Our Approach to Prayer and Liturgy

At St Catherine’s, prayer and liturgy sit at the heart of our school life. Guided by the Bishops’ Prayer & Liturgy Directory, our worship is Christ‑centred, rooted in Scripture, and designed to help children grow spiritually through moments of stillness, reflection, joy and participation.

We strive for every child to take part in prayer with reverence, understanding and confidence. Our prayer life follows the liturgical year, helping children recognise how worship changes in seasons such as Advent, Lent, Easter and Ordinary Time. This is supported by careful planning, high‑quality resources, staff formation and a strong partnership with families and parish.

Our own internal monitoring shows that children are increasingly able to make links between prayer, Scripture and our school mission, and that daily opportunities for silence, music and reflection have deepened their confidence and engagement. The renewed partnership with our parish has further strengthened the richness of our worship.

What We Do at St Catherine’s

Whole School Collective Worship (Friday)

Every Friday, our whole school gathers to celebrate the Good News of the Gospel. Parents are warmly welcomed and many now join us regularly. Worship begins with prayer, followed by the Sunday Gospel, read by pupils, staff or parents.

The message is explained in a child‑friendly way, and children respond through bidding prayers and song led by our music leader.

We celebrate children who live out our Mission Statement: “Love God, Work Hard, Be Kind.” Certificates recognise kindness and hard work, and pupils bring their shinies to the altar, offering their good deeds to God. Our worship ends with a blessing from Fr Simon, who often brings something from church to help deepen the children’s understanding.

Class Collective Worship (Daily)

Each school day begins with a class act of worship. This is a sacred time marked by silence, music, reflection and prayer. We protect this moment from interruptions so that children can be still, calm and reverent.
Daily class worship has significantly strengthened pupils’ confidence in prayer and helped rebuild spiritual habits that were disrupted during the pandemic.

Worship within Our Parish

Our pupils come from the parishes of St Catherine’s and St Mary’s in Leyland, and we are proud of our strong, growing partnership with both communities.
 

Fr Simon is a familiar presence in school—leading blessings, visiting classes, supporting sacramental preparation, and taking part in school celebrations. Children visit church to learn about its sacred spaces, and we celebrate Mass as a school at key moments in the year, including our Year 6 leavers’ Mass and class-led liturgies at Christmas and Easter.

Children also play an active part in parish life as altar servers, readers and worship leaders at major feasts.

A Prayerful School Environment

Our school environment reflects our Catholic identity through class prayer spaces, seasonal displays, sacred imagery and a dedicated prayer room designed with the help of pupils. These spaces support quiet reflection and help children recognise the rhythms of the liturgical year.

We continue to invest in training, music, resources and sacred spaces to ensure worship across school is reverent, meaningful and accessible to all.