Prayer and Liturgy
At St. George’s, we uphold and live out the Westminster Diocesan Vision that:
Every opportunity for Prayer and Liturgy in our schools
offers a meaningful encounter with the living God
that reveals his transformative love and truth
and leads to a deepening of faith and action.
Prayer is invitational in nature, and we work together as a school community to accompany one another and provide appropriate formation so that every opportunity for prayer and liturgy may indeed offer a meaningful encounter with the living God.
“For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned towards heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”
(St Therese of Lisieux – one of our four House Saints)
The Directory for Catechesis states that, ‘Prayer is, first of all, a gift from God’ and we help children to embrace this gift through using guidance from the Prayer and Liturgy Directory, To Love You more dearly. Acts of worship take place daily. Children are supported to plan and lead acts of worship in the classroom and in other appropriate spaces, such as our Rosary Garden. Every Friday, a Celebration of the Word is led by either a member of the Senior Leadership Team, our Parish Clergy, our Prayer and Liturgy Team or one of our other Pupil Leadership groups. Parents are invited to attend class led Celebrations of the Word which take place throughout the year.
This year we are continuing to focus on embedding different ways to pray, based on our 'virtue in variety' approach to prayer. A 'Prayer Menu' has been provided for each class to help the children experience a variety of ways in which to pray, including a Visio Divina, Lectio Divina and Examen. Our Prayer and Liturgy team also created their own evaluation form for pupils to use, so that they can take greater ownership in suggesting ways in which they could further enhance their experience of prayer.
“Pupils engage reverently in a full, active and joyous prayer life. A wide range of ways of praying is offered to pupils, including meditation, silence and contemplation, as well as the Examen, Visio Divina, Lectio Divina, and well-loved traditional prayers.”
(Catholic School Inspectorate, June 2025)
Our Prayer and Liturgy prepared and led a number of Celebration of the Word, including:
- The Season of Creation
- Blessed Carlo Acutis
- Remembrance Day
- Advent
- Racial Justice Sunday
- Year of St Francis of Assisi
The Prayer and Liturgy Team also enjoy leading prayer for our children in Reception and Nursery on a Friday afternoon. The team also plan lunchtime activities to mark the liturgical year.
The children will learn common prayers and will be supported to appreciate how each text draws them into a relationship with Jesus, so that they become a foundation for their ongoing prayer life. The prayers will be introduced according to the age of pupils, and takes into account where prayers are introduced in the Religious Education Directory.
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KS1 (Prayers also taught in EYFS at St. George’s) |
LKS2 |
UKS2 |
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