Collective Worship

 “For where two or three come together in my name,

I am there with them.”

Matthew 18: 20

Prayer and liturgy is central to our Catholic faith and is a special way in which we encounter Christ in our daily lives.

At Saint Norbert’s, we make prayer and liturgy engaging and accessible experiences for all, with scripture always rooted at its heart. We are guided by the Prayer and Liturgy Directory as well as by our Diocesan approach ‘Planning and Celebrating Prayer and Liturgy with Young People: A practical and pastoral expression of The Prayer & Liturgy Directory for Nottingham Diocese’. We understand that by using the structure of Gather, Word, Response, Mission in formal acts of prayer and liturgy, we are helping our young people “to build a recognisable and understandable format that becomes familiar and safe for all those in the community” (PLD for Notts Diocese pg. 49). In modelling good practice, we also help our young people become confident and skilled at planning their own Celebrations of the word and times of communal prayer.

Saint Norbert’s attend Mass both in school and at church regularly, and we work closely with the parish clergy to ensure that there is harmony between themes, actions, prayers and responses so that children are confident to worship and live their faith beyond the school day. Upmost priority is given to ensure that feast days and liturgical seasons are marked appropriately.

Prayer punctuates the school day at Saint Norbert’s. Pupils also enjoy additional opportunities for communal prayer, such as when classes pray the Rosary during the months of May and October, and invitations to attend sessions of prayer and reflection held during the pupils break times are always well attended (such as Divine Praises group, Maundy Thursday ‘Stay and Pray 2024’, Advent Activity Club etc). Pupils and staff also receive prayer cards at various times throughout the year; for example all Year 6’s are given a SATs prayer card in advance of sitting these tests and teaching assistants receive a prayer bookmark or similar on Teaching Assistant Appreciation Day.

Here are some examples:

Traditional Catholic Prayers

Prayer and Liturgy at Saint Norbert’s

Timetable of Prayer and Liturgy

MondayGospel based Celebration of the word
TuesdayVirtues and Values themed Celebration of the word
WednesdayClass Celebrations of the word
ThursdayPraise and Worship
FridayCelebration Worship

Gospel based Celebration of the word:

This is an opportunity to share and reflect upon the Gospel reading taken from the Sunday Mass.

Virtues and Values themed Celebration of the word:

We introduce the children to the moral virtues and gospel values to explain meaning and give examples of growing in faith. Children are also taught more about the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.

Class Celebrations of the word:

Each class takes it in turns to lead a Celebration of the word for the whole school.  Parents/Guardians are invited to share in this Act of Worship.

Praise and Worship:

This is an opportunity to praise God using traditional and contemporary hymns and worship songs.

Celebration Worship:

This is focussed upon celebrating the learning that has taken place each week.  One child from each class is selected and presented with a certificate for ‘Pupil of the Week’, recognising the excellence shown in their learning.

Article 14: You have the right to choose your own religion and beliefs. Your parents should help you decide what is right and what is wrong…

Punctuated by Prayer

Start of the DayMorning school prayer
12 NoonThe Angelus (KS1 and KS2 versions)
After lunchMeditation
End of the DayEnd of day school prayer

Planning Prayer and Liturgy

When we plan prayer and liturgies at St Mary’s, we use the planning documents(opens in new tab) created by the NDCYS. We also use their resources to help us evaluate our liturgies too. Their wonderful Extra-Ordo-nary(opens in new tab) document can be a useful tool for liturgy planning, especially for Wednesday’s Class Celebrations of the word which are based on the ‘Word of the Week’.

Our RE learning is closely linked with our Collective Worship and each support the other. Through exposure to a variety of scripture and liturgically appropriate hymns, our pupils develop the ability to make a range of links and as they grow, they are able to give well-reasoned answers when questioned about their choice of scripture and hymns as they begin to plan and lead their own Celebrations of the word.

Our staff are directed to helpful resources (such as Open Bible(opens in new tab), Chaplaincy.Space(opens in new tab), the Liturgy Office of England and Wales(opens in new tab) and Liturgy Tools(opens in new tab)) to help them to choose liturgically suitable scripture and hymns, and to support them generally. This in turn allows them to support our pupils too as they help them to develop these important skills.

Our Lay Chaplain is available to support both staff and pupils with the planning of Celebrations of the word and has visited classes to provide Let Us Pray 2gether training based on the diocesan Word of the Week.

What is prayer and how can I pray?

What is prayer? Prayer is a conversation with God. You can talk to God about anything, at anytime and anywhere! He is always ready to listen. Sometimes we pray using traditional prayers like the Our Father or Hail Mary, but we can also say personal prayers too. Some people find it really natural and easy to turn their thoughts and feelings into their own prayers, whereas some people find this tricky or even a little bit uncomfortable to start with. If you’d like to learn more about how to develop your own personal prayer life and how you can talk to God in different ways about your own thoughts and feelings, have a watch of this video made by our Lay Chaplain Mrs Wright.