The shepherd caring for the needs of their flock in their pasture is the pastor and, in the Gospels, Jesus is described as the ‘Good Shepherd’. So we think of ‘pastoral care’ as seeing that the spiritual, physical and mental needs of those around us are met. In day-to-day life this means parents caring for children, children caring for parents, teachers caring for pupils, health professionals caring for patients, the police protecting us and so on….
For more than a century, but especially in the years following the Second Vatican Council, the Church has given us what has become known as its ‘social teaching’ expressing our responsibility towards the poor, the weak, the marginalised, the lonely and dispossessed.
We are blessed in our parish with people who give their time freely to help others in the community.
St Peter’s and St Gildas’ School
In the heart of Crouch End, St Peter’s Infant School and St Gildas’ Junior School welcomes all children into an inclusive Catholic community that practises acceptance, nurtures growth and produces lifelong learners.
Operating as the Federation of St Peter in Chains and St Gildas’ Catholic Schools, we are proud of our multicultural school community. Together, our pupils and staff represent 6 of the 7 continents of our world, something we celebrate in both our classroom and whole school activities.
As a Catholic School St Peter’s and St Gildas’ promotes respect and collaboration. Our school community includes children and families from a wide range of faiths and non-faith backgrounds and enjoys learning about the beliefs, customs and traditions of many religions. We are fortunate to be located close to our parish church which allows for regular visits and close links with the wider community.
The school’s latest Ofsted reports in 2024 marked both the Infants and Junior schools as ‘Good’. The best place to start to find out about the schools is on their website.
Admissions and Transfers
Details of the admissions process are published in the newsletter in the Autumn before the year of admission as are details of Catholic Secondary Schools Open Evenings prior to Secondary school transfers and the arrangements for obtaining signatures on the necessary Priest Reference Forms.
‘The Friends’
The Friends of St Peter’s and St Gildas’ schools is a social and fund-raising group that arranges many activities to raise necessary funds to support the schools. All contributions and support are welcome and all talents can be profitably used! To learn more about ‘The Friends’ or get involved, visit their website.
Soup Run
We always need your donations for tea, coffee, sugar and sandwich fillings which can be brought to the door of the Basement Parish Rooms between 1pm-4pm on Saturday afternoon. Donations can be left at the back of church at other times. Financial donations are also needed to help meet the additional costs of fresh foods, cups, sandwich bags etc. Donations can be made in the Soup Run wall safe in church or via the Contactless payment terminal – ‘Support the needy’
We still need drivers, distributors and sandwich-makers! Contact Kit for more info on 07507 138582 or email kit.greveson@gmail.com. Many thanks to our existing, wonderful, dedicated teams of sandwich makers, distributors and drivers!
How we came about and continue:
When a group of Confirmation candidates saw homeless people sleeping rough in doorways on the Strand late one evening over 30 years ago, they decided to do something to help and the Soup Run was born. So every Saturday since, volunteers have gathered to make tea, coffee and sandwiches which is then distributed to vulnerable beneficiaries in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, Central London. Oddly enough, they don’t make soup! The project has been supported throughout by local bakers Dunns, and also more latterly by Gail’s in Crouch End, with bread donated every Friday evening. Parishioners and members of the local community have also been very generous, helping both financially and through donations in kind.
The Covid-19 pandemic meant a complete reorganisation was required to comply with guidelines and keep both guests and volunteers as safe as possible. Sandwich teams comprise a maximum of 4 ‘masked’ volunteers meeting each Saturday at 3pm who distance as far as is possible in the limited basement space at the Presbytery. Hygiene is paramount, with gloves and sanitizer readily available. All food is pre-wrapped in ‘goody bags’ to avoid physical contact between volunteers and guests. The soup run is a member of the borough-wide Haringey Food Hub where extra ambient items can be collected to supplement these bags and give our beneficiaries a wider choice.
The distribution teams are made up of 5 volunteers (3 drivers/2 ‘baggers’ who bag up any loose cakes/buns/savouries donated by Dunns at 6pm on Saturday evenings). Distribution takes about 2 hours or so depending on traffic conditions and numbers of guests, usually about 60. Volunteers work flexibly and currently are helping about once every 3 weeks, the majority belonging to a WhatsApp group although this is not a prerequisite. We are always in need of volunteers, especially drivers, so if you’d like to find out more, please contact Kit Greveson on 07507138582 or email kit.greveson@gmail.com.
Legion of Mary
The Legion of Mary is a world-wide association of Catholics who have formed themselves into a body to be of service to the Church in the modern world.
The Legion of Mary has a weekly meeting with prayer to the Holy Spirit and the Rosary. A main feature of meetings are reports of the work performed by members – always in pairs. The work may be home visitation, census work, visits to sick, elderly, housebound or lapsed members of the parish community taking up no more than 2 hours of one’s free time.
Meetings take place on Wednesday in the Parish Rooms at 7pm starting late January 2025 (date to be confirmed).
Food Banks
Recent years have seen more and more people needing to access food banks. We would ask anyone who is able to consider donating, when they can, to one of our local food banks.
Holy Trinity Foodbank
Holy Trinity Church Hall on Stapleton Hall Road, next to St Aidan’s School, N4 4RR, near the junction with Albany Road.
Website: https://www.holytrinityfoodbank.org.uk/
Hornsey Food Bank
The Methodist Church, on the corner of Middle Lane and Lightfoot Road, Haringey, London, N8 7JN.
Website: https://hornseyfoodbank.com/
Gospel Centre Foodbank
Gospel Centre Foodbank is at the bottom of Wightman Road, just opposite the Mosque.
Website: https://www.gospelcentre.co.uk/foodbank.html
The Hive foodbank
St Mary’s Church, Ashley Road, N19 3AD.
Website: https://thehivefoodbank.com/
Muswell Hill foodbank
68 Pembroke Road, N10 2HT.
Website: https://muswellhill.foodbank.org.uk
Caritas Westminster
‘The measure of the greatness of a society is found in the way it treats those most in need, those who have nothing apart from their poverty.’ – [Pope Francis, March 2013]
Since 2012, Caritas has been supporting and enhancing social action in the Diocese of Westminster. We encourage Catholic parishes to use their gifts and passions to make a difference in their local communities. We do this by:
- Supporting parishes to run their own social action projects
- Running services for Deaf and hard of hearing people, people with learning disabilities, and women escaping human trafficking
- Developing partnerships with local and national NGOs
- Giving grants for parish projects and individuals in need
- Developing resources for parish priests and volunteers
For more information visit the Caritas website.