Prayer -Worship 13

St. Joseph’s RC Primary School Prayer and Worship Policy 2013

“If we gather as we ought – singing together, being silent together, responding together – we will be a community praying, and know that we are such.”                 

(Cardinal Bernardin, Guide to the Assembly, page 10)

School as a worshiping community: 

It is an essential part of the Catholic school’s purpose that it should provide children and young people with an experience of the worshiping community. It is always hoped that this experience will be as vibrant, rich and varied as possible. At St. Joseph’s school we will provide opportunities for worship that challenge and enrich the religious experience of both pupils and staff. These opportunities will include collective worship that may be liturgical or non-liturgical, whole school, class or individual prayer and reflection.

Aims:

To contribute to pupils’ faith and spiritual development so they can:

Experience prayer and worship so that they have a real sense of being valued members of their Catholic community.

Understand the importance of prayer and worship in daily living and how it helps us to grow in our relationships with God and with others.

Experience prayer and worship in a way that makes sense to them and helps them to develop as responsible Catholics so as to value all people of all faiths and communities.

Recognise a sense of the sacred and holy.

Distinguish between the different opportunities for prayer and worship.

Have opportunities for worship, and to use prayer and worship as a form of celebration.

Develop an understanding of the use of scripture used by the worshiping community especially the importance of the Gospel.

Appreciate the distinctive nature of the importance of the celebration of the Mass as central to the life of the Catholic community.

We will achieve this by:

Reflecting on moral and social issues.

Become more aware of and respecting the nature and needs of others.

Developing inclusive attitudes of tolerance and acceptance of difference.

Celebrating work undertaken by pupils in all areas of the curriculum.

Contributing to the school community, and the wider community.

Developing and reflecting on the values of the school.

Celebrating our links with other schools locally and across the World.

Celebrating and giving thanks for God’s world

Listening  to stories from other faiths and learn about their significance.

Developing awareness of how other faiths worship.

Planning:

At St. Joseph’s RC Primary School we will plan the following:

Whole school worship to follow themes extending over a week or a half a term. These themes will be based on feelings, attitudes, stories or current world events. Assembly themes are based on a strong Catholic ethos. Major festivals, feasts and saints from the Christian tradition and of other faiths will  be included.

Mark assemblies as special times by using symbols appropriate to Christian tradition i.e. the lighting of candles, and/or the focus of a Crucifix or Bible. Other relevant symbols may be used in class Assemblies if they are deemed appropriate. The structure of an assembly will broadly include song, prayer, story or other focus, and time for reflection.

We will encourage children to enter and leave all forms of prayer and worship quietly and calmly, respecting the need for stillness and silence whilst taking part in an act of worship.

We will provide opportunities for children to awaken to feelings and senses from which worship arises:

A feeling of pride or shared sadness

A sense of wonder. awe, beauty, pity, smallness in the face of greatness, grandness in the face at smallness, shared loss, peace, thankfulness and of stillness in the midst of a busy existence.

Teaching and Learning:

Worship  contributes to the general development of pupils. Opportunities will be provided for pupils to develop leadership skills, performance skills, singing ability, speaking in groups and in front of others, and to participate in group preparation and presentation.  Keeping collective worship simple promotes dignity and respect, can enhance the celebration and enables all present to engage and feel involved. 

Organisation and Methodology:

Whole school collective  worship will take place on three days a week, one of which will be presented by classes. Key stage prayer and worship will take place on one day and class prayer and worship on one day each week.

Each class will have a special place to focus on  in class for prayer. Making an altar and maintaining reverence for it as a focus is an important duty for each teacher. Times of day for prayer are listed below.

Collective worship will always include prayer and praise by song and reflection, and may include:

A short passage of scripture or if liturgical a Gospel reading.

A story, poem or piece of literature.

A visual focus.

A personal account of an event or experience in the life of the leader of the worship.

Music/Art/Dance/Drama/Display/Power-Point/other appropriate to needs.

Silence and stillness for reflection.

Group and individual reflection and time for children’s responses.

Collective worship will usually take place on the school premises but may occasionally be in Church. All classes will start the school day with a prayer. Grace will be said before and after the mid-day meal. Afternoon school will finish with a closing prayer.