch & Pilgrimage of Hope

Caritas 25/26 is off to a great start with our largest ever group of pupils signing up for the award. Here they are at our first meeting, brain-storming ideas for charity fundraising and parish service this year. Our award was officially launched with a Pilgrimage of Hope to celebrate the Jubilee 2025. Our thanks as always to Fr Jamie Boyle and our parish communities for supporting our young people as they grow in faith. They are a very hard-working and enthusiastic bunch and we can't wait to see what they will bring to St Modan's in their S6 year. 

Some of our Caritas pupils at the Aid to the Church in Need Youth Rally in Hamilton. This year’s rally was all about being pilgrims of hope and standing in hope with our brothers and sisters around the world who are persecuted for their faith. 

Our partnership primary schools of St Columba’s and St Teresa’s recently participated in a meaningful pilgrimage to St Ninian’s Cave in Whithorn, alongside other deanery primary schools; St Andrew’s Dumfries and St Joseph's Primary, Stranraer; to celebrate the successes and achievements within our primary seven cohorts.

This pilgrimage was particularly special as it took place during the Year of Hope in the Catholic Church, adding a deeper sense of reflection and inspiration to our journey. It was a wonderful opportunity for our pupils to connect, celebrate, and grow in faith together.

St Mary's Celebrates the Jubilee Year of Hope

As part of the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year of Hope, St. Mary’s has embraced the spirit of pilgrimage, prayer, and community with heartfelt celebrations and meaningful acts of faith. This special year, themed Pilgrims of Hope, has brought together pupils, families, and staff in a series of events that reflect forgiveness, renewal, and unity.

Earlier in the year, our school community came together to celebrate Catholic Education Week with a dedicated Mass. Pupils shared their learning with the parish, and younger children presented their reflections on how to follow Jesus through a beautifully crafted Holy Door, using pictorial representations to express their understanding in creative and heartfelt ways.

More recently, one of the highlights of our Jubilee celebrations was the Walk of Faith, where our school and parish community journeyed together before gathering for a joyful Mass at St. Mary’s Star of the Sea, led by Father Peter. The atmosphere was electric as children, parents, and staff turned out in impressive numbers, with the Jubilee Hymn sung so powerfully it could have been a Eurovision contender! Father Peter shared, “What a fabulous occasion it was today to see children, parents and staff turn out in such numbers! We are pilgrims of faith, hope and love!”

We were also honoured to have Mrs. Fisher represent our school at St. John Ogilvie Primary, where she joined a pupil and parent to celebrate Mass with the Papal Nuncio and Bishop Frank—an inspiring moment of connection with the wider Church.

Our celebrations included the Sacraments of First Reconciliation, Confirmation, and First Communion, marking important milestones in our pupils’ faith journeys. We extend our deepest thanks to Father Peter for his spiritual guidance, to our school staff for their dedicated preparation and creative contributions, and to our parish community for their ongoing prayers and support.

Together, we continue to walk in faith, hope, and love—true pilgrims of the Jubilee.

St Patrick’s, St Ninian’s, St John’s, St Cuthbert’s and Sacred Heart

Throughout this Jubilee Year of Hope, each school within the Queen Margaret cluster has embraced the opportunity to reflect, celebrate, and come together in faith. Every primary school and parish marked the beginning of the year with their own unique launch events, highlighting the importance of individual contributions to our shared journey. As part of this, schools also held their own staff and pupil retreats, creating valuable space for prayer, reflection, and spiritual growth.

As a cluster staff, we continued the pilgrim walks that we began back in 2023 – weekend journeys between our parishes, from Troon to Girvan and back – where we prayed, walked, and shared time together outside of the classroom. The Year of Hope made these moments even more special, allowing us to pause and recognise the strength found in faith, friendship, and community.

A special highlight was when all our Primary 7 pupils gathered in Girvan for a prayer service and coastal pilgrimage, marking a memorable moment of unity and hope. Community has truly been our strength, and as we begin this new school year, we do so with renewed commitment and joyful plans to continue walking this path together

Primary 5 hosted a special assembly for the whole school and parents about the history of a Jubilee year in . They also produced our fantastic school display board at the entrance of our school.

During Lent we did the Big Lent Walk with a twist as all the classes voted for a slightly different sponsored event. It was lots of fun and so amazingly well supported by our families and parish. Raising £1540.00

Nursery had a sponsored obstacle course.

P1 and 2 did a sponsored scoot-a-thon with P7 buddies at Dock Park.

P3 did a sponsored scoot in the playground.

P4 did a sponsored Big Town Tour.

P5 were sponsored for a cyc-lo-thon and managed 15 miles each a whopping 405 miles.

Finally P6 completed a skate-a-thon.

We also had a special Jubilee Celebration of the World and on International Culture Day we all designed paper plates of food from across the globe. Everyone was invited to wear cultural dress and celebrate our diversity.  We  also invited the Singing Children of Kenya to our school on the 26th of August as they toured the country.  They had lunch with us, played football and then performed a wonderful concert in our school parish, St Andrew's RC Church Dumfries.

As the new term starts in this Jubilee year, 

Students at St Matthew’s have engaged in several experiences encapsulating the theme of Pilgrims of Hope. In August, the RMPS class joined with peers from the other secondary schools in the diocese for the second annual Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies Diocesan Conference. During the day, pupils were able to contend with some of the moral issues covered within the course, especially focusing on Morality and Medicine. Joining us this year were Mary McGinty who spoke to our young people about End of Life Care in Scotland, and Fr. Dan Fitzpatrick who spoke about ethical approaches to Organ Donation. Feedback from pupils was hugely positive, especially having the chance to meet pupils from other schools.

Just a week later, pupils from the 4 schools came together again, for the Caritas Inauguration mass. Hosted by St Matthew’s, we were joined by Bishop Frank and Father Stephen as the new S6 pupils made their first steps on their journey of volunteering and reflection. Bishop Frank spoke of the importance and value of Caritas, and in helping others, noting that it would spark something new in the hearts of the young people. Father Stephen continued this encouragement, suggesting that the work of each person could have a wider effect on those around them, heartening and supporting the faith of others. Pupils then had an immediate chance to work and support others through the Crazy Big Caritas Quiz, with a team made up of St Matthew’s and St Joseph’s Academy pupils emerging victorious! The day was a huge success as pupils met others beginning the journey of Caritas, and being able to serve others.

The next event will be our feast day mass, where S1 and S6 pupils will have the chance to celebrate the jubilee year together, as Pilgrims of Hope.

Read all about the Jubilee celebrations that have taken place in St Winning's this year, in their article above.

The All Saints’ Learning Community ‘Walk of Witness’

In June this year, pupils and staff from the All Saints’ learning community in Glasgow celebrated our first ‘Walk of Witness’. To mark the Jubilee year, pupils from All Saints’ RC Secondary, St Martha’s Primary, St Philomena’s Primary, St Catherine’s Primary and St Monica’s Primary (Milton) put our faith into action and walked the length of our learning community. This was a fantastic celebration of faith and putting it at the centre of what we do. We were overwhelmed with the positive response and experience that we had at the walk, from Parishes along the way welcoming us for a quick stop or cars passing by tooting their horns! We are also so thrilled to have been the first school to do something like this to celebrate the Jubilee and that our work has inspired others to do the same.

Lourdes Secondary School Celebrates the Jubilee Year of Hope

At Lourdes Secondary School, our community of faith has joyfully embraced the Jubilee Year of Hope through different spiritual and charitable activities that are rooted in our school values of Faith, Respect and Ambition. Our celebration has brought together staff and pupils in a shared journey of hope.

Throughout lent, we engaged in weekly reflections, Holy Mass, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation, offering moments of peace and prayerful connection. The Sacrament of Reconciliation provided opportunities for spiritual growth and healing, reminding us of the grace found in forgiveness through our life journey.

Our commitment to living out the Gospel message has also been expressed through generous acts of giving. Through the “Given” initiative, our school community has contributed to foodbank collections, spare change donations, and other charitable efforts—each one a testament to the hope we strive to bring to others.

Together, these experiences have deepened our faith and strengthened our bonds as a school community. As we continue to walk in hope, we remain inspired by the belief that even the smallest act of kindness can be a light in someone’s life. Read more in our article attached...

This year, Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School has joyfully embraced the spirit of the Jubilee Year 2025, a sacred time in the Catholic tradition dedicated to renewal, reconciliation, and hope. Under the theme “Pilgrims of Hope”, the school community has come together in faith, reflection, and action to journey through this special year with purpose and unity. Read all about it in our article attached.

Our Lady of the Annunciation Primary School’s Liturgy Group renamed themselves The Pilgrims of Hope Group to mark the special Jubilee Year of Hope. The Primary 4 Pilgrims of Hope Group made it a key mission to learn about Missio Scotland and to offer hope to those in need through prayer and action.

During Lent all our classes started a pilgrimage to a variety of holy places using their daily mile time and beyond to walk for Missio Scotland. Mr Gough from Missio Scotland came to speak at assembly to share all about the great work they do and pupils learned about the Holy Father’s official charity for overseas mission in their classrooms.

Very quickly our 170 pupils made it to Glasgow Cathedral, then Carfin Grotto, then Westminster Cathedral. On 1 April the Pilgrims of Hope Group led a pilgrimage walk around the Newlands and Merrylee area with the whole school community. They shared the message of hope to their local community and raised over £2000 for Missio Scotland.

The school have made it passed Notre Dame and are looking forward to reaching St Peter’s Basilica, and maybe even Bethlehem this year, as they continue their pilgrimage of hope. Wish us luck.

As part of the Jubilee Year, the Diocese of Paisley encouraged families to take part in a virtual pilgrimage to Rome. During this Jubilee Year our school focused on the theme of pilgrimage and the virtue of hope. Each pupil had a Pilgrim Passport consisting of a number of “steps” made by visiting a local parish, attending Mass and saying a “pilgrim prayer”. Jubilee Year stickers were awarded as a result of taking part in the Pilgrimages.

St Helen’s Primary School, Condorrat

As a school community, we have enjoyed learning about the 2025 Jubilee Year. In whole school assemblies, we spent time discussing the theme and logo, as well as exploring how we can become ‘pilgrims of hope.’

Staff from cluster schools have worked together to create opportunities for children to come together in prayer and learning, participating in a series of joint events, including:
• A Cluster Mass at Holy Cross
• A retreat at the Shrine of Our Lady
• The Year of Hope Pilgrimage at St. Patrick’s Primary School

Our Primary 1–4 classes have each been gifted a ‘Teddy of Hope.’ The teddy wears a T-shirt featuring the 2025 Jubilee Year logo. Each week, one child from each class takes home the ‘Teddy of Hope’, scans a QR code, and listens to an inspiring story about hope. The children are also encouraged to discuss the logo and theme of the Jubilee Year with their families. This allows the children to share the Good News and follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Our Primary 5–7 classes have been gifted a 2025 Jubilee Year candle, which displays the Jubilee Year logo. This has pride of place on each class altar and is used to promote discussion and serve as a focus for prayer sessions.

We are looking forward to continuing our faith journey throughout this year, with many more exciting learning experiences to come!

We have celebrated the Jubilee year of Hope with a focus on supporting local charities.  Our pupils planned, organised and took part in a Dance-a-Thon to raise money for St Margaret of Scotland Hospice in Clydebank.  We raised a total of £2120.  This is an amazing achievement, and we are so proud of our school community.  

Our Stewards of the Earth prepared and led a whole-school assembly to celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope. This assembly provided a meaningful opportunity for children to engage with the Pilgrim of Hope theme.

During the assembly, children were reminded of the many ways our school community embraces this theme:

●  Our school choir visited a local care home and St. Margaret's Hospice,

●  We organised fundraising events to raise money for Mary’s Meals.

●  Our Stewards of the Earth prepared a programme of Advent activities, which included fundraising for SCIAF and a daily morning Advent service. The group also led an Advent service.

●  Our Stewards of the Earth arranged a coffee morning after St. Joseph’s Day Mass, where they presented their Mary’s Meals presentation to parishioners.

These events promoted pupil leadership and active participation in the faith life of the school. It provided an opportunity for students to reflect on the values of Catholic Education and the significance of the upcoming Jubilee Year 2025.

As part of our celebrations for Catholic Education Week all pupils of St Bernard’s Primary took part in reflective morning retreats held in St Bernard’s Parish.

With hearts open and spirits high each class walked reverently to St Bernard’s Parish setting out on a journey of faith. 

A true pilgrimage of hope.

Our Food Bank Campaign supported the Crookston Community Group, with generous contributions from families helping to bring hope to local households in need.

Some upper school pupils also organise a monthly  community café at St. Robert’s after First Friday Mass.

They warmly welcome parishioners to enjoy tea and cake while teaching digital skills using iPads creating a friendly space for learning and connection.

Read more about the work of each class in our PowerPoint atatched.

Pilgrims of Hope Jenga Cross

Our S6 Caritas group decided to make a Jenga cross. 

The cross will be our cross of Hope and be our way to mark the Jubilee year.

All of St Margaret Mary's and St  Oswald pupils, as well as staff and support workers designed a Jenga block of hope to place on the cross.

Through presentations created by the Caritas group, all pupils learned about being Pilgrims of Hope and then designed their block with their message of hope.

The group also decided to include the new S1 pupils coming from our feeder schools.

Caritas pupils visited the schools and shared the idea with them. It was great to see that during their transition days- the P7 pupils were able to place their blocks on the cross.

When the cross is complete it will contain 600 blocks of Hope and be over 8ft tall. and be a reminder of our journey as pilgrims throughout this year.

The cross will be hung in the oratory during our celebrations of St Margaret Mary's feast days later in the year.

This year has brought our school closer together in both community and faith and allowed all departments to work, with a common theme, Hope.  Hope for our future, our community and our world.

Read all about the ways that we celebrated the Jubilee Year in our PowerPoint attached.

At St Thomas Aquinas, the Jubilee Year of Hope has provided a profound opportunity for our community to reflect, rejoice, and renew our commitment to living out Gospel values through prayer, service, and celebration.

One of the most moving moments of our journey through the Jubilee Year came during our Easter Reflection Service, centred on the theme of Hope in the Resurrection. Pupils from all year groups gathered to reflect on Christ’s triumph over death and the promise of new life. Students were invited to consider how hope is a light in darkness — and how we are called to carry that light into our families, school, and wider world.

Read more in our article attached.

On Friday 5th September 2025, we went on pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Carfin, where we had our whole school First Friday Mass with Fr.

Vincent.

During Lent, we travelled on a Stations of the Cross pilgrimage around the grounds of Corpus Christi Church.

Read about our whole school activities attached.

On Thursday 1^st May 2025, the entire school community of St. John Paul II Primary School in Viewpark set off as Pilgrims of Hope to the National Marian Shrine in Carfin.  It had long been an aspiration for Kris Thomas, Head Teacher, that the school would make this pilgrimage and what better year to achieve this than during the Jubilee of 2025?

Father Grant, Guardian of the Grotto, along with his amazing team of volunteers and helpers supported the school in planning and preparing the programme for the day. 

On the morning of our Pilgrimage, 7 buses arrived to transport over 400 excited children, staff and volunteers who had offered their support.  We arrived at the Grotto, which looked resplendent and in full bloom!  The volunteers at the Grotto had really gone above and beyond in preparing for our visit.  They at ensured the grounds were perfect, the areas we were using were ready for us, we had sound and they even had a water station set up for the children to visit if they needed a drink to keep them going!

We began our day with a snack and some exploring.   This was followed by a very beautiful and prayerful Rosary Procession, which was led by our Pope Francis Faith Award children.  It was amazing to hear our prayers and singing echoing around the Grotto.  It was providential that we visited on a Thursday and could therefore pray the Mysteries of Light, which were instituted by Pope St. John Paul II himself.

We gathered for Holy Mass at the shrine of St. John Paul II, directly in front of the Glass Chapel.  Father Bogan was the celebrant.  Father Morris joined us for Mass and offered our youngest children a special blessing.  Many of our family members and parishioners were also so able to join us.

At the weekend, our school community came together to celebrate the Year of the Jubilee with a joyful and faith-filled family event – our Jubilee Jamboree. The event was very well attended, with families, parishioners, and community members of all ages joining in the celebration.

Pope Francis has encouraged the Church to “be infected by the light of hope and spread it to others.” This spirit of hope was clearly visible throughout the day, as families, parishioners, and local residents gathered to share prayer, thanksgiving, and community.

Throughout the event, families visited a range of reflective and creative stations, pausing to enjoy picnics and conversation together:

• Rock Cave of Prayer – A grotto made from recycled materials, inspired by the rock at Lourdes where Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette. Families lit candles and offered private intentions in a quiet moment of prayer.

• Pebbles of Peace – Children and adults decorated pebbles with words and symbols of hope, leaving behind visible reminders of faith, peace, and love.

• Community Wall of Thanks – Visitors expressed their gratitude for blessings in Caldercruix and beyond, celebrating the goodness found in everyday life.

• Time Capsule of Hope – Families wrote messages and prayers to be sealed away and opened in 10 years. Many expressed heartfelt wishes for peace in our world, alongside personal intentions.

• Tree of Hope – Intentions and prayers were written and hung on the branches beneath the words: “May this tree blossom with all our hopes.”

The event was a joyful expression of faith and togetherness, uniting generations in prayer, reflection, and celebration. Our Jubilee Jamboree was a beautiful expression of faith and community spirit – a true reminder that the light of hope is alive and shining brightly in Caldercruix.

Friday 29th August was a special day for over 500 young people from secondary schools from across the Diocese, as they came together for a Walk of Hope to mark the Jubilee year.

The day began in St Francis Xavier Parish Church, Carfin, where Bishop Toal welcomed pupils and teachers from 12 secondary schools. During the prayer service, candles marked with each school’s badge were blessed. These candles became an important symbol of the journey that followed.

With the Bishop walking alongside them, pupils set off on foot from Carfin Grotto to Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral in Motherwell. The sight of so many young people walking and praying together was powerful, showing a real sense of unity and faith.

When they arrived at the Cathedral, the pilgrimage ended as it had begun with prayer. The school candles, first blessed at the start of the day, were lit inside the Cathedral. Their light reminded everyone of the hope that the Jubilee Year celebrates. Afterwards, each candle was taken back to school to continue shining as a sign of faith and hope for the future.

For many pupils, the pilgrimage was not just a walk but an experience of togetherness, reflection, and joy and a day they will long remember.

St Columba’s High School, Gourock have been blessed to receive a relic of St. Carlo Acutis during this Jubilee Year of Hope. Pupils have enjoyed learning about this inspiring young saint and find his life relatable, especially his love for technology and the Eucharist. Many have expressed feeling renewed in their faith and inspired to live with greater purpose. Our S6 Faith Ambassadors are especially excited to lead prayer services for their peers and to share Carlo’s story with our cluster primary schools, celebrating the Church’s first millennial saint. One pupil shared: “We feel honoured to receive this relic of St Carlo Acutis. It is great to have a saint who has experienced a life that is quite like ours. We have loved learning about his life and are inspired to help others in some of the ways St Carlo did.”

Our Liturgy for Easter this year focused on the theme of “Pilgrims of Hope” taken from the year dedicated as a Jubilee year by the late Pope Francis. It was an opportunity for the pupils and staff to think about the impact they have on those around them, the challenges we all face, what values are important to us and of course how we can make a difference in the future. It provided a beautiful opportunity for everyone attending to switch off from busy school life and reflect, pray and contemplate on the future.

Our theme asked the pupils to reflect and to think ahead, what differences have you made, what hopes do you have, what values are you taking forward in your life and using to make changes, what seeds are you planting to make sure your hopes can become a reality. It was a beautiful contemplative Liturgy which the pupils really enjoyed.

They took the time to write letters to their future selves thinking about the plans they want to put into place. Through their letters they expressed what they hope will be a joyful, loving, giving world where they will all be able to grow and share with each other their many blessings through love.

Jubilee Year Pilgrims of Hope

To celebrate the Jubilee Year, Pilgrims of Hope, all pupils and staff at St. Margaret’s Academy participated in a religious service that explained the background of the Jubilee Year, the symbolism behind it, and its relevance to our hopes for the future. Each of the services was supported by the CARITAS pupils.

During the service, everyone created a small paper figure, similar to those on the Pilgrims of Hope logo. The figure represented each individual, and they wrote down a hope for the world and a hope for themselves.

The figures were then added to our own St. Margaret’s Academy Pilgrims of Hope banner, which is displayed in the school Oratory until January 2026.

In addition to this, all S1, S2, and S3 pupils were given the opportunity to take part in one of 12 pilgrimages to Carfin Grotto. Part of the visit included a walk, where they collected information from the various areas in the Grotto. Each pilgrimage concluded with a candlelit service in the Glass Chapel, centered around the theme of the Mysteries of Light.

In September/October 2025, we will complete the services and pilgrimages for the new S1 pupils.