Prayer & Collective Worship

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

At St Thomas More Catholic Academy and Sixth Form College, prayer and worship is an integral part of the school day.

We pray with the students:

• At the beginning of the school day during tutor time: this consists of a morning prayer, the prayer of the month and/or prayers for various intentions including those suggested by the staff and students.
• The Angelus: we pause during the school day to pray the Angelus
• At the beginning of a RE lesson: this is linked to the lesson, theme or day
• During Collective Worship: this is a longer liturgy planned, prepared and led by the staff and students. It includes formal prayers, short Scripture readings, a hymn and time for reflection or spontaneous prayer.
• In Assemblies: with a weekly theme based around Catholic Social Teaching 
• At Mass: children go to mass at Our Lady of the Angels Church. Our Parish Priest is Father Jimmy. 
• Solemnity and Holy Days of Obligation: We have a whole school Mass in the gym 
• In the Chapel: opportunities for personal and spontaneous prayer, form group prayer and Mass
• At home: supported by the newsletter.

We pray with staff:

• All meetings commence with a prayer 
• Staff briefing consists of a prayer rota where different staff lead on a prayer each Monday morning
• Staff training days begin with staff reflection or a Mass
• Staff are supported with their spiritual development through regular formation activities

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

• A cloth which 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
• Students' composed prayers

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

Forms of Prayer:

• Formal prayers led by teachers or students
• Spontaneous prayer led by teacher or students
• Prayers from the Mass
• A reading from scripture
• A hymn (singing is praying twice!)
• Students' own written prayers
• Actions, signs and symbols accompany prayers when it is suitable to do so
• Guided meditation/ Lectio Divina
• Silent 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’

St Thomas More Catholic Academy and Sixth  Form College Prayer

Lord God,

during our time at this school, give us

the grace to allow your Holy Spirit to work

through us.

Help us to speak, think and study

with honesty and respect for others, to celebrate all that is life-giving and

to encourage one another confident

in the knowledge that we are all God’s children.

Inspire us to love one another as you

have loved us.

St Thomas More,

Pray for us!

Useful Prayers

Sign of the Cross
In the name of the father, and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Our Father
Our Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come.
Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary
Hail Mary, Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.

Eternal Rest
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.
Amen.

The Glory Be
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now,
and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

The Angelus
V- The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.

R- And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

(V - Hail Mary full of Grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus

R – Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.)

V- Behold the handmaid of the Lord.

R- Be it done unto me according to thy word. (Hail Mary....)

V- And the Word was made Flesh.

R- And dwelt among us. (Hail Mary....)

V- Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.

R- That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:
Pour forth we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we to whom the incarnation of Christ, thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his passion and cross, be brought to the glory of his resurrection,
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen

Termly Collective Liturgy and Prayer Programme

At St Thomas More each form room has a poster displayed which is referred to frequently during form time prayer. A new one is issued each month. 

The Lectionary is the collection of scripture readings the Church uses throughout the year.  We have a three year cycle A, B and C.  The weekday readings at Mass follow a two year cycle .

The posters are coloured according to the main liturgical theme for the month.

The colours used are white or gold, purple, green, red, Rose and black. 

White (or gold), since it is a festive, joyful colour, is used during the Christmas and Easter seasons, and on major feast days, such as, on the celebrations of the Lord other than of his Passion, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of the Holy Angels, and of Saints who were not martyrs, and on the Solemnities of All Saints. 

Purple (or violet) symbolises repentance and penance. Vestments of purple or violet are used during the seasons of Advent and Lent.

The colour reminds us of the violet flower that bows its head and is a symbol of humility. Lent is the season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is a quiet season of reflection. 

Green is a sign of life in nature and as such it represents growth, life and hope. Green is the colour worn most often during liturgies in Ordinary Time. It symbolises the graces that draw people into the life of God. Most of the Church's year is Ordinary Time.

Red symbolises both blood and fire. It is the colour that is used on Passion (Palm) Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, and for celebrations of the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is also the colour that has traditionally been associated with martyrs – those who have shed their blood for their faith – and so it is worn on the feast days of martyrs.

Rose is the colour that may be used on the Third Sunday of Advent and the Fourth Sunday of Lent. On both of these days, the Entrance Antiphon calls us to rejoice, so the pink vestments mark a softening of the penitential tone of the season.

Black is the colour of mourning and sorrow and can be used for All Souls Day, Remembrance Sunday and for Requiem Masses or Funerals. 

During form prayer time, students refer to the cycle of prayer and the Saints Days as they occur.

We also promote the prayer intentions of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. By using these intentions we are uniting ourselves with Catholics throughout the world, this is appropriate as the word ‘Catholic’ means universal. As our leader, he encourages us all to pray for particular intentions each month.

 Prayer and Liturgy Policy