Prayer Life at St Monica's

“Prayer is the breath of faith; it is its most proper expression." Pope Francis (2024)

Prayer plays an integral part of the school life of St Monica's, and it is through prayer that we can become closer to God.

Just as Our Lord Jesus Christ is at the heart of all our prayer and liturgy, so too he is at the centre of every Catholic school. His Gospel is the reference point for its ethos and values; he offers the definitive example of the educator. Joining Christ in praise of the Eternal Father and united by the Holy Spirit in making intercession for the world through prayer and liturgy lies at the heart of the daily life of the school. The quality of the prayer and liturgy in school not only gives honour to God but forms the spiritual and ethical life of pupils and staff alike.  '

To love You more dearly' - The Prayer and Liturgy Directory for Catholic Schools, Academies and Colleges in England and Wales, 2023, pg3.

Parents are the first teachers of their children in the faith. At the Baptism of their children, parents accept the responsibility of training their sons and daughters in the practice of the faith. Essential to the practice of a child’s faith is their understanding of God’s love and how to turn to him in prayer. The spiritual life of the school complements the role of the parish in supporting the life of the Domestic Church (home). 

The Prayer and Liturgy Directory, 2023, pg 6.

Prayer has been traditionally described as ‘lifting up of the hearts and minds to God’, which means it involves our whole person – our head as well as our heart.  (The Prayer and Liturgy Directory, 2023, pg7)

‘For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them’ (Matthew 18:20)

Guide to the years in which formal prayers are introduced to the children at St Monica's: