Prayer and liturgical celebration are central to our Catholic tradition and form an integral part of the school day. It is woven throughout the school day following the Liturgical Life of the Church. At St Mary’s we enable the children to develop their relationship with God through a wide variety of prayer opportunities, which take place in a range of settings. The opportunities allow children the opportunity to:

• Praise and worship God.
• Reflect the values of the Gospels.
• Plan their own personal contributions to Collective Worship.
• Respond to and participate in the worship offered.
• Develop a community spirit, a common ethos and shared values.
• Consider spiritual and moral issues.
• Celebrate God working within us.
• Understand the need for, and importance of prayer.

Pupils learn and say the following daily prayers; Morning Offering, Grace before Meals, Grace after Meals and Evening Offering. The children also plan and lead acts of prayer within each of their classes. We use a structure to help us to plan times of prayer. First. we gather using prayers or actions or music. Then, we listen to scripture, readings and / or poems. After that, we respond by reflecting or saying a prayer together. Finally, we go forth by reflecting on the scripture/focus and think of how we can take this forward into our work throughout the day.

As pupils progress across the school, they learn a wider range of traditional prayers that they are introduced to at age appropriate times, in line with Diocese expectations. For example, Reception pupils are expected to know how to make the Sign of the Cross, the Our Father and the Hail Mary as well as the four daily prayers. By Y6, pupils are learning the Prayer to the Holy Spirit and The Apostles Creed. Our prayer book can be found below.

Pupils also use prayer at different times in the liturgical calendar, to reflect upon key events, such as the Stations of the Cross or the Rosary. We are lucky enough to have a dedicated prayer area in school and in our school garden that children are encouraged to use for spontaneous prayer throughout their school life.

St Francis and St Clare MAC Light Liturgy

Lent – Stations of the Cross