We believe that even in the darkest of times, God’s love and light shine
through. This hope isn’t just wishful thinking, but a confident expectation
of God’s promises. Hope is a powerful virtue that can give us strength to
persevere, even when things get tough, and to trust that God is always with
us, guiding us towards a brighter future. In the season of Advent, we hope
for the coming of Jesus and that he will bring peace, joy and love to the
world.
Coming Soon!
We are now in the season of Advent – a time of preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ. Next week, during our week of peace there will be the opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation for those students who have already made their first confession.
This video explains more about what to expect if you have not been to Reconciliation in a while. If you would like to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation on the morning of Tuesday 10th December then speak to your form tutor who can assign you a slot on our booking system. If you can’t make this date then please speak to Tim or Marsha on a Monday to find out when there will be the opportunity in a parish near you! For anyone who has not made their first confession but would be interested in speaking with a priest then please come and see us in the Chaplaincy office on a Monday!
Day 1 – Head
On the first day of our prayer we will be reflecting on The Word of God to help us to understand our theme.
We begin our prayer this morning with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Happy New Year!
In this first week of Advent we begin a new liturgical year in Hope of what lies ahead!
Our scripture this week is the first reading from Mass on Sunday, the 1st Sunday of Advent.
A reading from the prophet Jeremiah
Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Jeremiah 33:14-16 ESV
Even before Jesus’ birth the scriptures are full of prophecies about Jesus. Our Church has always been full of hope in God’s promises and throughout this week we have the chance to think about what we are hoping to receive from God.
Discuss your hopes with your form. Are there any promises you have made that will fulfil the hopes of others?
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Day 2 – Heart
On the second day of the week we focus on our hearts. How can the scripture that we looked at yesterday impact our lives, and the lives of others? What themes can we draw from the scripture?
We begin our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
In this week’s scripture we are reminded that Jesus came to execute justice and righteousness in the land.
So often the season of Advent can turn into a busy time where we may feel under a lot of pressure to prepare for a ‘perfect Christmas’ which doesn’t always bring righteousness to the world that we live in.
Discuss as a form some ways that you can make this Advent about executing justice and righteousness in the land. It could be a pledge to raise money as a form to purchase a CAFOD World Gift; it could be a promise to campaign for justice; it could be to support our Catholic Social Teaching by focusing on a local priority to support the preferential option for the poor.
Add your ideas and pledges for hope, justice and righteousness to the comments box below so we can inspire others this Advent.
We end our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Day 3 – Hands
On the final day of the week we try to put into action the things we have learnt and reflected on previously in the week, hence the hands link!
We begin our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
This week we celebrate the Feast of St Nicholas on the 6th December. Watch this short video to see how many families celebrate this feast and why St Nicholas inspired this.
The Saints inspire us to live our lives in a way that is centred on the life of Christ – to live in hope and to work to bring justice and righteousness to all. St Nicholas did what he could to defend his faith and to defend those who were poor and vulnerable and this is what we are called to do too.
Inspired by the traditions of St Nicholas’ feast day your challenge is to put a message of hope in someone’s shoe today. You have the rest of the school day to work out what you want to say so you can deliver your message this evening, ready for them to find in the morning! What do they need to hear this week that will help them to welcome Christ this Advent season?
St Nicholas, pray for us.
We end our prayer with the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
One of the members of our form hopes to be spotted for a football academy.
We are all sinners. Reconciliation is a good way to connect with God, we can confess in our prayers as well. We promise everyday to give our thoughts, words and deeds to God.
We can give to food banks, or pray for those who may need our help, such as friends going through a bad time or those less fortunate than ourselves. We could support peaceful protests.