Prayer and Collective Worship

'Prayer is the raising of one's heart and mind to God'

At St Benedict's Catholic Academy, prayer and worship is an integral part of the school day.

We pray with the children:

At the beginning of the school day: this consists of the morning prayer, prayer of the month and prayers for various intentions including those suggested by the children
Before Meals: Grace before Meals
After Meals: Grace after Meals
At the beginning and end of an RE lesson:this is linked to the lesson, theme or day
At the end of the school day: End of Day prayer
During Collective Worship: this is a longer liturgy planned, prepared and led by the children. It includes formal prayers, short Scripture readings, a hymn and time for reflection or spontaneous prayer.
In Assemblies:Monday Mission Assembly and Celebration Assemblies.
At Mass: children go to mass at St Benedict's Parish Church, a class visit every fortnight. Every fortnight Fr Paul comes into school to say Mass and it is live streamed into every class.
Prayer Garden: opportunities for personal and spontaneous prayer
At home:supported by the class prayer bags

Each classroom has a prayer focus/ sacred space. Children use it as a focal point when they pray. It will include:

A clothwhich follows the liturgical colour
A crucifix and candle
A statue/artefacts/ symbols- these are changed termly to maintain interest and follow themes or seasons
Formal prayer posters or prayer cards
Children's composed prayers and artefacts brought from home

Prayer takes a variety of forms and types and these are used with the children on a regular basis:

Forms of Prayer:

Types of Prayer:

Thanks- prayers which express our gratitude to God for all he has done for us

Asking- prayers we say when we ask Our Lord to intervene for us and Our Lady and the saints to mediate on our behalf

Praise- prayers to express our love for God and all he has created

Sorry- prayers we use to say sorry

Structure of Prayer:

When children compose their own prayers they should be taught to use the ‘You, Who, Do’ structure.

You- the greeting e.g. ‘Hail Mary’

Who- compliment e.g. ‘full of grace’

Do- your request e.g. ‘pray for us sinners now’

Teaching of formal prayers:

Formal prayers are used on a daily basis. These can be found on the ‘Teach us to Pray’ powerpoint - please click below.