Prayer & Liturgy

At St. Edward’s, prayer and worship are an integral part of our daily life.

Each week begins when our children and staff gather for the Pupil Chaplaincy-led, Gospel Assembly. Using the Gospel reading from Sunday's Mass, this is an important time for our community to gather, reflect and set our mission for the coming week. Tuesday and Wednesday are class based acts of worship led by adults and the children, respectively. Thursdays are our Class Assemblies or Liturgies and we end the week with a Celebration and Awards Assembly. This includes the awarding of Gold Star Badges for children who embody the Catholic Virtues linked to our Behaviour Curriculum. 

Children begin each day reciting the school prayer. Within classrooms, our prayers are focused to the front of the classroom where our prayer spaces take pride of place. The children pray Grace before and after meals.  Before leaving for the day, the children recite an end of the day.

Throughout the school there areas for planned and spontaneous prayer including the School Chapel, an intimate, consecrated space used originally by the Sisters; the Prayer Space, also consecrated but larger to support whole class prayer and prayer for staff of other faiths; Mary's Prayer Garden, tended by our Eco Club, this open air space sees us gather to recite a Decade of the Rosary in the Month of Mary in May and the Month of the Rosary in October; Staff Memorial Benches, to remember members of our staff community who have recently passed and become a focal point for the Book of Remembrance in November; this and our School Library, where our breakfast club staff lead early morning reflections. 

Acts of Devotion include pilgrimage to Westminster Abbey to pray at the Tomb of our patron saint, St Edward the Confessor. Our Epiphany Mass brings us together with our sister parish school, St Joseph's, where Canon Kevin blesses chalk for each school, for the Chalking of the Doors. Canon Kevin welcomes our children to the Church of Our Lady for the Stations of the Cross.  Holy Week Liturgies are the highlight of our Liturgical year. Year 3, 4 and 5 present Easter Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday liturgies, with our Year 6 class presenting The Resurrection following the Easter holiday. Their purpose is to provide times of prayer which draw on all the senses and lead us back to the liturgy with a deeper prayerful understanding of what we celebrate.

Children are given daily support and opportunity to learn and recite the Common Catholic prayers including the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, which form the foundation of daily devotions and the Rosary. Each class has a Prayer Book where individual prayers are recorded, including those of other faiths. Children are encouraged to illustrate their words and record them in their first language where appropriate. Reconciliation is performed as part of our Advent and Lenten calendar. 

The school regularly communicates with parents and carers via the school newsletter that includes links to both parish newsletters to encourage connection with the richness and diversity of prayer and liturgy. Parents and carers are warmly invited to attend all masses, liturgies and assemblies held either at the school or at the parish church to access to opportunities for spiritual growth and experience of the Catholic tradition.

 PRAYER AND LITURGY POLICY