Loreto celebrates leavers with live online Mass

With the Coronavirus lockdown continuing, schools have not been able to give their Year 14 and Year 12 students the usual affirming and affectionate send-offs as the traditional examination season begins.

The annual Leavers’ Mass for Year 14 students, with parents and family members present, is a rite of passage which is always one of the high points of the year at Loreto College; a Mass is also always held for Year 12 students, some of whom may not return to take up sixth form studies in the new school year. The Loreto Senior Leadership Team and Religious Education department came up with the idea of a Mass celebrated in isolation and streamed live online to the students and their families, including some farewell speeches and tributes to wish the students well.

Following much hard work by Senior Teacher Mrs Siobhan McCarry and her colleagues in the RE Department, the idea became reality on Thursday, May 14. Loreto College collaborated with popular Facebook page Catholic Minute and Fr Raymond McCullagh was kind enough to agree to be the celebrant. The live broadcast streamed to an estimated 3500 people from the College Chapel.