As a Catholic academy we believe that Christian worship is central to the practice of giving worship, glory, honour and praise and thanks to God, and to develop our relationship with God. 

There are, therefore, regular opportunities for members of our community to join together in prayer and reflection. We recognise that there are formal and informal occasions when this is possible and there are many forms of prayer and worship. It is our response, in word and action, to God’s invitation to enter into a relationship, made possible through the work of Jesus Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit.

At St Edmund’s all learners and staff have the opportunity:

  • to contemplate something of the mystery of God, while reflecting on spiritual and moral issues, and in doing so exploring and reflecting on their own beliefs and values;
  • to respond to and celebrate life, experience a sense of belonging and community, and in doing so, develop a common ethos and shared value system;
  • to enrich religious experience and the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of
  • the learners and staff and to grow in liturgical experience, understanding and skills, especially members of our academy community who may not be from the Catholic Christian tradition;
  • to stress the importance of prayer at the heart of Catholic tradition, while having prayer space for those in our community of other faiths
  • to reinforce positive attitudes, which will help to nurture and educate learners on their journey towards the fullness of life that Christ wants for us all (John 10:10), and to encourage a more active participation in the liturgical life of their faith communities through full participation in the prayer life of the academy, by planning, leading and celebrating the faith.
  • to take time to ‘wonder at’, ‘to come to terms with’ and ‘give meaning to’ life.

Collective Worship takes place at many times of the day:

Well being check / Tutor time

Prayer is an intrinsic part of the 10 minute daily wellbeing check, from 8.30 am to 8.40 am and in personal development sessions in the heart of the day. 

Tutors encourage and guide students to lead in prayer or to arrange Tutor Liturgies in the academy chapel, for prayers to be said by a student or group of students.

During this time there are opportunities to take a moment for reflection on a topic or issue, celebration, and anniversaries which prompts the learners, no matter what their religious commitment or faith tradition, to think about others and their relationship with God

The Chaplaincy Team, in conjunction with the CL RE and PICCL, provides a weekly prayer theme and Extended Prayer based on the weekly theme, along with resources which are available on the academy’s network. The Academy Prayer Book, and a number of readily available online resources, also help to support the collective worship that happens in our community.

Prayer and Liturgy Gatherings

  • The weekly Prayer and Liturgy for individual year groups is an important event as it symbolises our community and unity of purpose and is an opportunity for us to reflect and pray together.
  • The gathering will be led by students, any member of staff – teaching or non-teaching. Guest speakers may be invited to lead reflections in these gatherings.
  • Students also have the opportunity to pray the Rosary during the months of October and May each year. To reflect the diverse and inclusive nature of our Catholic academy, this is prayed in the different languages that are spoken by our students, in their families and communities, and which are taught at our academy.

Academy Liturgies and Holy Mass

  • The Holy Eucharist is at the heart of our academy. Throughout the year there are opportunities for the community to worship and experience both Eucharistic and non-Eucharistic liturgies.
  • There are opportunities for whole academy, year group and tutor group liturgy

In September a Welcome Mass is offered for all Year 7 and Year 12 students and their families to attend.

In May there are Services of Thanksgiving offered for Year 11 and Year 13 students as they embark on their examinations.

  • Students are given every opportunity to lead in the preparation, planning and delivery of liturgies. The Chaplain, Catholic Youth Worker, Chaplaincy Group, PICCL, the CL and ACL RE and Heads of Year work together to realise this.

 

Special consideration is given to the seasons of the Church year e.g. Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter; and Holy Days of Obligation. There are special year group Prayer and Liturgy gatherings, both during Holy Week and before Christmas.

The community is helped to reflect on the liturgical seasons through spiritual displays such as the Nativity Crib and Advent Wreath during Advent, Remembrance and Holocaust memorials, and the Lenten display in the student’s foyer.

Retreat Experiences

Off-site retreat experiences are offered to all members during their time at St Edmund’s at Alton Castle (Y7 and 8) and SOLI (Y9 and 10) (Now based at Alton in the Kenelm Youth Centre)

Parish Links

St Edmund’s supports and encourages participation in opportunities for worship and witness of faith offered by our Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Parishes (CAFOD Masses, Christ the King Mass, W’ton Catholic Teachers’ Mass, W’ton Catholic Children’s Mass, Father Hudson’s Care Good Shepherd Mass). We are so blessed to have a wonderful Faith Band and choir who support the liturgy in these Masses.

St Francis and St Clare Academy links

As part of St Francis and St Clare Multi Academy Trust we actively support and
welcome opportunities to collaborate on planned worship with our partner schools.

Collective Worship at St Edmund’s Academy, such as helping pupils from our primary feeder schools in planning and putting together their own liturgies and prayer services, which are then celebrated in our academy chapel.