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On Sunday 7 July, Bishop Richard and members of the Education Service celebrated the induction of Tim Hulse as Headteacher of St Philip Howard Catholic School, Barnham, in Our Lady of Sorrows Church, in the Parish of Bognor Regis & Slindon.

The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Richard and Fr Chris Bergin, and the parish welcomed Tim and his family, members of the school community, governors, deanery colleagues, Bosco Catholic Education Trust and the diocesan Director of Education. The church and parish hall afterwards were full, as the community celebrated this special occasion.

In his homily, Bishop Richard described the mission of the Church and of our diocesan schools:

“In our school communities, we are in the business of enabling our young people to go out into our world and to do what Ezekiel did, to do Paul did and to act as Christ did. We are preparing them to set foot in our world, a world that is not always open to the message of the Gospel, and despite the difficulties it can create, to remain faithful to the task that God gives to us. That is at the heart of our purpose of education in the present time because the Church must always be prophetic.”

“For every one of us in this church this this is called by the Lord to be his representative – his prophet – in today’s world. Each and every one of us is called to this great task. So, today, let us pray that we will be open to the Spirit who prompts our actions. Let us pray that we will open our minds and hearts to the Lord, who gives us his strength. And let us pray especially for Tim and for our school teams – all of them, across the Diocese – that they will all be communities of faith, communities of hope, communities of love: communities where our young people are open to the strength that comes from the Lord, for the work he gives us to do.”

Introducing himself to the Deanery community after his appointment, Tim wrote:

"Having worked at SPH for the past eight years, it’s my honour to serve the students and staff entrusted to our care. Teaching is far more than a job: it’s a vocation. St John Bosco reminds us that it is about winning the hearts and minds of young people. There is no greater privilege, and at SPH I could not be prouder of all our staff. We are truly a child- and Christ-centred community, something that sets us apart from others.

"SPH is the Catholic secondary school for the deanery and is here to ensure that our children receive the very best possible education; where they are known, loved, nurtured, and challenged to fulfil their God-given potential.  SPH is in the Top 15% of schools nationally and has twice been rated as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Whilst we are proud of these achievements, we are a school where children are known and loved. Our aspirations are to create kind, happy children and provide a better education than they could obtain from any other school. Your prayers for our community are always welcomed, and we give thanks for the support we get from our Catholic community. SPH is a truly dynamic, energetic, and happy place to be; we are ferociously ambitious for our students in every aspect of their lives."