Catholic Life and Mission

“Aspire not to have more but to be more”

Prayers and Collective Worship

Every class says prayers at the start and at the end of each day, with the children offering intention and having time for their own reflections. Each class has a prayer box and children are encouraged to write their own prayers.

Pupil-led worship is an important element to the collective worship at Holy Cross. Children actively participate in assemblies and services, including:

Leading prayers each morning during the Rosary
Classes leading an assembly each week based on their topic they are learning in Class
Children leading prayers during the weekly Gospel and Rights Respecting assemblies
Classes leading the readings and prayers during weekly Parish Mass
The Choir leading the singing and prayers during a termly Sunday Mass
The KS2 Classes celebrating a Mass in their classrooms

During the months of October and May, we say a full Rosary each Friday morning and this is very well attended. On occasion, Father Antony has led us during this Rosary, this is just one of the ways the Parish and School communities come together. We join with the Parish on one Sunday each term to sing and lead the prayers.

Key Stage 2 classes have the opportunity to celebrate Mass in their classrooms. These are special occasions and each Mass has a different theme, for example, the Year 5 Mass was celebrated on the feast day of the first Black Female Saint, St Josephine Bakhita.

Liturgies

Children participate in class liturgies and masses. Children from Years 1 to 6 lead an assembly each week, they attend weekly Parish Mass and the choir supports Parish Mass on a Sunday once a term.

Throughout the Year we have special services and liturgies, including Harvest Festival, Christingle, Ash Wednesday service for EYFS and KS1 and the Crowning of Mary.

The children perform Nativities for EYFS and KS1 and a Christmas celebration for KS2 in the Church, our Year 5 Lead the Passion Play at Easter, also in the Church. These are wonderful occasions for the children, parents and Parish community and are always extremely special.

We also have different Masses to celebrate the start of the school year, the School’s birthday in January and a Leavers’ Mass in July.

Faith in Action

Our Year 5 become our Mini Vinnies each year, working alongside the St. Vincent de Paul Society in our Parish. During the year the children learn about how to help those suffering in our local community. The role of the Mini Vinnies enables children to work with the wider community and recognise their responsibilities to the world outside our School. Our Year 5 Mini-Vinnies, shared their Commissioning Mass with the Year 5 children from St Augustine’s at St Augustine’s Church! This was a wonderful occasion for the two Schools to join together and share the ways in which they support different causes.

Our work with The Diamond Club, our local senior citizens club, and the Mini Vinnies, help our children to understand our local community more fully. The Diamond Club is the perfect example of an arrangement which benefits both parties and our intergenerational collaboration was recognised as an Area of Excellence for the School by Challenge Partners in 2019.

We have Lenten breakfast every Thursday morning during Lent. Year 6 organise this and this year chose UNICEF as their charity they donated the proceeds to.

Over the Advent period we collected money for the Royal Marsden which is supporting two of our families at the moment, and were invited to sing Carols for the Diamond Club and for Hummingbird Seniors’ Christmas Party at St Laurence’s Church on Bromley Road.

Children in Year 5 and 6 are trained Altar Servers and attend Parish Mass every morning on a rota basis. Our Year 4 children are trained in the summer term.

GIFT Team

Our RE lead formed a new GIFT team in September (Growing in Faith Together), they have been looking at ways to promote the faith and support others, these pupils meet regularly. The GIFT team have had the opportunity to attend Mass at St George’s Cathedral to celebrate the start of the School year and the feats of St Oscar Romero. We offer prayers each morning at 8.45am. This is well attended by children and parents, and the GIFT team are looking at ways to promote this even further.

Holy Cross Parish

Our Parish is lead by Father Antony and is supported by Father Feroz. For more information please go to the Holy Cross Parish website:

https://www.holycross-catford.org.uk/