SCHOOL PRAYER LIFE

A cOMMUNITY OF PRAYER
Prayer is at the very heart of school life. Whilst prayer can take place anywhere, our school building has been designed to enfold itself around a central, outside space - ‘The Prayer Garden’. This natural centre point, encourages quiet contemplation and is a special place for children, teachers and parents to pray together as a school family and come closer to God in beautiful surroundings. Here we ask our patron saint and our House saints, to intercede for us; that we might learn from their grace, wisdom, courage and sacrifice.
St.Finian- Pray for us
St Oscar Romero- Pray for us
St Mother Teresa- Pray for us
St Francis- Pray for us

CELEBRATION OF THE WORD & whole SCHOOL LITURGIES
Prayer is central to school life at St.Finian's. We gather daily to pray in our classrooms, but also regularly join together as a whole school or as a key stage for Celebration of the Word. Mass is celebrated by our parish priest Fr.Kevin at least once each term. We encourage children to actively participate, with opportunities to plan and lead with reverence and confidence. We also join together with local schools and with catholic schools from the Portsmouth Diocese to celebrate solemnities, feast days and special events throughout the liturgical year.
Our weekly pattern of prayer includes:
Monday Whole school Celebration of the Word linked to the Sunday Gospel, led by the Headteacher.
Tuesday Key stage/House Celebration of the Word, led by class teachers or pupils on a rota basis
Wednesday Whole school hymn practice (praise & worship focus)
Thursday Class Celebration of the Word, led by Class teachers or children.
Friday Celebration mission leaf assembly (led by staff, pupils and headteacher)
PRAYERS

Throughout the school day, we recite prayers of the traditional catholic church- Morning, Lunch and End of Day Prayer, The Angelus, The Lord's Prayer, Hail Mary, The Glory Be, Act of Contrition
At St Finian’s we want our children to experience different ways of praying and spending time with God. In addition to the formal prayers of the church, we involve children in spontaneous prayer.
We also teach children to pray using Lectio Divina, Visio Divina, the Examen, Breath prayers and guided meditation.
Lectio Divina
Lectio Divina is a form of prayer that involves meditating on scripture. The name is Latin for ‘sacred reading’ and it dates back to the early Christian Church, around the time of St Benedict.
There are 4 steps to Lectio Divina.
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Reading (lectio) In the first step, a passage from the Scripture is read several times. As you read/have it read to you, you leav room for the Holy Spirit to call your attention to a word, phrase, or line that God wants you to hear.
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Meditation (meditatio) In the meditation step, you think about the word or words that the Holy Spirit has called to your attention, holding them in your mind and considering them from different angles.
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Prayer (oratio) In the prayer step, you respond to the sacred words in prayer, either silently or out loud, or in writing.
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Contemplation (contemplatio) In the contemplation step, you rest in God’s presence, quieting yourself and listening for God’s response to your prayer.
Visio Divina
Visio Divina, which means "divine seeing," is a form of prayer that invites us to reflect on and pray through visual art or images. Just like Lectio Divina Visio Divina encourages a slow, meditative approach to encountering God through imagery.
Visio Divina uses religious images, such as murals, icons, or other sacred artwork, as a focal point for prayer and contemplation. Students and staff are invited to observe the image, reflect on what it communicates spiritually, and listen for God’s message through the visual. This process helps deepen understanding, fosters spiritual growth, and encourages personal reflection on faith.
Steps for Visio Divina:
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Prepare – Begin in silence, asking God to guide your thoughts and reflections.
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Look at the Image – Observe the art carefully. Pay attention to the details, colours, and emotions it stirs.
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Meditate – Reflect on how the image speaks to you. What does it reveal about God or your own faith journey?
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Pray – Offer a personal prayer based on your reflections, asking for guidance or expressing gratitude.
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Contemplate – Sit in silence, allowing God’s presence to fill you through the experience.
Visio Divina is a meaningful way for our school family to engage visually and spiritually, using art to deepen their connection with God.
Breath Prayer
Author Kayla Craig in her book To Light Their Way explain Breath prayer in this way: “Breath prayers are short meditations to help you focus your body and mind on the One who gives each breath. Breath prayer is simply an invitation to take a moment to breath and center your thoughts on the reality of the Creator, who dwells in you and among you always.”
Breath prayers for children are a simple form of prayer that combines deep breathing with short, repetitive phrases, often from Scripture or a personal request. They are easy to do and can be done anywhere. They can be very helpful when children are feeling anxious or just need some stime to be mindful. They can help children to help them to connect with their faith in a simple and accessible way.
The Examen
This type of prayer is attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola. It is traditionally prayed at the end of a day. This style of praying is designed to help us look for the presence of God in our day- to thank God, to notice when we felt close to Him and moments when we felt far away from Him or who we are called to be. It looks back over the day we have had and forward to the day we will have tomorrow.
home-school-parish partnership
Parents, parishioners and friends are warmly invited to join school liturgies and celebrations on a regular basis throughout the liturgical year, e.g. Harvest, Advent, a solemnity, feast day or class Celebration of the Word.
Local Parish; Our local church parish is Our Lady of the Assumption, Thatcham, and our parish priest is Fr. Kevin O’Brien. We are also linked with the catholic parishes of St.Joseph's Newbury, St.Mary's Woolhampton and Douai Abbey. As well as school Masses, we also celebrate Mass in the parish e.g. Education Sunday in early September. Several parishioners at Our Lady’s parish serve as school governors.
The parish of Our Lady's runs a First Holy Communion programme each year for our lower KS2 children; this is celebrated at school with families and friends with a special Mass in June, coinciding with the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.
School Newsletters; Our school newsletters inform parents about the catholic life of our school and highlight the Sunday Gospel message. We regularly report on progress made on social action initiatives as part of our Mini Vinnies work and committment to the themes of catholic social teaching (CST) which thread through school life.
Parish prayer partners; Each class at school has a prayer partner from the parish (an elderly local resident); the children regularly pray for their prayer partner and invite them up to school for special events and afternoon tea parties.
Wider Partnerships
Our participation and active contribution to wider school partnerships, provide opportunities to share best practice, celebrate our faith and develop the mission and vision for Catholic education.
Portsmouth Diocese; led by Bishop Philip Egan, an active network of Catholic schools, extending from Abingdon in the north to Jersey and Guernsey in the south.
Koinonia Partnership; a network of Catholic schools and Multi-Academy Trusts (MATs) in West Berkshire, primarily focused on collaboration and excellence in education.
National School of Formation Partnership; supporting the personal and spiritual development of Catholic leaders in education across England and Wales.

Delegation of Slovakian visitors to St. Finian’s April 25 (Koinonia partnership)
Autumn
· New Term Mass
· Welcome Ceremony (Celebration of the Word)
· Harvest Celebration
· All Saints
· All Souls
· Remembrance Service
· School Feast Day Mass – 12th December
· Reconciliation
· KS2 Advent Service (Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Parish Church)
Spring
· Epiphany Mass
· Ash Wednesday Mass
· Reconciliation
· Stations of the Cross Walk
· Holy Thursday; Washing of Feet (Celebration of the Word)
Summer
· Easter Mass
· Service for Our Lady & Holy Rosary
· Pentecost
· St. Peter and St Paul Mass (celebrating First Holy Communicants)
· Leavers Ceremony (For Y6 and their families)
· End of Year Mass