Celebration of the word is a daily reflection on scripture.
- Each class takes part in a daily celebration of the Word according to the Liturgical calendar.
- Whole School Services takes place throughout the year (Eg, Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, Advent, etc.) to celebrate the liturgical calendar.
- Child led celebration of the Word is held weekly in each class.
- Our parish priest is actively involved in our school and leads whole school and class masses.
Child-led Celebration of the Word
Stay and Pray
Stay and Pray is an opportunity for our children to invite their families into school for a celebration of the word. The children plan, prepare and lead the worship. This give families an important insight into the prayer life at St James.
Services
A celebration of Mrs Heslop
We celebrate and give heartfelt thanks for our wonderful Headteacher Mrs Heslop for 25 years of dedicated service to our school community. Over the years, your leadership, care, and unwavering commitment have shaped the lives of countless children and families, creating a school filled with warmth, faith, and joy. Your passion for education and your steadfast belief in every child’s potential continue to inspire us all. Thank you for your remarkable service, your kindness, and the lasting difference you make each and every day.
Liturgy
Stations of the Cross Mass
Lent is a time when we reflect and try to make a change to our lives so that we are closer to God. Thank you to everyone who attended out Lenten Mass at St James Church. Father Simon commented specifically on how wonderfully behaved the children were in Church.
Advent Mass
Father Simon came to school celebrate Mass during Advent to help the children in Years 5 and 6, their families and the parish to prepare for Christmas Day.
Scripture at St James
-
Open the Book – Noah
Thank you to The Bible Society for presenting the story of Noah to the children today. God told Noah to build a big boat called an ark and then gather two of every kind of animal, one male and one female, to bring with them onto the ark. God explained that he was going to send a great flood to cleanse the earth, and the ark would keep Noah, his family, and all the animals safe.
Open the Book – Daniel and the Lions Den
We had a visit from our Open the Book team in school. Open the Book is an exciting storytelling project where Bible stories are shared with children in a way that is fun, interactive and memorable. Thank you for such a great assembly we look forward to seeing you again soon.
Prayer at St James
- Liturgical Prayer provides an important focus for the prayer life of the school and an opportunity for celebration and reflection. Mass is celebrated frequently, either as a whole school or as an individual class. We welcome parents to take part in our school Masses and non-Eucharistic celebrations.
- Liturgical Prayer is central to the daily life of our school. We aim to provide opportunities for children’s spiritual growth and development through participation in all forms of prayer: formal, informal, spontaneous, private, shared, petitionary and meditative.
- Pupils are actively involved in planning and leading prayer, both in class groups and whole school settings. Shared acts of worship take place in an atmosphere of reflection and stillness, where we encourage each other to listen to God speaking to us and to respond.
- Gathering together in Liturgical Prayer is central to our school mission. However, parent and carers do reserve the right to withdraw his or her child from any act of Liturgical Prayer and should put his or her wishes in writing to Mrs Francesca Heslop, Headteacher.
Daily Prayers are shared in every class (prayers are suitable for each year group). Our little prayer booklets can be accessed here.
More than Dance
More than Dance visited school to show us how to use an alternative way to worship, praise and honour God. All year groups took part in the programme which was based around the theme of the Year of Hope. It was a wonderful way for all of the children to connect with prayer.
'Time for Lent' Reflection
One of our Year 6 children recorded a Lenten reflection for the Youth Ministry Team’s ‘Time for Lent’.
‘Time for Lent’ is a yearly programme of daily reflections to help people prepare for Easter, Our theme looked at the support needed to protect our migrant brothers and sisters.
Hello my name is Layla I go to St James Catholic Primary School.
Our Lenten theme is about the love that we must show the many families who are seeking refuge in our country. Mark’s Gospel tells us how Jesus showed compassion towards the people who travelled from far and wide to hear his Good News.
Jesus said to his disciples, “Come away with me, by yourselves to some place more remote where you can find rest a while.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place. But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When Jesus landed, he saw a large crowd and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.
There are so many places in Great Britain where we can find rest and sanctuary when we need it. When the disciples began their mission so many people wanted or needed them, and they felt exhausted. Jesus encouraged them to find a safe place to recharge their batteries. There are so many places in the world where its people cannot find sanctuary or even safety. Take war torn Syria for example where four million people have fled their homes to avoid being killed. Many people are so desperate that they risk their lives on long and perilous journeys. Sadly, when they arrive in a new country they are often met with hostility and rejection. In Mark’s Gospel we also hear about Jesus and the disciples feeding hungry travellers with a simple meal of bread and fish. We need to follow Jesus’ example by not only providing all those seeking refuge with everyday essentials but to welcome those who need it most with open arms and unconditional love.
So today let us all think of ways we can follow Jesus’ compassionate ways to support those who seek refuge in our region. Here at St James’, we have been putting our faith into action by collecting food for the diocesan refugee project and giving up our time to welcome the families whom many would turn away.
Let us pray
Remember your son, our Lord Jesus Christ had to leave his homeland and flee to Egypt. Help us to be aware of the fears, anxiety, pain and sorrow, that all refugees suffer and to remember that we all belong to the same human family. Holy spirit give us compassion and courage to help them in any way that we can. Amen
In the name of the father …
The Wednesday Word is offered to you as a weekly, 5 minutes Family Time Together. The Wednesday Word is a gift to our families.
Every Wednesday a ‘word’, inspired by the coming Sunday’s Gospel will be suggested for families to talk about in the home. We have structured The Wednesday Word around the Sunday Gospel, because evidence shows that Gospel values really do help family relationships to thrive. Please enjoy reading The Wednesday Word with your family.