St. Mary’s is a place where people of all faiths and beliefs can encounter God. We believe that Christian worship in our school is concerned with giving glory, honour, praise and thanks to God. It is our loving response, in word and action, to God’s invitation to enter into relationship with Him, made possible through the work of His son Jesus and His Holy Spirit.

The Place of Prayer and Liturgy in the Life of our school

We believe that prayer must take into account the religious and educational needs of all who share in it:

those who form part of the worshipping community in Church
those for whom school may be their first and only experience of the Church
those from other Christian traditions – or none
those from other faith backgrounds

We encourage the active participation of the children in acts of worship – through, readings, singing, drama and communal/choral prayer and non-Eucharistic Liturgy.

The Aims of Prayer and Liturgy

We believe that Collective Worship aims to provide opportunity for all pupils and staff:

to learn and love traditional Catholic prayers, for example, the sign of the Cross, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, morning and evening prayers
to know and be familiar and confident with responses in liturgy, including Mass
to contemplate something of the mystery of God
to reflect on spiritual and moral issues
to explore and develop their own beliefs
to respond to and celebrate life
to experience a sense of belonging and develop community spirit
to develop a common ethos and a sense of shared values
to enrich religious experiences
to reinforce positive attitudes
to participate fully, to take time out, ‘to wonder at’ and ‘to come to terms with’.

What is Prayer?

At St. Mary’s, we foster and deepen the children’s personal relationship with God our Father daily in prayer. We do this by helping them become aware of God’s Presence in their lives and of His love for them by leading them to respond to Him in a manner suited to their age. This may be in one of the following ways:

Listening – being attentive to the voice of God in every moment of life.
Speaking – expressing our heart’s deepest longings and desires to the One who knows and understands us better than we know and understand ourselves.
Reflecting – thinking about our relationship with God and others.
Resting – simply being consciously in the presence of God, knowing that we are loved.

What is Liturgy?

Liturgy is a form of collective worship where the children meet God through the scriptures. A liturgy consists of four parts- a gathering, The Word (from the bible), a response to The Word and a sending out with a mission.

So, what does all this look like at St. Mary’s?

In Early Years and KS1

short, simple liturgies and prayer times
occasional liturgies reflecting the Introductory Rites of the Mass and/or the Liturgy of the Word
the occasional celebration of sacramental liturgies
a range of types of prayer including devotions to Our Lady
a range of styles of celebration
opportunities for pupils to take an active part in worship and with their families (Stay and Pray)

At Key Stage 2 worship includes:

short, simple liturgies and prayer times
occasional liturgies reflecting the Introductory Rites of the Mass and/or the Liturgy of the Word; or the Eucharistic Prayer; and/or the Communion Rite
the occasional celebration of sacramental liturgies – Eucharist and Reconciliation
a range of types of prayer including devotions to Our Lady
a range of styles of celebration
opportunities for pupils to take an active part in worship and with their families (Stay and Pray)
opportunities for pupils to take leadership roles in worship

Whole School Friday Gospel Liturgy

We believe it is so important that our children experience the format of Mass which is central to the Catholic faith. The Liturgy on Friday follows the layout of Mass so there is a greeting, a penitential- reflecting on the week and saying sorry to God for our wrong doings, The Word- the Sunday gospel story, The Creed- celebrate our beliefs, and our mission for the week- how we can bring God and goodness into our lives. This is always a prayerful and joyful experience for both children and staff.

Class Prayer

The children take ownership of their learning and develop their own relationship with God. In Foundation and KS1 Teachers guide children through prayer and liturgy. KS2 children plan and deliver their own Liturgies. This time allows children to be reflective and think of their own needs and the needs of others.

Parent Liturgies Parent’s Liturgies will be taking place throughout the Year both in School and Church. Please check Newsletters.

Children’s’ Prayer Groups

Throughout the Year of The Church, children are invited to pray in school with both staff and parishioners. In May and October we pray The Rosary as well as Lenten and Advent Prayers. Class Chaplains take a lead role in helping the children in their class to pray.

Here is our weekly plan for worship:

Monday – Whole School Worship – Music
Tuesday – Adult Led Worship in Class
Wednesday – Whole School Worship – Word
Thursday – Child Led Worship in Class
Friday – House Led Worship in Classes

Devotion to Our Lady

As a Catholic School, we have a strong prayer and devotion to Mary, especially in the months of October and May. Click the link below.

Liturgy

Our school motto is ‘Fiat Mihi’-Let it be with me.’ Luke 1:38

Our children know that like Mary, they too are special; they are chosen; they are loved. We are inspired by Mary’s bravery to say ‘YES’ to God’s call, and just like Mary, when we say yes to new opportunities our lives can change forever.

Pupils worked with a local music group to write our School song which encompasses all our school values and our unique school identity.

St Mary’s pupils engage in daily liturgical prayer, from Class teacher lead liturgical prayer, Pupil lead and Whole school.

Prayer in our school is a vital opportunity to think not only about our own needs, but about the needs of others. In our many prayerful moments, we also give thanks for all that is good.

Our daily prayers begin with our Morning Offering, which helps us to prepare for the day ahead, enabling us to consider how to make it the best we can.

Our Grace Before Meals reminds us to be thankful for the food we have and for all who make it possible for us to be fed.

Before we go home, we finish our day with the Angel of God, asking our guardian angel to always be at our side.

As well as praying together as a class, there are other ways in which we gather in prayer:

Whole School Worship
Each Monday we gather as a school family to engage with themes linked to Catholic Social Teaching. Our School Council, Rights Respecting Steering Group and Mini Vinnies often help lead this. On Wednesday, our whole school gathers in the hall for a special worship. This is a wonderful opportunity to engage with the Sunday Gospel and to sing our favourite hymns.

Pupil Led Worship
Our children are encouraged to prepare and deliver their own liturgies, in small groups for their class. They often choose a theme which is relevant either in our liturgical year or in their R.E. topic at the time. The children can always be relied upon to deliver with confidence and reverence.

Pastoral Worship
Each Friday the children gather together in their House Bases to share a worship together. Our older children lead this and it is a wonderful opportunity to get to know other children across the school while developing a further sense of belonging.

Structure

Each of our Liturgical Prayer sessions will follow a familiar structure:

Gather:

Children gather together in the presence of God and prepare themselves to pray by making the sign of the cross

Word:

We listen to the word of God

Respond:

We respond to the word, this can be by saying our own prayer, giving thanks, blessing on another, finding stillness etc.

Go Forth/Mission:

We focus on the message we have heard and carry this with us in our words and actions into our daily life.