Prayer and Liturgy

At Sacred Heart we always strive to provide quality experiences of prayer and liturgy that support pupils’ spiritual development. These communal acts of prayer and the liturgical celebrations of the Church form part of everyday life in our school. Every child is given the opportunity to pray by giving praise and thanks to God using traditional prayers of the Catholic Church and many other sources of prayer that enable this to take place. We encourage the children to nurture a relationship with God through words, symbols, song, gestures and silence. Prayer is such an integral part of school life that it can never be confined to ‘timetabled’ slots but may take place in a variety of contexts other than those specifically structured.

Celebration of the Word

Central to our prayer life in Sacred Heart is celebration of the word. Children particpate in, enagage with and help to prepare reflective prayer sessions as well as listen to God's word. With guideance and formation from staff, many pupils develop their understanding of ministeries so that they can confidently take on the role of leading others in prayer.

Mass

The Eucharist is the very core, the very essence of our Catholic life and therefore is celebrated regularly as a whole school and with the extended community. Our school Masses take place on a Friday morning, with children participating in a variety of ways: praying, reading and singing. The opportunity to celebrate Mass with our parishioners, in our church, helps to further the children’s understanding of the richness of the Eucharist. 

Other opportunities for prayer

Other opportunities for prayer take place within the classroom at the start of each day, before and after lunch and again at the end of each day. Prayer in the classrooms and in assemblies always includes use of symbols and a focal point for prayer which is appropriate to the liturgical season, for example, Lent, Advent or Easter.  During all these times of prayer, both staff and pupils are involved in leading and participating.

In addition to children's prayer, Sacred Heart staff gather together every Thursday morning, before the school day for Staff Prayer and Reflection. This is an opportunity for colleagues to reflect on biblical values and promote Gospel messages.

The school is blessed in having a very supportive parish priest, Father Ramesh Amaldoss. Father Ramesh visits chool regularly helping our children to experience what it means to belong to, or take part in the worshipping community of the Church. The children are fortunate to be able to experience the richness of the liturgical life of the Church in many ways throughout the year such as the Stations of the Cross during Lent, the celebration of the sacrament of Reconciliation, weekly masses and a joyful Carol Service at Christmas.

During Lent, the children are led in in the stations of the cross using our beautiful Woodland Stations, which allow the pupils to immerse themselves in prayer and reflection as they make their journey walking in Jesus foosteps to calavry. The children also take part in the Holy Week celebrations including a Palm Procession, Commemoration of Our Lord's Passion, Service of Sorrow, and A Liturgy of Service including the Washing of the Feet.

Daily Prayer and Types of Prayer

Daily prayer is central to the our school and through our progression in prayer, pupils learn to pray many of the church's most beautiful prayers. These prayers change depending on the litrugical season for example in Eastertide, the children sing the Regina Caeli and during the month of June we prayer to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Prayers are progressively taught from EYFS right up to Year 6 so that with each passing year, each child builds a lasting repetoire of prayer and an understanding of the Church's traditions.

Pupils are also taught to pray in different ways such as:

The Rosary (May/October)

Visio Divina

Lectio Divina

Sponateous Prayer

Quiet reflection and meditation

Song

It is ultimately our aim at Sacred Heart to provide our children with opportunities to experience a variety of forms of prayer that help each individual  in the school community to nurture their own relationship with God.