Christ at the Heart of Our Prayer and Liturgy

At Our Lady of the Rosary, prayer and liturgy are at the heart of our Catholic life and mission. We believe that prayer provides opportunities for our whole school community to encounter Jesus Christ, deepen our relationship with God and grow together in faith.

Our mission, “Our Journey: Love God, Others First, Respect All and Persevere to Succeed,” guides everything we do. Through prayer, Scripture, liturgy and reflection, we encourage our children to live out this mission each day, recognising that they are unique and precious children of God, created in His image and likeness.

Our prayer and liturgy are rooted in the teachings of Jesus and the life of the Catholic Church. They provide opportunities for children and adults to celebrate our faith, reflect on God's Word, give thanks, ask for forgiveness and respond to God's call to love and serve others.

Our Prayer and Liturgy Provision

At OLOR, our prayer and liturgy follow the guidance of the Prayer and Liturgy Directory, To Love You More Dearly. This provides a framework for ensuring that our children encounter a rich and varied experience of prayer, Celebration of the Word and liturgy throughout their time at school.

We recognise that prayer, Celebrations of the Word and liturgy each have their own character and purpose. Our provision includes opportunities for personal prayer and reflection, class and whole-school prayer, Celebrations of the Word, Mass, sacramental celebrations, devotions and other liturgical celebrations.

Our provision follows a regular rhythm throughout the school year, with prayer and worship taking place every day, every week, every term and throughout the year. This ensures that prayer is not an occasional activity, but an integral part of life at OLOR. 

Daily Prayer and Celebration of the Word

Prayer is woven throughout the school day. Each day begins with whole-class prayer, with opportunities for prayer before and after lunch and at the end of the school day. Children also have opportunities to pray individually, within their class, as a year group and as a whole-school community.

Our Celebrations of the Word provide special opportunities for children to listen to Scripture, reflect on God's Word and consider how they can live out the Gospel message in their own lives. Children are encouraged to participate actively through Scripture, prayer, music, song, drama, silence, reflection and personal responses. Through these experiences, they develop an understanding that God's Word speaks to their lives and calls them to respond.

Child-Led Prayer and Liturgy

At Our Lady of the Rosary, we believe that children should have an active role in the prayer life of our school.
Children are given opportunities to:

• proclaim Scripture;
• lead prayers and reflections;
• prepare and lead Celebrations of the Word;
• share personal intentions;
• contribute through music and song;
• participate in Mass and liturgical celebrations;
• prepare prayer spaces and displays;
• support younger children in prayer; and
• reflect on how they can live out the Gospel in their daily lives.

Through these opportunities, children develop confidence, responsibility and a deeper sense of belonging to our Catholic community. They recognise that they have their own God-given gifts and that these gifts can be used in the service of God and others.

Prayer Through the Liturgical Year

Our prayer life follows the seasons of the Church, helping children to understand that our faith is lived throughout the whole year. The Liturgical Year gives a rhythm to our prayer, worship and learning, allowing us to journey with Jesus through His life, death and Resurrection and to celebrate the mysteries of our faith together.

Want to explore the Liturgical Year?
You can find the current Liturgical Calendar for England and Wales on the Liturgy Office website.

Advent: During Advent, we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus. Our Travelling Nativities are taken home by families, creating opportunities for prayer and reflection and strengthening the connection between home, school and parish.

Christmas: During Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Christ and the joy, hope and love He brings to the world.

Lent: During Lent, we are encouraged to pray, reflect, forgive and make positive changes in our lives as we prepare our hearts for Easter. Our GIFT Team and Chaplains support Soup and Stations, with children, families and members of our parish community invited to join us. This concludes with a reflection on the Stations of the Cross in our Stations Garden.

Holy Week: During Holy Week, we accompany Jesus through His Passion, Death and Resurrection. Children in Years 2–6 take part in re-enactments of Holy Week, sharing these with the wider school community, families and parish.

Easter: During Easter, we celebrate the joy of the Resurrection and the hope that comes through Christ.

May – The Month of Mary: During May, we celebrate Mary and gather each Friday lunchtime to pray a decade of the Rosary together in our Remembrance Garden.

October – The Month of the Rosary: October is a particularly special month for our school community as we celebrate the month of the Rosary. Children take part in our Rosary Challenge, praying the Rosary regularly within their classes. Families and members of our parish community are also welcomed to join us for our Rosary Service each Monday afternoon.

Prayer and the Rosary

As a school dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, Mary holds a special place within our prayer life. Children are introduced to Mary as the Mother of Jesus and as an example of faith, courage, trust and discipleship. Through learning about Mary's life and praying the Rosary, children are encouraged to reflect on her response to God's call and to consider how they too can say yes to God in their own lives.

We celebrate the Nativity of Mary on 8 September each year. Children mark Mary's birthday through a range of creative and prayerful activities, including making birthday cards and bouquets of flowers and writing poems.

Each class also makes a pledge to Mary — choosing something they can do throughout the year as a gift to her. These acts of service might include planting bulbs, litter picking or supporting a charity.

Through these experiences, children learn that prayer can lead us to action, encouraging us to show love and care for others and for God's creation.

Celebrating the Saints

Throughout the year, we celebrate the lives and witness of the saints. Children learn that the saints were ordinary people who responded to God's call in extraordinary ways. Each class has its own class saint, whose life and example provide a special focus for prayer, reflection and learning throughout the year. Children celebrate their class saint's feast day and explore the virtues and qualities they demonstrated.

Our saints provide children with inspiring examples of how to love God, put others first, respect all and persevere, helping them to connect the lives of the saints with our school mission.

Whole-School Celebrations

Throughout the year, we come together as a whole school community to celebrate important moments in the life of the Church and our school.

Our children are encouraged to participate fully and joyfully, recognising that worship is something we share together as a community of faith. We also value opportunities to celebrate with our families and parish community, strengthening the partnership between home, school and parish.

Stay and Pray

Throughout the year, each class invites families to join us for a Stay and Pray session. These child-led sessions provide families with an opportunity to experience prayer and reflection together and to see how children participate in the spiritual life of their class.

Through Stay and Pray, we seek to strengthen the partnership between home and school, giving families opportunities to pray together and share in the faith journey of their children.

Prayer Spaces

Prayer spaces are an important part of our school environment. Classrooms and shared areas provide quiet and reflective spaces where children can pause, pray, reflect and be still. These spaces are regularly adapted to reflect the Liturgical Year, current Gospel themes and areas of school life. Children are encouraged to use these spaces for personal prayer and reflection, helping them to develop a sense of stillness and to recognise the presence of God in their everyday lives.

Home, School and Parish

Our relationship with our parish community is an important part of our Catholic identity. We work closely with our parish to provide opportunities for children and families to participate in Mass, liturgical celebrations and sacramental preparation.

Each Thursday, a different class walks to Our Lady and the English Martyrs Church to celebrate Mass with Father Kieren. Families are warmly welcomed to join us alongside their children.

Our GIFT Team and Caritas Ambassadors also play an active role in supporting parish celebrations and activities throughout the year.

We encourage families to continue prayer at home and welcome parents and carers to our special celebrations, liturgies and prayer experiences. Through this partnership between home, school and parish, we seek to support children in developing a faith that continues beyond the school day.

Prayer in Action

Our Gospel values and Catholic Social Teaching encourage children to think about how they can put their faith into action by showing:

• love and kindness;
• compassion and forgiveness;
• respect and dignity;
• justice and fairness;
• care for creation;
• service to others; and
• courage to stand up for what is right.

We want our children to recognise that every act of kindness, every moment of forgiveness and every opportunity to help someone is a way of living out the message of Jesus. Through prayer and liturgy, children are encouraged to move from prayer to reflection, and from reflection to action.

Christ at the Heart of All We Do

At OLOR, we want every child to experience prayer and liturgy as a meaningful part of their journey of faith. Our aim is that every child leaves a time of prayer or worship with something to think about, something to pray about or something to act upon. Through Scripture, prayer, liturgy, service and reflection, we accompany each child as they grow in their relationship with Jesus and discover how they can use their God-given gifts in the service of others.