St Francis Primary School extended a heartfelt welcome to all who gathered in a packed St Andrew’s Cathedral. Dundee, on Thursday 5th June, 2025, as pupils, families, and educators gathered for Dunkeld Diocese’s Annual Schools Mass.
Peyton Martin, a Primary 4 pupil, took to the lectern with confidence as she welcomed attendees to the special celebration, hosted this year by her school in Dundee. “This year is a very special year,” Peyton said, referring to the Jubilee Year theme. “We are reminded of our call to grow in faith and love. Our theme for the mass is Pilgrims of Hope.”
Speaking with warmth and clarity, she emphasised the significance of the occasion: “As Pilgrims of Hope, we are on a mission to follow the example of Jesus’s love and to seek the goodness that is in every heart.”
The Annual Schools Mass is a cherished event in the diocesan calendar, bringing together schools from across the region in a celebration of faith and community.
Peyton continued, “Love is a value of our school, and one of our school aims is to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Tonight’s theme feels perfect for St Francis.”
A number of dignitaries from the local education authorities were in attendance, including Miss Audrey May, Executive Director of Children and Family Service in Dundee; Mr Paul Fleming, Head of Education, Learning and Inclusion in Dundee; Ms Kelly Macintosh, Interim Deputy Chief Executive in Angus; and Mr Neil Loudon, Acting Director of Education and Lifelong Learning in Angus.
Peyton concluded her welcome by thanking families, staff, and parish members for their support and wished everyone a meaningful evening: “I hope you enjoy this mass as we enjoyed preparing for this very special celebration.”
The event celebrated both the faith and future of Catholic education in the diocese.
The preacher at the Mass, which was led by Bishop Andrew McKenzie, was Fr Michael Ngobili. Fr Michael was noticeably filled with pride as he acknowledged the presence of over 100 pupils with their headteacher Mrs Judith Duncan and the staff from St Francis’ Primary, Dundee. They were the host school for the hundreds of youngsters from schools across the Diocese of Dunkeld who filled the Cathedral.
Fr Michael is parish priest at Our Lady of Sorrows, Fintry, and chaplain at St Francis PS.
“It’s Wonderful. These are my children and I’m a proud father,” said Fr Michael
“Today as we gather for this special, for this special education mass during the sacred Jubilee year, we are reminded of our shared calling to be pilgrims of hope.
“Our gospel passage today takes us to a defining moment in the ministry of Jesus. He returned to his hometown Nazareth and entered the synagogue. There he opened the scroll of Isaiah and boldly declared the spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, to set the oppressed free.
“And that moment Jesus proclaimed a message that still echoes powerfully today. He stood before a people weary from waiting, waiting for justice, or people waiting for healing, or people waiting for redemption, and he told them today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.
“In other words, hope is no longer a distant dream. It is here. It is now. It has a face, and that face is the face of Christ.”
“As pupils, as teachers, and all who labor in the vineyard of education, we too are pilgrims on a journey—
a journey towards truth, a journey towards wisdom, a journey toward light.”
“But this path is not always easy. There are moments of doubt, there are moments of disappointment, even failure. We may feel like captives to anxiety, or poor in spirit, or burdened by the weight of expectations, but Jesus steps into our lives as he did in Nazareth and says, I see you. I am with you. I bring you hope.”
“This jubilee invites us to walk not with fear but with faith. To see every classroom, to see every lesson, every young heart a sacred ground where God is still writing his story of hope.”
“To the pupils: you are not just learners; you are bearers of light.”
“And to all educators: you are not just instructors; you are sowers of hope in fields that will bloom long after you are gone.”
“So let us rise each day with the words of Jesus in our hearts. The spirit of our Lord is upon me.
And let us go forth not just as students or teachers, but as pilgrims of hope, transforming our schools, our communities, and our world— one act of love, one word of truth, one step of faith at a time.”
“God bless you.”