Our Lady's Catholic High School
Prayer and Liturgy at Our Lady’s
At Our Lady’s, prayer and liturgy are at the very heart of our daily life, reflecting our Catholic identity and deep commitment to Christ. As the Prayer and Liturgy Directory affirms, “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” (PLD 1.2). Everything we do is animated by our desire to encounter Christ in prayer, to give glory to God, and to form young people in faith, hope and love.
Each school day begins and ends with prayer, inviting pupils and staff to place themselves in God’s presence and to offer their work and their relationships to Him. Our weekly rhythm of worship includes assemblies for every year group, a Service of the Word each Tuesday before school, and the celebration of Holy Mass every Wednesday. Throughout the year, we mark significant liturgical moments with Feast Day Masses, a Welcome Mass for new pupils and staff, and a Leavers’ Mass for those at the end of their time with us. The year culminates in our Whole School Mass, a joyful and prayerful celebration of our unity in Christ.
We follow the rhythm of the Church’s year, journeying through Advent and Lent with special liturgies, opportunities for reflection, and moments of stillness and silence. In doing so, we ensure that our pupils experience the fullness of the Church’s liturgical life and grow in awareness of the Paschal Mystery, which the Directory describes as “the core content of all prayer and liturgy” (PLD 3.2).
Prayer and liturgy are not limited to pupils alone. Our staff gather in prayer each week, and come together at the start and end of every term to offer thanksgiving and seek guidance. This communal witness ensures that our Catholic ethos is lived and modelled at every level of school life. As Pope Francis reminds us, “Christian life is a continual journey of growth. We are called to let ourselves be formed in joy and in communion.” (Desiderio Desideravi, 62).
Our weekly themes are drawn from the Sunday Gospel, providing coherence and ensuring that all pupils are formed in the liturgical life of the Church (PLD 3.3). These themes shape our prayers, our reflections, and our assemblies, giving every member of the school community the opportunity to reflect on how the Word of God speaks into their lives.
Crucially, our Being One of Ours virtues are woven through all our liturgical life. Whether in the words we speak, the prayers we offer, or the actions we take, we seek to become young people who are grateful and generous, attentive and discerning, compassionate and loving, and above all faith-filled and hopeful. In this way, our liturgies are not only celebrations of our faith, but also moments of real formation and mission.
