Prayer

Prayer is a central part of school life at St. Mark’s and children experience prayer through many forms, for example; words, actions, symbols, music and drama.

Children are invited to pray privately and as a community, as prayer unites us as members of the Family of God.

At St. Mark’s the children learn a range of prayers and they pray many times during the school day for a range of purposes. Children at St. Mark’s also learn to write their own prayers and they often choose who or what they would like to pray for. Every class has a prayer bag and children share and write prayers at home with their families which they then bring in to school to share with their peers.

Staff are enthusiastically devoted to the mission of St. Mark’s and every Tuesday morning, all the staff at St. Mark’s gather together to share scripture, prayer and reflection.

This collective act of worship, always respectful of the diversity of staff backgrounds and beliefs, is a way of professing our shared values and reminds us of our common purpose.

Every lunch time, Mrs O’Shea leads ‘Rosary Club’. A quiet, reflective atmosphere is created through the use of a focus table, which changes according to the church’s seasons and candles. Each child has rosary beads and all the prayers are led by the children.

The Rosary is a prayer to remind us that Jesus loved us so much that he died on the cross for us.

The Rosary tells the story of Jesus’ life in four parts:

• The Joyful Mysteries
• The Sorrowful Mysteries
• The Glorious Mysteries
• The Luminous Mysteries

Each time the Rosary is prayed, the children focus on Jesus’ life as well as a special person or intention that they wish to pray for.