Catholic Life and Mission at St. Peter’s
Hello everyone,
I hope that you are all enjoying the Easter break and having a wonderful time with family and friends.
First of all, I would like to begin today’s blog post with a few updates on our Catholic Life and Mission at St. Peter’s. To begin, let’s celebrate our GIFT pupil chaplains and say a big well done for the beautiful crucifixes they had made at the Oaklands Chapel, alongside Miss J. Heath (school chaplain) and Mrs L. Moore (GIFT co-ordinator). These pupils have continued to demonstrate discipleship as they fulfil God’s Mission, leading and inspiring all members across our school community as they Grow In Faith Together and continue their pupil ministry…
We are also incredibly proud of all of the children and staff of St Peter’s, for donating a fantastic collection of Easter Eggs which shall now be sent to international seafarers, as we continue to follow our school Mission Statement of ‘Walking hand in hand with God, to make our world a better place’. Over the period of Lent, we have taken time to consider what we could give up or sacrifice for the benefit of others and to support the Common Good – after witnessing all of the teachers and support staff donating Easter Eggs around the prayer table during our Whole School Worship, the children felt very inspired to bring in their own Easter Eggs in order to support the charity. Well done everyone! Please see the image below.
As we approached the end of the Spring Term, the children took part in a Whole School Lenten Day of Reflection on Tuesday 28th March 2023. To reflect during Holy Week, we gathered as a community to walk with and beside Jesus in faith and love as He has loved us. We journeyed through four stations from when Jesus was sentenced to when Simon helped Jesus carry His cross. We ended with a service of Penance to say sorry for our wrong choices and ask for God’s forgiveness. We would like to say a huge thank you to Miss J. Heath (school chaplain) and all members of St. Peter’s staff who helped to organise and prepare our Lenten Day of Reflection. Well done to all of our volunteers, actors and readers! Please see the images below.
In addition to these wonderful Whole School gatherings of Prayer and Worship, we would also like to thank all staff, pupil, parents and carers for their participation in the following celebrations of Mass, Liturgical Prayer and Worship at St. Peter’s, this term:
* EYFS Liturgy – Tuesday 17th January 2023
* Year 3 and 4 Mass – Tuesday 24th January 2023
* Year 1 Liturgy – Tuesday 31st January 2023
* Year 5 and 6 Mass – Tuesday 7th February 2023
* Ash Wednesday Services (morning and afternoon) – Wednesday 22nd February 2023
* Year 2 Liturgy – Tuesday 28th February 2023
* Whole School Lenten Day of Reflection – Tuesday 28th March 2023
We also look forward to the following Whole School events, as we gather and pray together in Jesus’s name throughout the Summer term:
* Year 1 Liturgy – Tuesday 25th April 2023
* Year 3, 4 and 5 Mass at Sacred Heart and St. Peter the Apostle Church – Tuesday 2nd May 2023
* EYFS Liturgy – Tuesday 16th May 2023
* KS2 Feast of the Ascension Liturgy (afternoon service) – Thursday 18th May 2023
* Year 2 Liturgy – Tuesday 13th June 2023
* Whole School Feast Day Mass – Tuesday 27th June 2023
* Year 6 Leaver’s Mass at Sacred Heart and St. Peter the Apostle Church – Tuesday 11th July 2023
A brief reminder on Parent Prayer Group:
Oaklands Catholic School would love to welcome all parents and carers to join their parents’ prayer group! This takes place once a week in the Oaklands Chapel, at 9:00am every Friday morning. As well as providing an opportunity for the St. Peter’s and Oaklands school communities to join together in a calm space of prayer and reflection, there will also be a variety of refreshments available for you to enjoy, including tea, coffee and biscuits. The Oaklands Assistant Chaplain, Miss J. Heath, is looking forward to meeting you all and welcoming everyone to the Chapel. Please do come and say hello!
I would like to close today’s blog post with the following prayers of intercession. God fills us with hope on this Easter Sunday and so we pray together:
We pray for world leaders: that they may be inspired to make the changes that are needed so that all people may live in peace and safety.
Lord, in your mercy…
We pray for people who are poor around the world: that they may be filled with hope as they try to change their lives for the better.
Lord, in your mercy…
We pray for our parish, family and friends: that we may share the joy and hope of Easter with our brothers and sisters around the world by reaching out with love to all.
Lord, in your mercy…
I wish you all a happy, safe and relaxing Easter break with your loved ones, as we remember the sacrifices made by Jesus our Saviour who loves and cherishes us all. Let us support and guide one another as we journey through the Easter period, remembering those less fortunate than ourselves as we continue to live out our faith and spread the Word of God.
With very best wishes,
Miss Honeywell