ACN 'Courage to be Christian' Recipient Speaks at the Vaughan

On Tuesday 21 November, we were honoured to host Margaret Attah and her husband Dominic here at the Vaughan for our #RedWednesday assembly in partnership with Aid to the Church in Need. Last week, Mrs Attah received the first-ever ACN 'Courage to be Christian' award at St George's Cathedral, Southwark.

Nurse Margaret Attah is a survivor of an atrocity which killed 41 parishioners and injured more than 80 people at St Francis Xavier’s Catholic Church in Owo, south-west Nigeria on 5 June 2022. Mrs Attah tragically lost both legs and sight in one eye during the attack and today she shared her story about how faith has guided her through this period.

After a powerful speech from Mrs Attah, our First and Second Form pupils were invited to ask questions, such as how the attack impacted the community, how faith helped her through such a difficult time, and her hopes for Owo, south-west Nigeria in the future.

The following day, our First Form attended Saint Cecilia Mass celebrated by Fr. Dominic Robinson. Bidding prayers were offered for Red Wednesday, reflecting on the hardships faced by our Christian brothers and sisters across the world being persecuted for their faith.

Mr Stubbing, Headmaster, comments: "We reflect on what it really means to be a Christian and the immense hardships faced by some who simply want to practise their faith. Here in the UK, we’re in a privileged position that we can gather to pray here in our school and local parishes without fear of threat or violence. Our extended Christian family around the world is sadly not as fortunate."

Our pupils also supported #RedWednesday with an own-clothes day on Wednesday 22 November to raise awareness of those who are being persecuted for their faith. We invited pupils to participate in this campaign and stand in solidarity with all those being targeted for their beliefs by wearing their own clothes. Our pupils all wore an item of red clothing and raised funds for Aid to the Church in Need.