The Youth Ministry Schools Team organised its annual residential in-service training event at the Belfry House Hotel, near Manchester Airport, on 28th and 29th September 2006. This conference is an opportunity for the Province to concentrate on a particular group of teachers within our Salesian network of schools in the UK.

This year we invited Leadership Teams to an excellent exposition of Christian Leadership within Catholic Schools given by the acknowledged expert in the field, Professor John Sullivan of Hope University College, Liverpool. He offered us great hope and support in this essential area and people returned home to their various locations challenged and encouraged. On a daily basis we come into contact with over 5000 young people through our network of schools - a fantastic opportunity for effective youth ministry.

We welcomed especially the new Head at Chertsey, Mr James Kibble, wishing him well in his work, and the leadership team from the newly named All Saints Catholic Primary School, Bootle. This new school will open in January 2007 and will be the amalgamation of the present St James, St Joan of Arc and St Winefride & St Richard's schools. It will be operating on a split site at Chesnut Grove and Hemans Street until a new state of the art school opens on Chesnut Grove in September 2008. The Salesians are delighted to be a co-sponsor of this new school which will be an 'extended school', offering great facilities for the local St James & St Winefride parishes and the local community. The Head of the new school, Mr Steve Sanderson, is to be a guest of Her Majesty on October 13th when she confers the CBE which he was awarded in the Birthday Honours List.

Fr Dave O'Malley and Fr Andrew Waller led us in a wonderful service of prayer which allowed us to look at the heart of our ministry in schools. Our Provincial, Fr Michael Winstanley, expressed the gratitude of the Province to all those involved in this important work of Leadership. We had nearly 50 people involved from seven schools - an indication of the dedication and hard work of this group who were prepared to give up their own weekend to reflect on why we are in schools today. From where I was sitting, despite all the negativity we often see in the Catholic press, the future of Catholic Education is in very safe hands. It is important that all our various Salesian Communities are seen to be supporting our Schools.

Fr Gerry O'Shaughnessy SDB