The Liturgical Year

As an integral part of our Catholic ethos, all pupils at St Agnes’ are made aware, throughout the school year, of the changes and celebrations relating to the Church’s Liturgical Year. All of our class and assembly prayer spaces and displays reflect the Liturgical colour. We spend time in our Religious Education lessons looking at the events in the churches calendar and we celebrate many of them together through collective worship.

How we celebrate the Liturgical Year:

Autumn

Prayer tables and displays across the school are green at the start of the academic year and we start our new school year with the celebration of Mass at St Agnes Church, praying for the whole school community and the year ahead.
Month of the Rosary: October is the month of the Rosary. Classes are encouraged to pray at least a decade of the Rosary each day and every family across the school has the opportunity to take home a Rosary Bag to pray the Rosary as a family.

  • Remembrance: We have a book of remembrance for Holy Souls in the main reception area for parents, staff and children to write the names of loved ones they would like to be prayed for. We celebrate Mass at the Church for All Saints Day.
  • Advent: The prayer areas are changed to purple. We light the candles on our Advent Wreath to remind us that we are coming out of the darkness into the light.
  • Christmas: Celebration of the Nativity through drama in Reception and KS1. Children in years 3 and 4 come together for a concert. The children in years 5 and 6 hold a Carol concert in Saint Agnes’ Church with a dramatisation of the nativity story.

 

Spring

Prayer tables are gold for the Christmas season then green for Ordinary Time after the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.
Epiphany (if in term time) – The children attend and lead Mass at St Agnes Church.

  • Saint Agnes Feast Day: In January, we have a mass to celebrate the feast of our Patron Saint, Saint Agnes.
  • Ash Wednesday: To mark the beginning of Lent children in Reception and KS1 attend our Ash Wednesday Service in school, led by Fr. John and Year 2. The children in KS2 attend Mass at the Church with the parish.
  • Lent: The prayer tables are changed to purple. During the season of Lent, all KS2 children and staff have the opportunity for Reconciliation with our Parish Priests in school.
  • Reflective Prayer Stations: As part of our Lent reflection, we set up prayer stations across the school as a way to centre our thoughts upon the true essence of Easter and spend time in reflection during Holy Week. Each class has the opportunity to visit the prayer stations to reflect and respond in prayer, thought and action. Parents are also invited to experience the prayer stations with their child.
  • Stations of the Cross: The children in Year 4 lead the whole school in the Stations of the Cross. Throughout Lent all classes visit the stations at St Agnes Church.
  • The children took part in a Lentern retreat to mark the start of this important season and to help develop their prayer life.

Easter – The Resurrection of our Lord is celebrated during the school holidays, however is covered through our Religious Education unit of work. Gospel assemblies and displays highlight the importance of this feast.  

Summer

Prayer tables are gold for the Easter season until Pentecost where they change to green for Ordinary Time.

First Holy Communions: The children in Year 3 make their First Holy Communion. The school community celebrates with all the children at a Thanksgiving Mass, class teachers present the children with a lapel pin to mark the occasion followed by a party in the school hall.

May the month of Mary:- In Honour of Our Lady the children in reception participate in the Crowning of Mary at our grotto. Every family across the school has the opportunity to take home a Rosary Bag to pray the Rosary as a family.

  • Ascension: Covered in our Religious Education units of work
  • Pentecost: Covered in our Religious Education units of work
  • Corpus Christi: Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ is celebrated with a whole school Mass at St Agnes Church, which is led by the children.
    Feast of St. Peter and Paul: is celebrated with a whole school Mass at St Agnes Church, which is led by the children.
  • Leavers Mass: The children in Year 6 celebrate their time at St Agnes’ with a leavers mass at St Agnes Church. This is an opportunity for them to give thanks for the many blessings they have received, friendships made and to pray for the future.