Prayer and Liturgy

At St Paul and St Timothy’s Catholic Infant School, Christ is at the centre of all our thoughts, words and actions. Through Prayer and Liturgy, children, staff, families and members of our parish community come together to know, love and serve God. Prayer is an important part of daily school life and reflects our mission statement:

Love, Learn, Believe, Achieve in the Spirit of Jesus.

We provide a range of meaningful and age-appropriate opportunities for children’s spiritual growth and development. Prayer and Liturgy is inclusive and welcoming, enabling every member of our school community to participate while respecting individual family, faith and cultural backgrounds.

Children are encouraged to take an active role in prayer and to develop their own personal relationship with God. Staff ensure that pupils have a genuine voice in preparing and leading Prayer and Liturgy. As children progress from Reception to Year 2, they become increasingly confident and independent in contributing their own ideas, selecting appropriate resources and leading prayer with reverence and creativity.

Prayer and Liturgy usually follows the structure:

Gather – preparing to meet with God
Listen – hearing and reflecting upon the Word of God
Respond – responding through prayer, reflection or action
Go Forth – taking God’s message into our daily lives

Children may help to prepare the prayer focus, choose symbols, music and gathering activities, proclaim Scripture, write or lead prayers and decide upon a mission to put their faith into action.

Prayer takes place throughout each school day and is approached with reverence and respect. Children pray together in their classrooms, with their year groups, during assemblies and at significant moments within the liturgical year. Weekly Prayer and Liturgy gatherings are planned around Scripture, the Church’s liturgical calendar, Catholic virtues, our school mission and events within the wider world.

At the beginning of each term, children revisit our mission statement and consider how they can live out the values of Love, Learn, Believe and Achieve. Friday celebration assemblies provide an opportunity to thank God for our gifts and talents and to recognise children’s achievements both within and beyond school.

We greatly value our close links with the Parishes of St Paul and St Timothy’s. We are blessed by the support of our clergy, including Deacon Andy, who joins us to lead Celebration of the Word and helps children to deepen their understanding of Scripture, prayer and the life of the Church. Throughout the year, the whole school community comes together to celebrate important feast days, holy days and other special occasions.

The Primary School Wednesday Word is an outreach which shares the Sunday's Gospel with all school families in a unique way. This is a weekly Gospel 'gift' that we share in our school newsletter every Friday.

Please click on the link to access the Wednesday Word Magazine http://www.wednesdayword.org/school