The Very Reverend Darryl Cotton has been leading our School Eucharist services while we look to appoint a new chaplain. He reflects on his experience so far.

What a joy and privilege it has been for me to lead our children (and staff) in school chapel services this year! While our School has been looking for a new school chaplain, Bishop Ian Coutts and myself have been officiating at fortnightly Primary chapel services and termly Secondary services. A school chaplain is at the centre of the spiritual life of the school and during this vacancy, you can be assured the spiritual needs of our children will be met.

As an Anglican School, it is our School’s aim to nurture spiritual growth. This includes commemorating the major Christian feasts and festivals such as Ash Wednesday and Easter. Nurturing spiritual growth also means marking significant secular occasions such as National Sorry Day and ANZAC day. By doing this we demonstrate how our Christian faith is all life-embracing and encompasses all we do in the world. The aim is to develop young people who have a considered and compassionate outlook on life, informed by their own thoughtful system of values.

Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School employs a model of wellbeing that places value on positive emotions, engaging with schooling, developing good relationships, finding meaning and the satisfaction of attainment, alongside the development of good health. To achieve this, our School focuses on character strengths to support student wellbeing, and each chapel service incorporates the character strength of the week. The brief sermon I deliver encourages the weekly character strength and is supported by appropriately selected scripture.

One of the most rewarding features of chapel services is when it is time for the distribution of Holy Communion. Teaching staff will stand in the four corners of the Chapel and students are invited to go a staff member for a blessing. The next time you as a parent attend a chapel service, I invite you to look at the beautiful smiles on our teachers’ faces as they bend down to each student that comes forward and they pronounce a blessing. By definition, a blessing is to invoke divine favour and the enjoyment of this moment on our teaching staff’s faces shows us something of what’s in their hearts – they genuinely desire the best for our children committed to their care.

The Very Reverend Darryl Cotton :: Dean, St Boniface Cathedral