Our Chaplaincy Team
Our Lady's has a passionate team of KS2 chaplains, who play a vital role in enhancing and promoting the School and Gospel values alongside our faith to students, staff and the wider community. All of our chaplains take joy in wearing their Chaplaincy badge and carrying out different responsibilities.
The Chaplaincy Team meet weekly to review the action plan they helped write and consider different ways in which they are strengthening mission, deepening prayer and enabling communion.
The Chaplaincy Team Aims to:
- To help the school to grow as a community of faith.
- To encourage the pupils to live their faith in daily living.
- To support Liturgy, prayer and the spiritual life of the school.
- To involve pupils in fundraising for charities.
- To continue to develop strong links with the Parish.
- To support the school in its Mission Statement and values.
The meetings give a chance for every Chaplain to share their ideas and together we make decisions about how we can promote the Catholic ethos in the school. Chaplains will have the chance to lead prayer in Gospel worships, whole school Prayer and Liturgy, plan and lead charity events throughout the year, monitor class reflection areas and class display boards and help plan prayer events for key points of the Liturgical seasons. Chaplaincy are also contributing to our school newsletters and the Parish Bulletin too so that our parishioners can learn about their role in school.
Chaplaincy Team Development Plan 2022-2023
In the summer term the Chaplaincy team authored our new school prayer. In groups they taught the prayer along with the actions to each class during Prayer and Liturgy.
Prayer and Liturgy Class Reflection
Each class prepares their Prayer and Liturgy Class Reflections using a four step plan:-
- Gather - to introduce the session. This could be listening to calm and reflecting music, tapping the chime bar or sing 'Come and join the circle'
- Word - Sharing a reading from the Gospel
- Response - an activity, for example a five finger prayer, reflecting on the word or holding a pebble and thinking about someone that you would like to ask Jesus to help.
- Mission - This is a task to take away, for example - do something helpful at home, invite someone who is lonely to join you at break time etc.
Chaplaincy Training
In the summer term of 2022 Louise White from the Clifton Diocese worked with Chaplaincy in preparation for being Chaplains in September. It was a very enjoyable and fun day. Firstly we shared our ideas of what skills we think Chaplaincy members should have. Louise was very impressed with our list.
In November new Chaplaincy members attended Chaplaincy Training at St Joseph and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School in Wells. It was a wonderful opportunity for our School Chaplains to come together with Chaplaincy members from St Gildas in Yeovil and Wells, with Louise White and learn how they can develop their Chaplaincy roles at Our Lady's.
On Monday, 21st November 2022 Chaplaincy Commissioning took place at St Luke and St Teresa's Church. The Service was led by Father Francis with parents invited to attend and gather together afterwards for tea and biscuits afterwards in the Church rooms.
During the day a Chaplaincy Action Plan was produced for this school year (2022-23). Please see the plan above which Chaplaincy shared with the school.
In the academic year 2021 - 22 Chaplaincy led some reflections on refugees, linked to the Journey of the Cross.
Chaplaincy spent time planning prayer stations that linked to the Stations of the Cross. Each group chose one of the stations to focus on and planned an introduction, activity and prayer around the theme of the station. Oak class (Year 5/6) and Willow class (Year 2) attended the prayer stations as they had both been learning about the Stations of the Cross.
