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Chavagnes: setting Europe on fire with the love of Christ!
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STAGE d'ANGLAIS
Learn ENGLISH THIS SUMMER
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| Lenten Alms |
Why not make a gesture for Catholic education this Lent, and offer your Lenten alms for the development of Catholic education at Chavagnes?
Make a pledge here:
God bless you! |
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 Dear friends,
Here is a round-up of the latest news from Chavagnes, the Catholic boarding school for boys. We have been busy; that's why we didn't send you any news at Christmas. But with our prayerful good wishes for Lent, we also wish all of our friends happiness and blessings in 2015.
Pictured above are members of our choir with His Exellency Archbishop Zbigņev Stankevičs, on 8th February after Sunday Mass in the Cathedral of Riga, Latvia. This was part of a choir tour that included Latvia, Estonia and also the Baslica of the Sacred Heart, Montmartre, in Paris. |
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| | Music and faith: no need for words! |  A highlight of our trip to the Baltics was a visit to an old peoples' home in Riga.
We gave a 30-minute concert to the residents; our programme included Bach, Mozart, Saint Sa�ns, Palestrina and Byrd, but we were unable to communicate with our listeners, except with our song, smiles and handshakes. It was a prayerful and happy time for them, and for us.
Other activities included a visit and concert for the 140 pupils at the Riga Catholic High school with whom we hope to establish an exchange link, and then three days of skiing, snowboarding and building snowmen in Estonia! On the return trip we spent 2 nights of Eucharistic adoration at Montmarte (they have a hostel there, and you sign up for an hour or two of adoration during the night.) We were very honoured to sing for the main Sunday Mass at the Basilica and received a wonderfully warm welcome from the Benedictine nuns who run the hostel. |
| | Hamlet for Christmas |  Our boys deserve special congratulations for the fine play performed at the end of the first term. The last day of school before Christmas featured a 2-hour long performance of Hamlet, complete with impressive fencing scenes, and then a Carol Service and Christmas party for boys and their parents. In the play, the performances of Arthur de Kerdrel (Hamlet) and Alistair McKay (Polonius) particularly stood out. Well done, boys. If you have plenty of time, you can watch the whole play here:
 | | CIC-Hamlet Complet |
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| | Scouts de Chavagnes |  Our Scouts have had a busy few months: weekend camps and hikes, stocking up on new kit to make them smart for the next Paris-Chartres pilgrimage (including new belts from WFIS http://www.wfis-europe.org) and meeting up with Latvian Christian scouts in Baldone, near Riga.
Our two patrols of Tigers and Panthers are ably managed by our Scoutmasters Mr Senosiain and Henri Crevat (one of our House Captains). Watch out for our lads if you are walking from Paris to Chartres, 23-25 May, 2015. |
| | Academic news |  This year we have four boys who will be taking A-level examinations two who will be sitting a mixture of the French baccalaureate and English A-levels. A number of good university offers have been received by this year's group, including one from Oriel College, Oxford. The likely destinations, depending on results, are Oxford University, Edinburgh University, University of the Highlands and Islands, University of Wales and the French Army. Four boys will also be taking AS-levels (equivalent of the Premi�re in the French system), five boys will sit GCSEs and six boys will sit the French Brevet exam (Year 10/Troisi�me). Please keep our exam candidates in your prayers.
We were delighted recently to receive a visit from Ambroise Julien-Laferri�re (Chavagnes 2011-2014, pictured above left) who has enjoyed his first very successful term at the University of Buckingham, studying International Management. He was our first boy to gain both A-levels and the French baccalaureate. Keep up the good work, Ambroise! |
| Well done, Father(s)! |  The best Christmas present we received this year was the news of out first old-boy priest, Father Stephen Morrison, O. Praem (Chavagnes 2002-2005). Father Stephen (pictured left) was ordained in Brentwood, Essex, on 6th December.
Two former Chavagnes teachers have followed the same road: Canon Francis Altiere (ordained in August 2014) and Rev. Ian Verrier, due for ordination to the priesthood in May 2015. We hope to receive visits from our young priests some time this academic year. |
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So, in these difficult times for Europe and the world, we keep smiling and we keep the faith. If you can help us in our apostolate, by prayer, financial support or by spreading the word about our school, please do! We can send you prospectuses if you think you can distribute some. Just let us know by email to principal@chavagnes.org
Keep us in your prayers!
Sincerely,
Ferdi McDermott, Principal
Chavagnes International College
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