Prayer and Liturgy at St Wulstan's and St Edmund's
As a Catholic school, prayer and liturgy are at the core of our school life, here at St Wulstan's and St Edmund's.
Our aim is that through the experience of prayer and liturgy, our school community comes together to worship and become closer to God.
It is through acts of collective worship and prayer and liturgy, alongside daily classroom prayers, that we are able to live out our mission statement of ‘As God’s children, we touch the lives of others through our thoughts, words and actions.’
School Assemblies; the school gathers together as a whole school every Monday for Collective Worship, which is linked to the liturgical season and Sunday’s Gospel. These acts of worship are led by Miss Solloway and Miss Ormerod. Every Friday, during our whole school Celebration worship, we take an opportunity to celebrate how our children have lived out Gospel values during their previous week in class.
Our children are rewarded with certificates in the following categories; 'Star of the week', 'Super citizen' and 'Hope hero'.
In addition to these, we also have class prayer and liturgy every day, which are led by teachers and children within their own classrooms. All acts of prayer and liturgy follow the format of ‘Gather, Listen, Respond and Send’. The children engage in familiar hymns, prayers, scripture and always observe the lighting of a candle to remind us that Jesus is present and is the Light of the World. Whole school hymn practice takes fortnightly where we introduce our children to new hymns to develop a range, both traditional and contemporary.
Throughout the course of a term, each class prepares a Mass or Liturgy, to be held in the church next door, to which parents, carers and families are invited. These are based on liturgical themes and/or current affairs, with the main focus on worshipping and being reverent to God. All children are actively involved in the selection of readings and the writing of prayers.
All children participate in the worship, through singing hymns and sharing prayers as they praise God.
Staff Reflections; every Wednesday, the staff at St Wulstan's and St Edmund's always begin our weekly meeting by coming together to give thanks to our Lord and ask for his help and guidance as we navigate the school week. It is a reverent act of worship that helps us to reflect and remind ourselves that we are a Catholic community and it is our mission to make Christ known to all people.
At St Wulstan's and St Edmund's, we aim to help children value and respect the power of prayer. We encourage the children to pray by providing a prayer space and worship table in each classroom, the colours of which reflect the current liturgical season. Every room has a Bible, cross and candle, which shows the children that this is a sacred place. We help the children to create and experience an atmosphere that enhances prayer. This involves the children both preparing their own prayers and also experiencing the haven of peace and tranquility, to allow the word of God to reach them spiritually. All classes participate in a morning prayer, lunchtime prayer and end of day prayer. We also have a Prayer Room, where all children are invited to engage in prayer and reflection either alone or with a member of staff or other peers.
