Prayer and Liturgy
Prayer at St Bernadette's
Prayer is an invitation into fellowship with God through Jesus Christ and it allows us to draw near to God and learn more of his will for our lives. In its simplest form, prayer is defined as “talking to God.” By talking to God, children in our school learn more about who He is and what His plans are for us. The most important aspect of prayer for children is that they realise it is their way of communicating with God and is first and foremost a personal occasion. Children are encouraged to pray in different ways according to their age and personal development:
- quiet reflection/meditation
- praying together
- writing own prayers
- prayers through music
- learning traditional Christian / Catholic prayers
- Staff are encouraged to pray with children, and to be an example for them
- Every day, our children are taught to open their hearts and talk to God. Every class partakes in daily prayers which are said at different stages in the day.
Praying the Rosary
The month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. The GIFT team have had the opportunity to lead Rosary Club for children across the school and pray the Holy Rosary as a group. The children have been praying a decade of the rosary together and have been offering their own prayer intentions to Jesus.
Prayer and Liturgy in Class
We use the format of Gather, Listen, Respond and Go Forth. The children gather together in class and use candles, music, procession, singing or other means to create an atmosphere of calm and focus. Within this atmosphere they listen to the Word of God in scripture and then consider how the message that it gives might be used to live their own lives in a way that God intends.
The children love to take an active part which might be in a simple way such as lighting the candle or choosing the piece of music or the scripture story. However, as they progress through the school they are encouraged to take more responsibility and create their own liturgies which they share with their class. There is an element of prayer and reflection where children are encouraged to choose a traditional prayer to say together or they might share a personal prayer intention.
Going forth from the liturgy they might decide on a mission or action they can take at school or at home during the week ahead, or they might have an activity to tie in with what they have heard and discussed.
