Who we are
OUR NAME
Our name – Gaudete – was chosen after much reflection. This collaborative trust is a new venture for Religious Orders in England and Wales, so we wanted a name that makes people stop and think about its meaning. It is a name that tells us to rejoice!
We rejoice in the Good News of the Gospel.
We rejoice in the Holy Spirit who is enabling us to create something new and is teaching us what true
collaboration means.
We rejoice in the rich heritage of Religious Orders in education.
But most of all we rejoice in our young people for whom this trust was built, and we want them, as we say in our vision of education, to be able to rejoice in the person they are and so achieve the fulness of life of which Jesus spoke.
OUR LOGO
ORIGIN
The Gaudete Trust was established in 2023 by five Religious Orders, following a three-year collaborative
venture steered by a working group of the National Association of Religious Orders in Education (ROE).
This venture was part of the latter’s mission to enable the rich heritage of Religious Orders to continue to
enrich Catholic education and flowed from its desire to respond creatively to the needs of its members.
The mainspring of the Trust is the desire of Religious Orders to continue to put their charisms at the service of the Church.
By adopting a collaborative approach to trusteeship, the Gaudete Trust offers those Religious Orders who have found the responsibilities of educational trusteeship increasingly difficult to carry, an alternative way of continuing to serve Catholic education.
LEGAL STATUS
The Gaudete Trust is a legal entity with the authority to take on those legal, financial, and inspirational responsibilities of educational trusteeship that were for-merly exercised by individual Religious Orders. It is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) recognised by the Charities Commission and a Public Juridic Person recognised by the Church.
Our Vision, Mission, Aims and Guiding Principles
Our family of schools and colleges are co-creators of God’s kingdom where justice, truth and peace reign. The words of Pope St. John Paul II to Religious Orders encourage us to make this vision a reality:
“You have not only a glorious history to remember and to recount, but also a great history still to be accomplished! Look to the future, where the Spirit is sending you in order to do even greater things.”
We are challenged, too, by the words of Pope Francis when he urged Religious Orders to remember their prophetic calling and ‘wake up the world’ and create “alternate spaces where the Gospel approach of self-giving, fraternity, embracing differences, and love of one another can thrive.”
Our hope is that the Gaudete Trust will be one of those ‘alternate spaces’
OUR MISSION
The mission of the Gaudete Trust is to support a family of schools and colleges which is animated by the distinctive charisms of the founding Religious Orders and shares a vision rooted in the values of the gospel.
Over many years Religious Orders have transmitted their distinctive charism to committed lay people and in so doing have inspired and sustained these people in their role as Catholic educators. The Trust will continue this work with the next generation of lay school leaders and teachers and help build up that “spiritual capital” which has such a positive effect on the Catholic life of our schools. In continuing the work of Religious Orders in education, the Gaudete Trust is part of the Catholic Church’s educational mission and it will continue to assist in the Church’s mission of making Christ known to all people.
This means, for example, that:
» Each of our schools will “place Christ at the centre of all that it does” and “integrate Gospel values and the teachings of the Catholic Church into every aspect of learning, teaching and the totality of school life”
» We will affirm the dignity of the human person and make “an education in the fulness of humanity” the defining feature of our schools.
» We will have a particular regard to the statements on Catholic education issued from time to time by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education and the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
The Trust’s philosophy of education is described in the education section.
“The work of Catholic Education is essentially and always a work of partnerships” In the fulfilment of its mission, the Trust is looking to build bridges of collaboration through partnerships and networking with local dioceses and all those involved in Catholic education. This will enable us to play our part in strengthening and sustaining the Church’s mission in education in England and Wales.
The Trust continues to benefit from its relationship with ROE, a connection which gives it access to the wealth of resources and personnel that ROE has dedicated to the articulation, development, and transmission of the individual charisms of its members. The Trust benefits, too, from the support offered by the Bishops’ Conference, the Catholic Education Service, the Conference of Religious and members of the Le Cheile and CEIST collaborative trusts in Ireland.
MAIN AIMS
In order to realise its Vision and be faithful to its Mission, the Gaudete Trust aims to:
» Provide a service to Religious Orders within the Trust by exercising, fully or in part according to different needs, those legal, financial, and inspirational responsibilities of educational trusteeship that were formerly carried out by individual Orders.
» Oversee the implementation of the shared vision of education in its schools and colleges, and honour and support the individual charisms of their founders and the values associated with them.
» Provide a service that supports the schools and colleges in offering young people (and by extension their parents/ carers and the local and national community) an outstanding and distinctive experience of Catholic education. The Trust is built for these young people.
» Be an advocate for the schools and colleges both in terms of the shared vision for which they all stand and for the individual good of each establishment.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The Gaudete Trust:
» Rejoices in the different perspectives on gospel values brought to the Trust by all the Religious Orders and works to make this rich heritage available to the whole community of schools
» Supports individual establishments in continuing to develop an education that is in harmony with the
distinctive spirit of their founding Religious Order.
» Adopts an inclusive and collaborative way of working.
» Is an organic and dynamic organisation and it will respond creatively to the differing needs of its members over time.
» Is an outward looking venture and it works with key Catholic, national, and international organisations for the common good in Catholic education.
» Places great importance on the formation of its trustees and all who work with the latter, and it
allocates sufficient time and resources to their training and development.
Download and view the Charter for The Gaudete Trust
Our Members
The Trust has six members, five appointed by the founding Religious Orders and an episcopal member appointed by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. The Founding Members are:
- Therese Browne SP
- Brid Liston FCJ
- Dominic Sassi CFC
- Jim Hayes FICP
- Margaret O’Reilly LSU
- Alan Williams SM (Episcopal Member)
Our Trustees
To date the Members have appointed six Charity Trustees and are seeking to appoint up to 15.
- Francis Davis
- Roisin Maguire
- Maureen Mee
- Maura Regan
- Mike Russell
- Brenda Wallace FCJ
The Education Office
The Education Office is a vital link between the Trustees and the Schools. Its key responsibility is to support the schools and colleges in the implementation of the shared vision and the honouring of individual charisms. This includes developing resources and arranging and/or contributing to professional development events. Its members are:
Andrew Bull, Education Officer
Andrew is a successful and experienced educator with over 25 years of experience, for the last 8 years as a headteacher. He is passionate about Catholic education and is keen to continue to develop the unique characteristics of the Gaudete Trust over the coming years. Outside of his professional life, Andrew is married has six children, plays rugby and serves in his local parish in a variety of roles.
Helen Jones, Charism Development Officer
Helen has been involved in education or working for the Catholic Church for most of her adult life. She was actively involved with the Archdiocese of Liverpool’s Synod 2018 – 2021 and resulting pastoral plan and is keen to explore ways of synodal working at all levels within the Gaudete Trust as part of her role as Charism Development Officer. Helen is a Companion in Mission with the FCJs, making her commitment in September 2023. She also has a particular interest in music and liturgy and is a member of the Society of Saint Gregory. She has two sons, both at university and is currently owned by three rescue cats.
Nicki Tracey, Admin Officer
Nicki has over 25 years experience in marketing in the private sector, including multi-national retailers, construction, and the publishing industry. She is a Trustee of a homeless charity and a regular volunteer in her local community and parish. Nicki lives with her husband and teenage children, plays tennis and cricket, and loves going to the theatre.
THE TRUST’S VISION AND PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION STATEMENT
The education we offer is centred in God, rooted in Christ, and animated by the spirit of the founders of each of our Religious Orders. Though our forms of education will change over time in response to developing needs, we will remain faithful to the eternal values of the gospel, to the Church that Christ founded and to the enduring spirit of our founders.
» We celebrate the diversity of God’s creation and welcome and value the contribution made by those members of our communities who come from different faith traditions or none.
» We offer a transforming, inclusive and ecological Catholic education founded on the belief that God’s signature can be seen in every corner of our world and in the hearts of every human being.
» We hope to awaken each one of our young people to their dignity as a unique human being created by a God who loves them unconditionally. We believe that the liberating power of this truth will enable them to rejoice in their identity and achieve the fulness of life of which Jesus spoke.
» We hope that they will grow in understanding of the inter-connectedness of our world and become responsible global citizens who care for the earth which is our common home.
» We place a high value on both academic and human excellence, and we challenge and support each person to achieve the highest standards of which they are capable in both learning and in living.
» We provide the highest standards of teaching and pastoral support to ensure that each young person flourishes.
» Our curriculum is intellectually rigorous and aspirational and prepares our young people to play an active and fruitful role in society.
» We appoint staff who are supportive of our vision and their professional development is a key priority.
» We place great importance on the spiritual dimension of our education which helps our young people to search for meaning and integrate their beliefs with their day-to-day living. This is woven through every activity and every subject and can be discerned, for example, wherever there are conversations and reflection about the deeper meaning below the surface of ideas, events, or experiences, where there is silence and awe and wonder, where there is prayer and worship, where there is sacrament.
» We encourage our young people to search for truth wherever it leads them, to develop critical minds that wrestle with the deeper questions of life and to grow hearts that are open to the needs of humanity.
» Faithful to the person of Jesus who taught us what it means to be human, we invite our young people to be people of faith, of hope, of forgiveness and love, people who will work for justice and show compassion for the vulnerable and the marginalised, people who will have the courage and independence of mind to challenge a materialistic culture, people who will have a care and respect for the earth, people who will be co-creators of a better world.
The Characteristics of the Gaudete Trust’s Education
The characteristics of Catholic education in the Gaudete Trust will provide a framework for the school and college communities in the 21st Century to contextualise three critical faith and spiritual ‘stories’ which are fundamental to Catholic education in the traditions of the Religious Order members.
The enduring story – Jesus, his life and ministry and values of the Gospel.
The expressive story – the story and the values expressed in the vision and philosophy of the Gaudete Trust and in the prophetic responses of our founders.
The evolving story – the courageous work with the legacies of the founders in an interpretive manner that carries them forward to create a new contemporary expression of the Gaudete Trust spirit. The story evolves as the world and society change.
We intend, in consultation with trustees, governors, staff and students, to describe the characteristics that flow from the above vision and philosophy statement. These will illustrate the distinguishing features of leadership and management, governance, the curriculum, teaching and learning, religious education, pastoral care, professional development, and resources. This consultation will be part of the formative work undertaken with trustees, governors, and staff once the Trust has been established
Currently our family of schools consists of 16 state funded schools and two independent primaries.
One of the key services that the Gaudete Trust provides for its members is the support provided for appointing Foundation Governors. As a Public Juridic Person (PJP) the Trust has the authority in canon law to make these appointments. We are developing procedures to support our schools through the process.
The Articles of Association of the Gaudete Trust were drawn up with much help from the Catholic Education Service. They define a Trust which is both a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) recognised by the Charity Commission and a Public Juridic Person (PJP) recognised by the Catholic Church.
Download and view the CIO Constitution for The Gaudete Trust
Laetare Catholic Multi Academy Trust (CMAT)
The establishment of a CMAT for Religious Order schools was a project led by ROE. The first schools to join will be those Christian Brother schools who belong to the Gaudete Trust and some of the schools under the trusteeship of the De La Salle Brothers. Other schools under the trusteeship of Religious Orders are welcome to seek membership.
The Gaudete Trust is a Member of Laetare and the Academy Trust has adopted the Gaudete Vision of Education. The development of Laetare has been fully supported by the Catholic Education Service and is another ground breaking initiative in Catholic Education in this country.
Find out more about the Laetare Trust here