Catholic Life of the School
St John’s Catholic Primary School is named after St John the Evangelist, the author of the Gospel of St John. John and his brother James were fishermen when Jesus chose them to be to be part of his original twelve apostles. They left their boat and followed Jesus. Throughout his life John showed love, loyalty and friendship, even staying by Jesus when he was crucified. It is these qualities of love, loyalty and friendship, and John’s message, ‘To trust in Christ,’ that we at St John’s School hold dear.
The words of Jesus to, 'Love your neighbour', mean that we encourage caring, kindness and forgiveness every day. Children learn how to live by Gospel values and take a considered approach to their lives.
At St John’s there is a dignity and respect for each individual as a unique creation of God. We strive to celebrate the diversity which he has provided, recognising their gifts, and helping them to grow in their understanding of themselves, others and their relationship with God. We explore other faiths within our learning to promote greater understanding amongst our future citizens, so that they may be part of a tolerant and respectful society.
At St John’s we have strong links with our local parish and celebrate the liturgical year with a range of events. Our priests visit the school on a weekly basis to further children's spiritual development.
Prayer and Worship at St John's
At our school, we follow the Prayer and Liturgy Directory (PLD) ‘To love you more dearly - 2023’. The PLD guides teachers to plan and provide times of worship that are effective and respectful to God. Through regular prayer and worship, the children are able to 'meet with Jesus' everyday, allowing them to 'Learn and Live God's Truth in Love'
At St. John's, we provide times of Prayer and Worship in the following way:
| Monday | Whole School Gospel Assembly |
| Tuesday | Whole School Music-led Worship |
| Wednesday | Class based Worship |
| Thursday | Class based Worship |
| Friday | Whole School Celebration Assembly at St John the Evangelist Church |
Examples of Liturgies we celebrate at St John's
- Welcome Mass
- Termly Year 2 - Year 6 Class Family Masses
- Advent and Lenten Reconciliation
- Ash Wednesday Mass
- Marian Procession
- Corpus Christi Procession
- Leavers' Mass
Examples of Celebrations of the Word at St John's
- Key Stage 2 Christmas Carol Service
- Key Stage 1 Nativity
- Walking Stations of the Cross
Prayer and Liturgy Policy
Click here to read our Prayer and Liturgy Policy.
Daily Prayers
Each class engages in prayer at least three times a day. Below are examples of class prayers for the different times.
|
Morning Prayer Father in Heaven, you love me, You’re with me night and day I will love you always In all I do and say I’ll try to please you Father Bless me through the day Amen |
Lunchtime Prayer Bless us, O Lord, as we sit together. Bless the food we eat today. Bless the hands that made our food. Bless us, O Lord, Amen. |
Afternoon Prayer God our Father, we have come to say, Thank you for your love today. Thank you for my family, And all the friends you give to me. Guard me in the dark of night and in the morning send your light. Amen |
Our chaplaincy team have also been busy teaching the classes some fun new prayers to be sung before lunchtime, including ones to the theme of the Addams Family, Superman and We Will Rock You!
Prayer Progression
Click here to see how learning of prayers progresses through each phase of our school.