On Monday 1 July, St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Leigh was host to Bishop Tom Neylon and several guests from the archdiocese’s offices – the organisers and judges of the Holy Communion badge competition –to celebrate Michelina, the year 4 student who designed the winning badge.

Michelina’s beautiful design was selected from entries submitted by children from across the archdiocese, all of whom celebrated their First Holy Communion this year. Her design has been immortalised on a special pin badge, which was presented to every child in the archdiocese who received the sacrament this year.

The event began with a warm welcome from Miss Michelle Daley, headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School. As well as Bishop Tom, attendees included Liz Parsons (Head of Pastoral Development), John McMahon (Head of Finance), Pat Peel (Primary Schools Adviser), Harriet Anwyl (Communications Officer), Phil Heaton (Chair of Governors for the school), and Michalina's proud parents.

Bishop Tom spoke to Year 4 about their First Holy Communion experiences and encouraged Year 3 as they prepare for theirs next year. He and Liz Parsons presented Michalina with a certificate, a framed image of her design, a Perspex version of the badge for the school to display, and an art kit to encourage her artistic talents.

The badge, featuring rays of sunlight and a chalice with bread and wine, symbolises the spiritual essence of First Holy Communion. Michalina explained to Bishop Tom, “The bread and the wine are right in the middle because they’re the most important part of the day.”

John McMahon shared the inspiration behind the badge competition, recalling historical photos of pilgrims from Liverpool to Lourdes who wore badges as mementos. “We thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful if 100 years from now, people look at your photo and see the badges you created? So we decided to make that happen!”

Liz Parsons praised the young artists, stating, “We were really impressed with all of the designs; they were fantastic.”

Miss Daley, headteacher at St Joseph’s Primary School, added: “We’re all so proud of Michelina’s achievements. She’s a wonderful pupil, always kind and hard-working – and a great artist!”

Pat Peel commented, “We’re looking forward to doing the competition again next year, so every child has a memento of their First Holy Communion that’s different for each group and designed by them. Something for them to keep hold of and look back on when they’re older and remember the day they first received the body and blood of Jesus.”

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