Some say that there is a conflict between science and religion. But two science teachers from the Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School in west London do not believe there is any such conflict.
The teachers, along with 60 boys from the Second Form, spent the day on retreat at Farm Street, the Jesuit church in Mayfair.
Fr John Edwards gave the boys an argument for the existence of God based on one of the great miracles of the 20th century: the spinning of the sun at Fatima, on October 13 1917 - an event witnessed by 70,000 people, including the sceptics. The group pondered a variety of explanations. Fr Edwards's robust defence of the Catholic Faith, mixed with his pleasant personality, made for a memorable day. The group also celebrated a Mass on the Feast of SS Peter and Paul.
They said five sorrowful mysteries of the rosary and spent 15 minutes in quiet contemplation before the Blessed Sacrament. The retreat ended - as any good retreat would - with a three-mile march back to the Vaughan, as the school is known, in sunny Holland Park, west London.
Patrick Fleischer is head of RE and philosophy at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School
