Liverpool’s new Bishop makes special visit to Garston secondary school

The Academy of St Nicholas in Garston rolled out the red carpet as the new Bishop of Liverpool, Right Reverend Doctor John Perumbalath, arrived at the school ahead of his official installation on Saturday 22 April.

Bishop John will be the ninth Bishop of Liverpool and joins the city from the Diocese of Chelmsford, where he has served as Bishop of Bradwell since 2018.

Before being installed on Saturday, the Diocese of Liverpool hosted a mini tour around the region and chose The Academy of St Nicholas as the first secondary school to visit.

He received an extremely warm welcome from staff and students and the visit began with a speech from head of school, Mr Gary Lloyd, and chaplain, Sarah-Joy Gillard.

In the academy’s chapel, the honoured guest was treated to a musical performance by a talented Year 8 student called Sanchez. He sung ‘Joyful, Joyful’ as well as a beautiful rendition of Eric Clapton’s ‘Tears in Heaven’.

Bishop John was presented with a framed piece of artwork that was hand painted by a student in Year 11.

Later a question-and-answer session was held between the bishop and students from Years 7 to 11 as well as All Saints Sixth Form students. They asked him a range of interesting questions including ‘How do you become a bishop?’, ‘What duties does a bishop have?’ and, quite importantly, ‘Are you going to be a blue or a red?’.

Afterwards a delicious lunch was held and students and staff could speak to Bishop John informally and talk about the school community in more detail.

One student said: “It was really nice to meet the new Bishop of Liverpool. We got to hear some really interesting stories, such as how he knew Mother Teresa and when he met the King in March.”

Bishop John Perumbalath said: “It was an absolute pleasure to meet students and staff at The Academy of St Nicholas. I received a really warm welcome and enjoyed hearing the students’ stories of what they have been doing and their achievements. I was especially pleased to receive the gift of a painting which will be proudly displayed in my offices.

“It was a really engaging visit with some great conversations and challenging perceptive questions from the students which I hope I answered well. I am so grateful to all at the academy for making this visit happen.”

Mr Gary Lloyd, head of school, said: “It was an honour to welcome Bishop John into The Academy of St Nicholas and we feel very privileged to be the first secondary school he has visited in the city.

“The students and staff had a wonderful afternoon and it was a fantastic opportunity to get to know the new Bishop of Liverpool on a deeper level and share how faith is an important part of school life.”

Mr Lloyd added: “We hope to welcome him to the academy again soon.”

The Academy of St Nicholas is a unique joint Catholic and Church of England secondary school. It is proud to be part of All Saints Multi Academy Trust.