Our Lady Of Mount Carmel Catholic Primary School

Our Chaplaincy Team

Link to Religious Education Page

Our Lady's has a passionate team of  KS2 chaplains, who play a vital role in enhancing and promoting our school values alongside our faith to students, staff and the wider community.  All of our chaplains take joy in wearing their Chaplaincy badge and carrying out different responsibilities.

The Chaplaincy Team meet regularly to review their  Development Plan and consider different ways in which they are strengthening mission, deepening prayer and enabling communion.  

The Chaplaincy Team Aims to:

• To help the school to grow as a community of faith.
• To encourage the pupils to live their faith in daily living.
• To support Liturgy, prayer and the spiritual life of the school.
• To involve pupils in fundraising for charities.
• To continue to develop strong links with the Parish.
• To support the school in its Mission Statement and values.

The meetings give a chance for every Chaplain to share their ideas and together we make decisions about how we can promote the Catholic ethos in the school. Chaplains will have the chance to lead prayer in Gospel worships, whole school Prayer and Liturgy, plan and lead charity events throughout the year, monitor class reflection areas and class display boards and help plan prayer events for key points of the Liturgical seasons.  Chaplaincy are also contributing to our school newsletters and the Parish Bulletin too so that our parishioners can learn about their role in school.

This Autumn term Chaplaincy have introduced each class to our new prayer space.  Children will be invited by a Chaplain to spend some quiet time in this special area at lunchtimes.

Chaplaincy Team Development Plan 2023-2024

In the summer term the Chaplaincy team authored our new school prayer. In groups they taught the prayer along with the actions to each class during Prayer and Liturgy.

And in the Autumn term the Chaplaincy team created a new end of the day school prayer and shared this during whole school Prayer and Liturgy.  Each Chaplaincy member illustrated the prayers which were then laminated and distributed by Chaplaincy to each class. 

Loving God 

Thank you for guiding us through the day.

Thank you for our teachers and our friends.

Thank you for helping us become all we can be. 

Guard me Lord in the dark of night. 

And in the morning send me Light.

Amen. 

Chaplaincy have also helped create a New Prayer Space for Our Lady's. They invite pupils to use the space for some quiet reflection and prayer time during breaktimes and lunchtimes.

Prayer and Liturgy Class Reflection

Each class prepares their Prayer and Liturgy Class Reflections using a four step plan:-

1. Gather - to introduce the session. This could be listening to calm and reflecting music, tapping the chime bar or  sing 'Come and join the circle'
2. Word - Sharing a reading from the Gospel
3. Response - an activity, for example a five finger prayer, reflecting on the word or holding a pebble and thinking about someone that you would like to ask Jesus to help.
4. Mission - This is a task to take away, for example  - do something helpful at home, invite someone who is lonely to join you at break time etc.

Advent Reconciliation Service

Chaplaincy team delivered a

Reconciliation Service to all Our Lady's staff and pupils.  The Act of Reconciliation involved the children returning to their classes for a short time to take part in a variety of activities which required them to think about something that they wanted to ask forgiveness for.  For example our younger children in Acorn class thought about something they had done or said that they were sorry for.  They then took a plaster and placed it on a Cross and sat quietly and thought about trying harder next time.

The children then returned to the school hall and

Chaplaincy led the following prayer:- 

Lord, we thank you for the gift of your forgiveness that lightens our step and lifts the burden of guilt from our shoulders.

Lord, we thank you for the gift of your forgiveness that now enables us to open our hearts to others in a spirit of reconciliation.  

Lord, we thank you for the gift of your forgiveness that encourages us to walk your path of truth and justice.  Amen

Chaplaincy Commissioning & Training

On Monday 27th November 2023 Chaplaincy Commissioning took place at St Luke and St Teresa's Church, Parents were invited to attend, and all of KS2 attended, Father Francis delivered the service. 

In the summer term of 2022 Louise White from the Clifton Diocese worked with Chaplaincy in preparation for being Chaplains in September. It was a very enjoyable and fun day. Firstly we shared our ideas of what skills we think Chaplaincy members should have. Louise was very impressed with our list.

In November new Chaplaincy members attended Chaplaincy Training at St Joseph and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School in Wells.  It was a wonderful opportunity for our School Chaplains to come together with Chaplaincy members from St Gildas in Yeovil and Wells, with Louise White and learn how they can develop their Chaplaincy roles at Our Lady's.  

During the day a Chaplaincy Action Plan was produced for this school year (2022-23). Please see the plan above which Chaplaincy shared with the school.

In the academic year 2021 - 22 Chaplaincy led some reflections on refugees, linked to the Journey of the Cross.

Chaplaincy spent time planning prayer stations that linked to the Stations of the Cross. Each group chose one of the stations to focus on and planned an introduction, activity and prayer around the theme of the station. Oak class (Year 5/6) and Willow class (Year 2) attended the prayer stations as they had both been learning about the Stations of the Cross.