Our Virtual Prayer Room
CLICK HERE to find out about St. Anne's Prayer Group.
CLICK HERE to find rememberance prayers and reflections for the month of November.
From the beginning of time, we have always attempted to get in touch with some greater Supernatural Force or Divine Being. The ancient peoples of the world did this through hymns, songs, and rituals of thanksgiving, praise, and petition. Today, thousands of years later, people across the globe continue to lift their minds and hearts to God in prayer. Prayer is our natural reaction to the yearning for God that is implanted deep within us.
OUR SCHOOL CREED
This is our School,
Let peace dwell here,
Let the rooms be full of contentment,
Let love abide here,
Love of one another,
Love of mankind,
Love of life itself,
And love of God
And let us remember,
That as many hands build a house,
So many hearts make our School.
Amen
Prayers that are important to St Anne's |
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The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us:
“In the New Covenant, prayer is the living relationship of the children of God with their Father, with his Son Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit.”
Jesus encourages us to pray when he says,
“Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9)
He goes on to show that this is true by performing various miracles for people who ask him to do so, curing a leper and a blind beggar who come before Him in good faith, and promising the Kingdom of Heaven to the good thief who repents at Calvary. In addition to hearing the prayers of the people, Jesus himself is found praying numerous times throughout the Gospels, both alone and in the company of his disciples and crowds of followers. He prays before the most important times in His life, including His Baptism, Transfiguration, and many of the miracles He performs.
During His Passion, the most trying and difficult hours of His life, prayer flows once again from Jesus' mouth. He prays for strength in the Garden of Gethsemane and continues praying up until His very last words on the cross:
“Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” (Luke 23:46)
We believe at St Anne’s that communication is an important part of any relationship, and our relationship with God is no exception. Through communication, both parties in a relationship come to know each other better. We share with the children that God deeply desires our prayers, not for His benefit, but for ours.
Since God already possesses a perfect knowledge of us as our Creator, prayer does not help Him get to know us better. Rather, prayer allows us to gain a better knowledge of God, and in doing so, it helps us obtain a better knowledge of ourselves, as images of God.
Through our prayers of praise and thanksgiving, we acknowledge our pettiness and insignificance compared to God's greatness and power, as well as our dependence on Him for everything that we have. Our sorry prayers keep us aware of our sinful human nature and allow us to experience God's boundless mercy.
Finally, our prayers of petition and asking force us to think about what we truly want and need. Through daily prayer, we come to a deeper understanding of both ourselves and God. We do not pray for God's sake, but for our own sake, so that our relationship with our Lord may be more complete and our lives may be filled with God's goodness.
With this in mind we at St Anne’s promote a learning for life by working with children to have a firm foundation in the teachings of the Catholic faith and recognise the importance of prayer, recognising within our quiet times our own self worth and that of others.
It is vital that we ensure our children develop a close relationship with God through prayer and worship and feel that they belong to a catholic community where Christian values are encompassed.
In partnership with the Catholic Church, we ensure the development of the whole child within the catholic community. We promote self esteem and respect for others. We promote tolerance and care for one another. We have a climate of co-operation and good relationships to ensure that the challenges of learning can be met with confidence. We promote the importance of forgiveness to build better relationships between all people. We exercise fairness and equal opportunity in our relationships and activities. We inspire mutual trust and confidence through honesty. We promote self belief and show consideration and understanding to others.
These ideals are set in a school community that strives:
“to nurture the Catholic faith of Catholic children and to support the spiritual and moral development of all pupils; to create a school community characterised by openness and dialogue; to serve the local community.”
The Distinctive Identity of the Catholic School, Guidelines for Catholic Schools and Other Faiths, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, April 1997
