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.
Prayer and Liturgy
All that we do in school is centred on the person of Jesus Christ who is our Way, Truth and Life and we believe worship in our school, names and celebrates His presence in our lives and is an integral part of school life and central to the Catholic tradition.
Worship takes on many forms in our school but is always 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, made possible through the work of Jesus Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer and liturgy are central to the Catholic life of the school
Prayer and Liturgy considers 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 church;
- Those from other Christian traditions – or none;
- Those from other faith backgrounds.
The Aims of Prayer and Liturgy
The prayerful experiences we provide our children aim to:
- to learn and cherish 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 develop a personal spirituality
- 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.
Children’s’ Prayer Group
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. Our prayer group take a lead role in helping the children in their class to pray.
Fiat Mihi
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.
Daily prayers
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.
School prayers
Sign Of the Cross
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Morning Offering
God my Father, I give you today,
All that I think and do and say.
My ears for listening,
My eyes to see,
My hands and feet and all of me,
To love and work each day for you
Amen.
Grace Before Meals
Bless us, O God, as we sit together.
Bless the food we eat today.
Bless the hands that made the food.
Bless us, O God.
Amen.
End of the day prayer
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.
Amen.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee:
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Our Father
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Glory Be
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.
