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Acting out a christening in Holy Trinity Church
Father John had one of the girls dress up as a pilgrim as he uses a scallop shell to baptise the baby
Father John had one of the girls dress up as a pilgrim as he uses a scallop shell to baptise the baby
Baby, mother and father, who is holding the child's candle
Baby, mother and father, who is holding the child's candle
Godparents, parents and Father John
Godparents, parents and Father John
HOLY TRINITY’S EMPTY COFFIN from The Wey October 2008
Forty pupils from St Catherine’s Prep School, Bramley, attended a special funeral service in Holy Trinity Church for an old girl.

The girls read a lesson and prayers, paid personal tributes and sang hymns they had chosen for Mrs Elizabeth Newbury, who died at the age of 101.

Vicar the Revd John Bundock, who gave the address, used a broken pottery shell symbolising continuity and change and talked of life continuing after the body has died. The service was followed by refreshment for the congregation in the adjacent Parish Room.

Before the service some of the girls had asked to see inside the coffin. John willingly unscrewed and removed the lid and most went forward to peer into the open coffin. It was empty.

John explained: “Elizabeth Newbury was a fictitious character whose life-story had been imaginatively made up by the pupils when I did a “funeral visit” to the school.

“The school chaplain, Canon Colin Tickner, and the head of Religious Education, Mandy MacVean, had spent time with the children sensitively introducing the subject of death.”

Mandy says “After the funeral the girls were able to give their views and all were very positive.

“We realise that this can be a very emotive subject but, with the right team, it can be very worthwhile. We sincerely believe that as educators we need to give our girls a chance to explore life’s trickier questions in a safe and caring environment.”

Before leaving St Catherine’s School, which has a Christian foundation, all pupils now successively experience a baptism, marriage, Eucharist and funeral service as part of the RE/personal, social, health and education programme.

All of the services, apart from the wedding, are held at Holy Trinity reflecting the close relationship between the school and the parish.