“Prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for God”
[Catechism of the Catholic Church 2560]
As Christians we believe that God calls each of us into a loving relationship with him, and this relationship can be strengthened through prayer. Prayer is the way in which we engage in communication with God and it is es
sential to human fulfilment for it is only in God that we can discover ourselves, our meaning and our purpose. Therefore, part of our role as a Catholic School is to teach prayers and to educate our pupils on how to pray.
In each classroom at St Ursula’s Catholic Primary School, there is a prayer table with a Crucifix, Statue and Icon and these are joined by a Bible that is always open. This prayer focus will change throughout the year to reflect the Liturgical Year and the current Topic being taught in R.E.
While praying in class, teachers simply start their prayer by drawing everyone together by various ways such as lighting a candle, making the Sign of the Cross, singing a Hymn or directing their pupil’s focus to a religious painting or Icon. Teachers and pupils are aware of the importance of creating an atmosphere conducive to prayer such as playing music. At St. Ursula’s we pray with children and not at them. We recognise that enabling children to pray demands wholehearted involvement with them not in teacher/pupil way but in a relationship of learning, and discovering together.
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You”
[St. Augustine]
Prayer consists of:
Listening - being attentive to the voice of God in every moment of life.
Speaking - expressing our heart’s deepest longings and desires to the One who knows and understands us better than we know and understand ourselves.
Reflecting - thinking about our relationship with God. Pondering on the actions of God in history and in the unfolding mystery of our lives.
Resting – simply being consciously in the presence of God, knowing that we are loved.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church identifies the following forms of prayer:
Blessing and Adoration – the prayer which blesses God for the goodness which has been shown to humankind
Petition – the prayer which asks for forgiveness and which calls for the establishment of the Kingdom of God
Intercession – consists in asking on behalf of another
Thanksgiving – acknowledging the gifts which God has given
Praise – the prayer which praises God simply because God is
[CCC 2623 –2649] Prayer in our classrooms
Our daily prayers are a fundamental part of our life at St Ursula's, but each month one of the classes from KS2 is set the task of writing a prayer around a current theme. The class writes the prayer collaboratively and the prayer is shared with the rest of the school through the R.E. display in the school foyer.
Prayer in Class
Click here to see our Prayers in class
Morning Prayer
Lunchtime Prayer
Afternoon Prayer