Collective Worship at St Gabriel’s Catholic Primary School
As a Catholic School, we are committed to making prayer and liturgy central to our work, our celebration and all our endeavours. We pray in thanksgiving, in petition, in celebration, in sorrow and in our acclamation of the glory of God. Collective Worship helps children to recognise the presence of God in their lives, and to reflect on current affairs and social and moral issues in our world. As a school, we structure our collective worship in line with the liturgical calendar of the church.
The Place of Collective Worship in the Life of our school
We believe that Collective Worship must take into account the religious and educational needs of all who share in it:
- those who form part of the worshipping community in Church
- those for whom school may be their first and only experience of the Church
- those from other Christian traditions – or none
- those from other faith backgrounds
We encourage the active participation of the children in acts of worship – through, readings, singing, drama and communal/choral prayer and non-Eucharistic Liturgy.
The Aims of Collective Worship
We believe that Collective Worship aims to provide opportunity for all pupils and staff:
- to learn and love traditional Catholic prayers, for example, the sign of the Cross, Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, morning and evening prayers
- to know and be familiar and confident with responses in liturgy, including Mass
- to contemplate something of the mystery of God
- to reflect on spiritual and moral issues
- to explore and develop their own beliefs
- to respond to and celebrate life
- to experience a sense of belonging and develop community spirit
- to develop a common ethos and a sense of shared values
- to enrich religious experiences
- to reinforce positive attitudes
- to participate fully, to take time out, ‘to wonder at’, ‘to come to terms with’ and ‘to give worth to
Whole School Liturgy
Tuesday begins with a whole-school liturgy, which is usually based on Sunday’s Gospel, or a theme of importance in the Church’s year (for example, CAFOD Harvest Fast Day).
Mass
Wednesday provides children with an opportunity to attend Mass. We celebrate Masses with the whole school, with individual classes and with houses. House Masses provide children with the opportunity to attend Mass with their siblings.
Class Worships
Classes have time to worship together each week in a variety of ways. These include liturgical prayers, prayer journaling, Lectio Divina and guided mediation. We believe that it is important for children to experience a range of styles of prayer, as everyone is unique in their engagement with prayer.
Celebrating Achievement
Each Friday the school comes together for a Celebration Assembly, which is a time to celebrate the achievements of the children and the staff across the school. In the Bible, we are told that we are all one body and one spirit, with many parts – we feel it is important to encourage children to celebrate others because of this. At the end of the week, classes hold a short reflection on what they would like to thank God for this week.
By offering a range of worship styles, we hope that children will find a style of prayer that they find meaningful and be able to use this in their life after their time at St Gabriel’s.
