At Blessed John Duckett, Catholic faith is central to the day-to-day life of our school and to all aspects of our curriculum which regularly features Mass and Collective Worship in all its forms. We place great importance upon living out the gospel values at all times as well as RE lessons, attending the celebration of Mass, acts of worship and assemblies. Our Catholic faith can be witnessed all around from the way we care and treat each other, songs and hymns we sing to focal points and displays around school celebrating our faith.
At the heart of our faith is the love of God and each other. Our children understand that taking part in collective worship on a daily basis brings them closer to God and strengthens their own faith and understanding of the gospel values.
We have very good links with the Parish of St Joseph’s where the children enjoy taking part in worship alongside Parish Priest, Fr. Nick and the parishioners who are very keen to support the children in understanding and following their faith.
Whole School Celebration of the Word
At Blessed John Duckett, we enjoy the opportunity to come together and pray. Children gather together as a whole school weekly for Celebration of the Word. Pupils participate reading intercessions and reflecting on the bible reading. Our children show reverence and respect throughout each gathering. We also come together for hymn practice and understand that this is another form of praying.
Mass
Here at Blessed John Duckett we are extremely fortunate to be located very close to our parish church. Children from each class attend parish Mass on a rotation, lead by our priest Fr. Nick. Throughout the year, the children also plan and lead Mass for families and parishioners. In addition to this, children also attend Mass, as a whole school, for key events; such as Feast days and Holy days.
Celebration of the Word
Children plan and lead Celebration of the Word weekly within their classes. The children help to plan and lead collective prayers in the classroom and evidence it in a floor book. They choose from a range of themes, their RE topic or the scripture reading for the week to plan their worship. Our children are proud of their work and actively try to live out their mission going forth. They love preparing their focal area and choosing the music.