Prayer and Liturgy

Prayer and Liturgy at St John Vianney

As a Catholic school, prayer and liturgy are at the core of our school life, here at St John Vianney.

Our aim is that through the experience of prayer and liturgy, our school community comes
together to worship and become closer to God.

It is through acts of collective worship, and prayer and liturgy, alongside daily classroom prayers,
that we are able to live out our mission statement of ‘Seeking Growth together through Jesus’.
School Assemblies The school gathers together in key stages every Monday for Collective Worship, which is linked to the liturgical season and Sunday’s Gospel. These acts of worship are led by Mrs Evans and Mr Duffy. We also take this opportunity to celebrate how our children have lived out Gospel values during their previous week in class.

Our children are rewarded with certificates in the following categories; ‘The parable of the Talents’, (children who have used their talents like Jesus and produced some high quality work) and ‘The Good Samaritan’ (children who have shown a particular act of kindness).

In addition to this weekly assembly, we also have smaller key stage assemblies, which are led by teachers, on a rotation. All acts of prayer and liturgy follow the format of ‘Gather, Listen, Respond and Send’. The children engage in familiar hymns, prayers, scripture and always observe the lighting of a candle to remind us that Jesus is present and is the Light of the World. Whole school hymn practice takes each week where we introduce our children to new hymns to develop a range, both traditional and contemporary.

Throughout the course of a year, each class prepares an assembly, to which parents, carers and families are invited. These are based on liturgical themes and/or current affairs, with the main focus on worshipping and being reverent to God. All children are actively involved in the selection of readings and the writing of prayers. They also use drama, art and music to engage and communicate their message. Each class also invites their partner class to watch the assembly, which enables them to share God’s message with other age groups and pass on the Good News. Parent Liturgies twice a year, every year group plans, prepares and delivers an act of worship to our families. These take place on various Fridays at 9am in the school hall.

All children participate in the worship, through singing hymns and sharing prayers as they praise God. Staff Reflections Every Monday, the staff at St John Vianney always begin our week by coming together to give thanks to our Lord and ask for his help and guidance as we begin a new school week. Every teacher leads this prayer and liturgy twice per year, on a rotation. It is a reverent act of worship that helps us to reflect and remind ourselves that we are a Catholic community and it is our mission to make Christ known to all people.

At St. John Vianney, we aim to help children value and respect the power of prayer. We encourage the children to pray by providing a prayer space and worship table in each classroom, the colours of which reflect the current liturgical season. Every room has a Bible, Mary statue, cross and candle, which shows the children that this is a sacred place. We help the children to create and experience an atmosphere that enhances prayer. This involves the children both preparing their own prayers and also experiencing the haven of peace and tranquility, to allow the word of God to reach them spiritually. All classes participate in a morning prayer, lunchtime prayer and end of day prayer. We also have a chapel, where all children are invited to engage in prayer and reflection either alone or with a member of staff or other peers.

At SJV, we are proud to have a committed group of Prayer Leaders whose primary goal is to foster a deeper connection to God among their peers through prayer.