Diocesan inspection report said:
Pupils’ response to the present school prayer opportunities is outstanding, in terms of willingness to participate and a real sense of engagement in the life of the Spirit.’
Our Mission at St. Mary’s
Learning to live out our calling with compassion and love.
‘Christ has no body on earth but ours; ours are the hands through which He heals; ours are His eyes, His feet, His lips; ours are the hearts through which He loves.’
As part of our calling to carry out God’s work on earth, we seek to draw our inspiration from periods of worship and reflection. These spiritual moments are essential to build the strength needed to carry out our vocation in today’s world.
Collective Worship refers not only to whole school gatherings but to those acts of worship which take place in a number of different settings and groupings of people in and around the school:
Assembly
An assembly is a gathering of people. Strictly speaking, it is not a religious activity and is a means of communicating information to a group of people.
We take part in weekly assemblies where we reflect on the Sunday Gospel. We each write a mission task to show how we are going to live out our calling in relation to the Gospel reading.
Prayer and Liturgy
Liturgy is the worship lived and practiced by the Church. Liturgy encompasses all of the seasonal elements of the Church’s year (The Liturgical Year), the structure of daily prayer, specific rites such as the Funeral Mass and the celebration of the Sacraments. For schools, Liturgy is worship which incorporates elements of the rites and rituals, signs and symbols of the Church.
We conduct weekly worships in each classroom, with themes selected and planned by the children. Look at some examples of these below…
Prayer and Liturgy Gallery
We follow the four part structure of:
Mass
For Catholics, the Mass is central to practice of the faith. At Mass, the Last Supper is remembered but also recreated. Bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. This belief (transubstantiation) is what distinguishes us from many other Christians. This sacrament is above all others because as members of the Church, “We receive the Body of Christ and are increasingly being transformed into the Body of Christ.”
Prayer
Deepen a personal relationship with God, prayer will help the pupils to become aware of God’s presence in their lives and of His love for them, by leading them to respond to Him.
Prayer Bags
We recently launched our wonderful prayer bags for children to take home each week and share in meaningful prayer and liturgies with their families. We ask that families try to link their prayer session to either something close to their hearts or the Liturgical Seasons.
Prayer and Liturgy Guidance
Amazing Examples of Home Liturgies
Year 1
Somdolma and Dougie
Year 2
Florence and Jack
Year 3
Jathusa and Sydney
Year 4
Elizabeth and Mason
Year 5
Janetta and Jeevan
Year 6
Kezia and Gab
🙏Our Lady of Lourdes 🙏
Today our whole school family at St Mary’s joined their classes for a very special Celebration of the Word to mark the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Mary holds a particularly special place in our hearts as our patron saint. We gathered in our classrooms and chapel spaces, lighting a candle and reflecting on the story of when Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette in Lourdes in 1858. Through this humble young girl, Mary reminded the world of the power of prayer, faith and loving service — especially to those who are sick and in need
We listened to the Gospel from Luke 5:17–26 and reflected on the friends who lowered the man through the roof to reach Jesus. Their faith, love and determination remind us that we are called to help one another draw closer to Christ, particularly in times of suffering and difficulty.
During a time of quiet reflection, each child wrote a prayer intention — many thinking of loved ones who are unwell, those who feel lonely and those who have died. These were placed reverently in our prayer spaces before we prayed a decade of the Rosary together for healing and peace.
Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us 💙
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🙏Candlemas🙏
Today we have marked Candlemas with special Celebrations of the Word in our classrooms.
We proclaimed the Gospel all about when Jesus was presented in the temple. We thought about how we, like Jesus, can be a light for all nations in homes and schools.
Each child brought in a candle from home that has been blessed so that it can be used for prayer and reflection with their families.
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