New Hall School in Chelmsford welcomed 72 students and teachers from Heilig Graf School in Belgium for the inaugural Holy Sepulchre Community Festival, from Friday 8 – Monday 11 May. Both schools were founded by the Religious Community, the Canonesses of the Holy Sepulchre, a branch of which fled from Belgium in the 17th century, continuing their vocation as educators in England.
Mr Sam Higgs, Head of Boarding in New Hall’s Campion House, led the organisation of the Festival. Mr Higgs said, “We were overwhelmed by the positive response, with over half of our Year 10 students and 32 staff members, and over 60 students from Belgium signing up for the weekend of activities and camping. The festival featured our boarders’ favourite on-site activities, including equestrian, an open mic night, a joint art project, glow-in-the-dark badminton, cricket, a Belgian cookery masterclass, and cycling obstacle courses.”
The historic Chapel at the heart of the School is in its 228th year of celebrating Catholic Mass. During the Community Festival, it became the poignant setting of a Sunday Mass celebrating the generations of educators and students that have contributed to the rich history of the Canonesses and their schools. Joined by the Sisters from the Priory in Colchester, the students and staff celebrated Mass, with teens to octogenarians joyfully singing and praying together.
“We were delighted to be gifted with artefacts from Heilig Graf’s archives, unique parts of history tied to our School’s founding in Liège and our shared heritage. We now look forward to visiting Belgium with a group of New Hall students at the end of May, and nurturing the collaborative relationship with Heilig Graf and its community,” said Dr Paul Tiffen, Vice Principal at New Hall School.
New Hall School hosted a small group of Belgian students for a Sixth Form experience in January 2026, however, the Community Festival was the first major collaboration between the two schools since the choirs of New Hall School and Heilig Graf held a joint concert in 2014 in New Hall’s Chapel.
Mrs Katherine Jeffrey, Principal of New Hall School, remarked, “The Holy Sepulchre Community Festival formed part of New Hall’s ongoing initiative to celebrate our heritage and grow links with our global religious communities, including those with Heilig Graf in Belgium, the Canonesses’ Spanish Priory in Zaragoza, and the Rwandan Priory and its school, École Christ Ressuscité in Masaka. Our teachers and Chaplaincy staff have volunteered in the Rwandan school, and we were delighted that four Rwandan Sisters joined our School community as residents of the Mission House at New Hall, opened in July 2025. The students, staff, and Sisters wholly embraced this weekend’s festivities, honouring our shared history and celebrating newfound connections and friendships.”
Categories: New Hall School School News
