Prayer & Worship
Prayer
Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God. To pray is to respond to the wonder and mystery of life. In the Christian tradition prayer fosters a personal and living relationship with God as Trinity.
Worship
Worship is described as the adoration of God that may be expressed through praise, thanksgiving, self-offering, sorrow and petition. Worship of God is described as private when it occurs anywhere and at any time. Liturgy is public worship centred on Christ. Worship can be expressed through bodily gestures or postures, in rites and ceremonies (The Essential Catholic Handbook, 2004, p.267).
Prayer and worship create a sense of purpose and identity within the school community by drawing its members into an understanding of their shared humanity, linking them with the Church throughout the world and sending them out to share the good news. Three elements of prayer and worship are: Christian prayer; celebrating liturgy and sacraments; and ritualising everyday life.
Christian prayer
Prayer, as the raising of the mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God, contributes to the faith growth of individuals and the building of Christian community. Schools draw on the richness of the Catholic tradition, the wider Christian tradition and their own particular charism to nurture the prayer life of the school.
Celebrating liturgy and sacraments
Liturgy and sacraments are part of the formal, public prayer and worship of the Church. The Church encourages full, conscious and active participation in liturgy. Schools celebrate the Liturgy of the Church through celebration of the sacraments and the Liturgy of the Word
Ritualising everyday life
In Christian communities, rituals combine words, actions and symbols to make meaning of the mystery of life in the light of the gospel. Christians believe that all creation is good and is infused with the presence of God. School communities affirm the sacredness of everyday life by recognising and celebrating God in the created world, in relationships with others and in events and experiences.
Meditative Prayer Practices
Since Vatican II, the Church has been exploring ways to recover the practices of meditative prayer. Meditative and contemplative prayer is not the privilege of monks or religious communities. It is prayer that all are invited to embrace.
There are many and varied practices in the Christian tradition that can be identified as forms of meditative prayer. Meditative prayer engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire and its various forms can lead us to closer union with God (Contemplation). A method is only a guide; the important thing is to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of prayer: Christ Jesus. (CCC2707)
Christian prayer
Prayer, as the raising of the mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God, contributes to the faith growth of individuals and the building of Christian community. Schools draw on the richness of the Catholic tradition, the wider Christian tradition and their own particular charism to nurture the prayer life of the school.
Celebrating liturgy and sacraments
Liturgy and sacraments are part of the formal, public prayer and worship of the Church. The Church encourages full, conscious and active participation in liturgy. Schools celebrate the Liturgy of the Church through celebration of the sacraments and the Liturgy of the Word
Ritualising everyday life
In Christian communities, rituals combine words, actions and symbols to make meaning of the mystery of life in the light of the gospel. Christians believe that all creation is good and is infused with the presence of God. School communities affirm the sacredness of everyday life by recognising and celebrating God in the created world, in relationships with others and in events and experiences.
Meditative Prayer Practices
Since Vatican II, the Church has been exploring ways to recover the practices of meditative prayer. Meditative and contemplative prayer is not the privilege of monks or religious communities. It is prayer that all are invited to embrace.
There are many and varied practices in the Christian tradition that can be identified as forms of meditative prayer. Meditative prayer engages thought, imagination, emotion, and desire and its various forms can lead us to closer union with God (Contemplation). A method is only a guide; the important thing is to advance, with the Holy Spirit, along the one way of prayer: Christ Jesus. (CCC2707)