At St. Dunstan’s Catholic Primary School, the children are taught traditional Catholic prayers in certain year groups. We firmly believe that prayer is the best way to communicate with God and it is a vehicle for daily dialogue with God. Our daily prayers in St. Dunstan’s provide us with an opportunity to share our lives with God and our daily prayers give us the chance to express our gratitude for the things that God provides.
Below is a list of the prayers taught to different year groups. They can be used at home as well as at school to deepen the children’s knowledge of how Christians live and act today. Pray as a family at home and look out for the class prayer books that are sent home with different children to encourage family prayer time.
Remember the Old Saying:
“The Family that prays together-stays together.”
Why is it important to spend time alone with God praying?
All relationships take time.
A relationship with God is an opportunity to spend time with someone who loves you and is an opportunity for you to really get to know God.
When you say these school prayers, you are deepening your relationship with God.
Below is a list of the prayers taught to different year groups. They can be used at home as well as at school to deepen the children’s knowledge of how Christians live and act today. Pray as a family at home and look out for the class prayer books that are sent home with different children to encourage family prayer time.
Remember the Old Saying:
“The Family that prays together-stays together.”
Why is it important to spend time alone with God praying?
All relationships take time.
A relationship with God is an opportunity to spend time with someone who loves you and is an opportunity for you to really get to know God.
When you say these school prayers, you are deepening your relationship with God.
At St. Dunstan’s Catholic Primary School we always strive to provide quality experiences of prayer and liturgy that support pupils’ spiritual and personal development. These communal acts of prayer and the liturgical celebrations of the Church form part of everyday life in our school. They are essential to our wonderful school ethos. Every child in our school is given the opportunity to pray by giving praise and thanks to God using traditional prayers of the Catholic Church and many other sources of prayer that enable this to take place. You will find a selection of these prayers in the 'Catholic Life' section of our school website. We fully encourage the children to nurture a strong relationship with God through words, symbols, song, gestures and reflective silence. Prayer in St. Dunstan’s is such an integral part of school life that it can never be confined to ‘timetabled’ slots but may take place in a variety of contexts other than those specifically structured. Our school aim is not just to teach the children to be role-models in society but importantly for them to be faith-models - to be the best faith model they can possibly be.
“From the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others.”
Pope John Paul II
Central to our prayer life in St Dunstan’s is the weekly Collective Worship. The Eucharist is the very core, the very essence of our Catholic life in school and therefore is celebrated with the whole school and the extended community each Friday morning when we all attend our Parish Church to celebrate Mass. Children participate in a variety of ways: praying, reading and singing.
Other opportunities for prayer take place within the classroom at the start of each day, before and after lunch and again at the end of each day. Prayer in the classrooms and in assemblies always includes use of symbols and a focal point for prayer which is appropriate to the liturgical season, for example, Lent, Advent or Easter. During all these times of prayer, both staff and pupils are involved in leading and participating.
“From the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others.”
Pope John Paul II
Central to our prayer life in St Dunstan’s is the weekly Collective Worship. The Eucharist is the very core, the very essence of our Catholic life in school and therefore is celebrated with the whole school and the extended community each Friday morning when we all attend our Parish Church to celebrate Mass. Children participate in a variety of ways: praying, reading and singing.
Other opportunities for prayer take place within the classroom at the start of each day, before and after lunch and again at the end of each day. Prayer in the classrooms and in assemblies always includes use of symbols and a focal point for prayer which is appropriate to the liturgical season, for example, Lent, Advent or Easter. During all these times of prayer, both staff and pupils are involved in leading and participating.
The St Dunstan's Chaplaincy Team
Our KS2 children have the opportunity to serve the school and Parish community as part of our Chaplaincy Team. Successful candidates are commissioned during a special service in Church, where they receive their Chaplaincy Team Badge and their mission.
The Chaplaincy team play a vital role in developing the Spiritual life of the school and are supported by the Deputy Headteacher, Miss Forde.
Ephesians 2:10: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do"
Aims:
Our Mission includes:
The Chaplaincy team play a vital role in developing the Spiritual life of the school and are supported by the Deputy Headteacher, Miss Forde.
Ephesians 2:10: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do"
Aims:
- To help the school to grow as a community of faith.
- To encourage the pupils to live their faith in daily living.
- To support Liturgy, prayer and the spiritual life of the school.
- To continue to develop strong links with the Parish and community.
- To involve pupils in fundraising for charities.
- To support the school in its Mission Statement.
Our Mission includes:
- Helping to plan and lead assemblies, Masses and 'Saints Day' celebrations.
- Working with other Chaplaincy Teams within the cluster group.
- Organising and leading class prayer times with other pupils.
- Leading lunchtime prayer opportunities throughout the year e.g. Rosary, Stations of the Cross.
- Ensuring that class and communal prayer areas reflect the liturgical season.
- Organising fund raising for charity
- Supporting younger children with their spiritual development
- Creating termly Chaplaincy newsletters for the children and staff.
