Chaplaincy
Meet the Chaplaincy Team
New Hall was founded in 1642 by the Canonesses of the Holy Sepulchre. As the largest Catholic boarding & day school in the UK, New Hall is supported by a vibrant Chaplaincy Team of 23 lay and religious staff. The Team includes our Head of Chaplaincy (Deacon-in-Training), our Resident Priest, and four Sisters of the Daughters of the Resurrection, alongside dedicated Chaplaincy Assistants – two of whom will spend a term in Rwanda with our sister Community. Resident members of the Senior Leadership Team are actively involved in Chaplaincy life.
Where are we Based?
The Chaplaincy Team is based at the heart of the School in the Chaplaincy Chambers, located in the Hawley Quad. Recently renovated, these Chambers provide a welcoming and informal space, with comfortable seating and dedicated teaching rooms for Chaplaincy sessions.
Open at break and lunchtime, the space is a natural hub for students to pause, reflect or simply spend time with their friends. It also houses an extensive array of theology books and materials detailing our longstanding links with our sister Community in Masaka, Rwanda.
Across the School site, three chapels provide sacred spaces for Mass, Morning Prayer, and Evening Prayer. Mass has been celebrated for over 225 years in our historic Chapel at the heart of our main Tudor building. Our St Francis Chapel provides a prayerful space for our Preparatory Divisions, while a cosy Barn Chapel welcomes smaller groups for prayer and liturgies.
Chaplaincy on the Timetable
All students in Years 5-9 take part in a fortnightly, timetabled Chaplaincy session. These are led by our dedicated Chaplaincy Assistants and are designed to support students in reflecting on their faith, character and personal development.
Themes are drawn from the Religious Education Directive and respond to the experiences of our students. Sessions take place in the relaxed setting of the Chaplaincy Chambers and Caim Space, creating opportunities for open conversation and quiet reflection. These sessions encourage students to explore spirituality in a meaningful way, supporting them as they grow in confidence and understanding.
Co-Curricular Chaplaincy Activities
We recognise that faith formation extends well beyond timetabled sessions. Throughout the week, the Chaplaincy Team offers a wide range of co-curricular opportunities, creating meaningful space for fellowship, thoughtful discussion, and service.
These include:
• Bible Stories & Biscuits
• Bible Study
• Craft & Chat
• Corpus – our student society for racial justice and equality
• Silver Stories - a reading club with the elderly
• Pray & Play
• Live Band
• Chaplaincy Tuck Shop
• Evening pastoral support within the Boarding Houses
• New Hall Voluntary Service
Together, these initiatives foster community and offer students informal, welcoming spaces where faith can be explored naturally and joyfully.
Scan to see our Chaplaincy & New Hall Voluntary Service Timetable
Sacramental & Liturgical Life
First Holy Communion & Confirmation Classes
Students are supported in preparing for the Sacraments of First Holy Communion and Confirmation through dedicated formation sessions led by our Priest Chaplain and Chaplaincy Team. The Sacraments themselves are celebrated in our School Chapel, with families warmly invited to join us. It is always a significant and celebratory occasion for the whole School community.
Lecture Series
During Advent and Lent, our Resident Priest, Father Andrew – an Oxford music scholar and lecturer in Scripture – leads a series of talks exploring the Gospels. These evenings are open to students, staff, families, and members of the wider parish.
Mass & Daily Prayer
Each term begins with a whole-School Mass in the Chapel. Daily Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, along with lunchtime Mass, are offered for all who wish to attend. The School gathers for principal celebrations such as Ash Wednesday Mass, and the Advent and Lenten Liturgies. Our boarders and residential staff come together each Sunday to celebrate Mass before supper.
Chapel Assembly
Each Division gathers weekly for Chapel Assembly, connecting students with the Gospel of the week and providing space for reflection within the rhythm of School life.
Easter at New Hall: Residential
Each year, we host the Easter Triduum at New Hall, welcoming parishioners, families, Old Fishes, and friends to join our Sisters, staff, and students in a residential celebration from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday.
Together, these initiatives foster community and offer students informal, welcoming spaces where faith can be explored naturally and joyfully.
Chaplaincy Trips & Retreats
The Chaplaincy Team organises a range of off-site trips throughout the year, enabling students to encounter the wider Church and live their faith beyond the School. Students attend the biennial Flame concert –the largest Catholic youth event in the UK. Additionally, each summer, students take part in Diocesan Lourdes Pilgrimage.
Each term, we host Retreat Days for Primary and Prep schools, welcoming visiting classes to join us for Mass and engage in a variety of activities, including art, meditation, prayer stations, quizzes, and a tour of our Farm & Outdoor Centre for the Natural Sciences.
Mission House at New Hall
In July 2025, the Mission House of the Daughters of the Resurrection of Masaka, Rwanda, was established at New Hall. Four Rwandan Sisters now live and work within our School community, enriching daily life through their presence and witness. The Sisters join us for Morning and Evening Prayer, and for daily lunchtime Mass. They teach French within the Preparatory Divisions, support in the Nursery, and are actively involved in boarding life and Chaplaincy co-curricular activities, including our NHVS Gardening Club.
Our partnership is reciprocal. Each year, two of our Chaplaincy Assistants spend a term in Rwanda, volunteering alongside the Community and its School, teaching English and supporting boarding activities. This exchange strengthens the relationship between our two communities. We are now developing a student volunteer and internship programme, enabling current students and alumni to serve alongside the Community in Masaka in the years ahead.
Chaplaincy Prefects
Each year, a team of Chaplaincy Prefects is appointed to represent the student body within the Catholic life of the School. These students play an active role in supporting and shaping the spiritual life of the community.
The responsibilities include:
- Assisting with whole-School liturgies, Preparatory Division Gospel assemblies, Retreat Days, and First Holy Communion preparation
- Coordinating the Willow Programme, through which our Year 12 students support and mentor younger students during weekly tutor time
- Undertaking optional training as Eucharistic Ministers
Music at New Hall
Students have many opportunities to take part in the musical life of Chaplaincy. The Chapel Choir is open to all students, with no audition required, and currently includes around 50 students from Year 3 to Year 13, and a small number of adult singers. Every two years, the Music Department and the Chaplaincy Team collaborate on an overseas tour, with recent destinations including Prague and Zaragoza. Our choirs also visit our Religious Community in Colchester and sing at a local care home, sharing music and companionship with the wider community. Our Chamber Choir sings at Evensong in Chelmsford Cathedral, and our Chapel Choir meets each Sunday before the boarders’ Mass.
Students may also take organ lessons, making use of the School’s three organs. New Hall is a proud member of the Choir Schools’ Association and is formally accredited by the Royal College of Organists (RCO), making it the first Catholic independent school in the United Kingdom to receive this prestigious recognition.
Looking ahead to next year, the Chaplaincy Team will join with the Sport and History Departments on a tour to Rwanda and South Africa.
New Hall Voluntary Service “Faith in Action”
One of the longest-standing traditions at New Hall is the awardwinning New Hall Voluntary Service (NHVS), originally established by the Canonesses of the Holy Sepulchre. Their commitment to service and outreach laid the foundations for a daily on-site programme that continues to shape the life of the School today. In our most recent ISI inspection, the NHVS was recognised as a ‘significant strength’.
Throughout the week, students volunteer in action groups which support both the School and the wider community. These include weekly lunches with elderly guests, gardening clubs, reusable sanitary pad sewing workshops for the Pachamama Project, games evenings for adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, and more.
Each year, the Chaplaincy Team also leads whole-School fundraising initiatives in support of our chosen charities. Last year, the School community raised over £27,000!
Scan to see our Chaplaincy & New Hall Voluntary Service Timetable
Follow @newhallchaplaincy on Instagram for the latest news
Scan the QR code for the highlights of our recent ‘Outstanding’ Catholic Schools Inspection
New Hall School, The Avenue, Boreham, Chelmsford, CM3 3HS