Prayer and Liturgy

“Where two or three meet in my name I am there among them.”

(Matthew 18:20)

Prayer and Liturgy at St Benedict's, whilst respecting the diversity of belief and commitment, will be Catholic in character and will have Christ at its heart. It will reflect the tradition of the Church and its belief in the Trinity.

Through Prayer and Liturgy, we aim to:

Provide opportunities for pupils to worship God, welcome Him into their hearts, to consider spiritual and moral issues and to explore their own beliefs.
Encourage participation and response, whether through active involvement in the presentation of worship through listening and joining in with the worship offered.
Develop community spirit, promote a common ethos and shared values and reinforce positive attitudes.

Through the year, children will experience Prayer and Liturgy in their classrooms, around the school grounds, in the school hall and at our local Parish Church. These celebrations will reflect thanksgiving, feast days, the Church's seasons and special occasions. They will address the emotions and feelings of young people (joy, friendship, sadness, etc). In addition, Prayer and Liturgy sessions will also be based around our Gospel Values: patience, friendship, honesty, respect, service and forgiveness.

Where possible, celebrations will be open to families, parishioners and the local community.

Children are encouraged to plan and participate in their own celebrations, e.g. class assemblies, school assemblies, class prayer, school celebrations on Saints days, Holy days of obligation, Christmas and Easter celebrations.

There is Prayer and Liturgy in every class each day. This may be as a class, key stage or whole school. This takes a variety of forms but involves the children in planning and delivering the worship. For more information on the progression of child involvement, please see the Prayer and Liturgy policy found here.

As a Catholic school, all children normally attend the various celebrations of prayer and liturgy. However, we do recognise the parents' legal right to withdraw their children from Prayer and Liturgy and Religious Education - this would be in consultation with the Headteacher.