Prayer and Liturgy

'Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.'

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Celebration of The Eucharist

Throughout the year we have the joy of celebrating the Sacrament of the Eucharist at St Bernadette’s School. The children help to prepare and lead the Mass through Altar Serving, reading and bringing up the gifts during Mass. On different occasions throughout the year, parents and guardians are invited to join us in school for Mass. Key Stage 2 children also attend Mass at Our Lady St Dominic Church each term.

Prayer

In its simplest form, prayer is defined as “talking to God.” It is a personal time of opening our hearts to our Heavenly Father and bringing everything in our hearts to Him. Prayer can be a powerful force for change in our lives, and the importance of doing it on a daily basis should be instilled in our children.

Communication is the foundation for success in any relationship. When we communicate openly and freely with each other, we learn to know each other as individuals. This principle also applies to our relationship with God. By talking to God, we can learn more about who He is and what plan He has for us.

Children are introduced to a variety of different ways of praying:

• quiet reflection / meditation
• praying together
• writing their own prayers
• prayer through music
• learning traditional Catholic prayers

Liturgical Prayer

At St Bernadette's, every day is infused with spirituality. Class Liturgical Prayer is our loving response, in word and action, to God’s invitation to enter into a relationship with God himself, made possible through the work of Jesus Christ and witness of the Holy Spirit. From early days of joining the school, children experience a high quality prayer life and join in moving acts of worship. 

Liturgical prayer at St Bernadette’s follows this pattern:

We Gather- We come together as part of God’s family. Everyone is welcome.

We Listen - God speaks to us and we listen. A reading from the Scriptures (or another suitable source)

We Respond- We respond to the Word of God. The children are given time to contemplate what they have heard and respond to it in a variety of different ways.

Going Forth- We want to share the Good News! The children go forth with something to hold onto from the experience of the liturgy that they can take into their daily lives. The children have a deep understanding of the revelation of God’s presence.

Gospel Assembly

We beginning each week on Monday morning with whole school Gospel Assembly, a special time to gather as a community, to pray and reflect. Our older children play a central role in Gospel assembly.

Phase Liturgical Prayer

Each Phase (EYFS and KS1, LKS2 and UKS2) gather together each week for Phase Liturgical Prayer. The same theme is explored across the school each week. These are linked to the liturgical season, or other religious themes such as Catholic Social Teaching, Our Charism Gifts or Saints. Teachers and pupils plan these together and the children deliver these to the Phase.

Child Led Class Liturgical Prayer

Each week, different children in each class prepare and lead their class in liturgical prayer. In key stage one, the children are guided by adults to prepare for this. In key stage two, the children plan with more independence. These themes can be chosen by the children to reflect the needs of the class, or link closely to what they are studying in RE lessons. During Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter class liturgical prayer is solely linked to the liturgical time of year. During Advent and Lent parents, carers and family members are invited into school to participate in class liturgical prayer.

Hymn Practice

On Wednesday afternoon the whole school gathers together to sing songs of praise to God and practise the hymns that we use for Gospel Assembly and Mass. Hymns are linked to the liturgical time of the year.

Celebration Liturgy

Each Friday, the whole school community comes together for a time of reflection. We also celebrate the individual achievements of children across the school who have displayed attributes linked to the School Mission Statement and Our Charism Gifts. We end the week by reflecting back on the message discussed in the Monday morning Gospel Assembly and by thanking God for all He has helped us to achieve that week.