A HIGHLIGHT of St Augustine’s Priory’s centenary celebrations was a visit from Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, on Tuesday.

He celebrated mass with several priests from nearby parishes.

Though founded in 1634 in France, 2015 this year is the centenary of the school being on the Hillcrest Road site in Ealing.

The Cardinal was welcomed by head teacher Sarah Raffray and chair of governors Sue Kirby.

He visited the chapel and the centenary project, A Stitch in Time, to embroider kneelers before going out into the grounds, where a marquee had been raised to celebrate mass, the chapel not being large enough.

Several hundred people were gathered, including the whole school, parents, staff, past pupils and staff, governors and members of the local community, among them Steve Pound MP.

Pupils had prepared the mass and played their part throughout, as singers, musicians, readers, composers or as liturgical dancers.

Later, Cardinal Nichols blessed the newly-renovated prayer garden, worked on by pupils of all ages and supported by the parents’ committee and gardener Mrs Molloy.

The school also has a mosaic marking One Hundred Years of Faith, into which each pupil had laid a tile and which was then completed by artist Mrs D’Sousa.

This, too, was blessed, at which point 100 blue and white balloons were released. Afternoon tea rounded off the proceedings.

Our picture comes courtesy of the photographic team for the day, George Grant, Jeeba Marri and Kiranjeet Sandhu.