Bishop Philip writes about his visit to Christ the King College, IOW

Last Thursday, I went with Bishop Jonathan, the Anglican Bishop of Portsmouth, to Christ the King College in Newport IoW. The College is a joint Church of England-Catholic secondary school and sixth form college, founded in 2008 by the merger of Trinity Church of England Middle School and Archbishop King Catholic Middle School. It is the only provider of 11-18 faith-based secondary education on the Isle of Wight and attracts students from across all areas of the Island. The Headteacher is the excellent Mr. Andrew Montrose, who comes from (near) my part of the world, and has been the Head since 2023. Bishop Jonathan and I went over first to meet with the fifty or so students who will be going on pilgrimage to Taizé during the summer. They seemed very enthusiastic and committed, although many of them will be doing their GCSEs and A Levels in the meantime. After the meeting, we had some time with Mr. Montrose, who treated us to a meal in a nearby pub, before we returned to the College for a Passion Play. Over the week, a large team of the Kenelm Youth Trust at Alton Castle in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, led by Fr. Chris Yule, had been working in the school and leading prayers and retreats. On the Thursday, three members of the team performed a one-hour long Passion Play. It was very moving, comprising a few of Jesus’s miracles and teachings before going into the Passion narrative. Bishop Jonathan and I had to leave just before the end, in order to catch the late car ferry back. It was a great visit and a delight to meet many students and staff.