Week 8 Accompaniment 04/11/24

Accompaniment is the act of walking with someone on their journey. It is
how we, as followers of Christ, show support and love for others. We are
called to accompany others on their journey of faith, both in good times
and in bad, just as the Holy Spirit watches over each of us in our own lives.

We invite everyone in our school community to lead parts of our prayer throughout the week and staff are encouraged to award achievements points for this!

COMING UP… On Tuesday 19th November representatives from across the Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Multi Academy Trust will gather together in Lincoln for the 2nd OLoL Trust Synod! It is an amazing event where children, students, staff, governors, central Team, clergy, Board Members and more all come together to discuss and listen to one another around some central themes – Relationships, Pathways and Places. As a school community we are going to spend some time over the next two weeks giving everyone a chance to reflect on those themes and to add their thoughts to those that will be shared with the rest of the Trust on Tuesday 19th November.

At some point this week we are inviting forms to accompany one another and to practice the art of listening. There is the opportunity for some members of the form to do a ‘form swap’ for one morning and to go and listen to others and to share your reflections on the question this week. We know that school is a very busy place so whether you team up with another form in your year group or just see who is available on your corridor later this week, we invite you to listen to one another’s ideas and then to use the comments box to share these with us! Thank you for getting involved in this very special event!

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.

This week we turn to the prophet Isaiah for our scripture.

Isaiah had the tough job of trying to bring God’s people, the Israelites – who had turned away from God and His laws – back to God their Father. He reminded them that God would never stop loving them and, as we shall hear in a few weeks time, he prepared them for the coming of God’s Son, Jesus.

A reading from the book of Isaiah

But you, Israel, my servant,
    Jacob, whom I have chosen,
    the offspring of Abraham, my friend;
you whom I took from the ends of the earth,
    and called from its farthest corners,
saying to you, “You are my servant,
    I have chosen you and not cast you off”;
fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

For I, the Lord your God,
    hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Fear not,
    I am the one who helps you.”

The Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

Isaiah 41: 8-10, 13

What examples do you have personally or have you heard about that show when a person has really placed their trust in God and has trusted that He is accompanying them?

Add your ideas to the comments box to inspire the rest of our school community!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

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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.

A great example of accompaniment can be found in the popular prayer, Footprints in the Sand. Read this together today and discuss what it means to each of you.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with
the Lord. Scenes from my life flashed across the sky. In
each, I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were
two sets of footprints; other times there was only one.

During the low periods of my life I could see only one set of
footprints, so I said, “You promised me, Lord, that you would
walk with me always. Why, when I have needed you most,
have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The times when you have seen only one set
of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

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

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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.

Today we have the opportunity to prepare for our Trust Synod on Tuesday 19th November!

If you can then you are invited to link with another form group and do a form swap where some students switch forms for this discussion!

This week’s question links to the theme of pathways and calls us to think about how we accompany one another in our school and wider Trust communities.

After praying our School Prayer, discuss the following question and share your thoughts in the comments box below so we can deliver your ideas to the Trust Synod in a few weeks!

How can we, as members of our school / Trust
community, become better listeners and decisionmakers,
and how can we work together to discern
God’s will for our school / Trust?

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.