Encounter – Whole School

Welcome back everyone!

Celebration of the Word and Chaplaincy Rota:

Monday – Key Stage COTW – Y7 in the Chapel and Y8 in the Hall
Monday Becket Reads – Year 7 and Year 8 Safeguarding Assembly
Monday – Lunchtime – If you are in the Eco Mission Team and the Justice and Peace Mission Team – please come to the chapel at the start of lunch for a quick meeting.

Tuesday – Key stage COTW – Y9 in the Chapel and Y10 in the Hall
Tuesday Becket Reads – Year 9 and Year 10 Safeguarding Assembly
Tuesday period 3 – If you are in the Chaplaincy Team (this includes all of our 6 mission teams) please register at your P3 classroom and then come straight down to the hall/chapel for a launch of projects that were planned at the end of last academic year.

Wednesday – Key stage COTW – Y12 in the Chapel and Y13 in the Hall
Wednesday Becket Reads – Y12 and Y13 Safeguarding Assembly

Thursday – Y11 in the Chapel for COTW
Thursday Becket Reads – Year 11 Safeguarding Assembly

The Chapel at Lunchtimes – this week!…

The chapel will be open this week at break and lunchtimes with the opportunity for you to encounter the chapel space and encounter visiting students and staff!

This week we will be filming for our new school music video. If you would like to be a part of the video, please see Ruth or our camera helpers!
All are welcome – the school music video is an opportunity to celebrate and showcase our wonderful school community, you can get involved by waving, smiling, laughing, dancing, reading, walking, talking and much more! Below is a reminder of a previous music video if you are new here!

Next week we will be launching our lunch clubs in the chapel so keep an eye out for your form invitation to the chapel!

Leader: Good morning, as we begin our time of prayer, we invite you to join in making the Sign of the Cross…
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Pope Francis, in his encyclical Laudato Si’, calls us to listen to “the cries of the earth and the cries of the poor.” This powerful quote reminds us that the suffering of our planet and the suffering of people in need are deeply connected. When we harm the environment, it is often the poorest among us who suffer the most. As followers of Christ, we are called to respond to these cries with compassion and action.

Encountering Others Through Giving

This week, as we reflect on the theme of “encounter,” we are reminded that we encounter Christ not only in nature but also in our brothers and sisters in need. One way we can encounter and share the love of Christ is through giving. By sharing what we have, even the smallest amount, we help those who are struggling to have hope and feel love.

To put this into action, we are reintroducing our CAFOD small change boxes in form time. These boxes will be a way for you to give any spare change you have—every penny counts, even 1p, to help those who are need.

As always, this will also be a house competition, and the tutor group that raises the most money by the last week of term will receive a prize and lots of house points!

To make sure each form’s efforts are recognised, please create a clear badge with your form’s name on it to stick onto your CAFOD small change box. You could also appoint someone in your form to regularly remind everyone to dig deep and give during form time. Let’s work together to make a difference and help those in need whilst encountering God along the way!

Let us pray together this prayer from CAFOD…

We invite you to make the Sign of the Cross as we finish this time of prayer together…

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

Leader: Good morning, as we begin our time of prayer, we invite you to join in making the Sign of the Cross…

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

When we begin to truly think about how we encounter God, the list becomes huge. We can encounter God whilst we’re watching TV on our sofa, we can encounter God on a walk,  we can encounter God in artwork or music, we can encounter God in the ordinary and everyday moments.

Saint Teresa of Avila summarises this beautifully when she said:

“God is in the pots of pans of everyday life”

Think: What are the ordinary, pots and pans moments in your life where you feel God’s presence?

Look at the word cloud on the right…

Can you think of any other ideas of where you can encounter God?

In your prayer journals either:

1. Recreate the word cloud, adding as many different ways that you can encounter God as you can.

Or

2. Create a poem about how you can encounter God in the ordinary, ‘pots and pans’ moments. You might even like to make an acrostic poem.

Let us pray…

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for being present in every part of our lives. Help us to encounter Your love in the everyday and mundane moments of our day—whether that be in our studies, our friendships, or our daily routines like washing the pots or eating some food. May we find You in every simple task and quiet moment, and let Your presence guide us to live with joy and faith.

Amen.

We remember that God is with us throughout our day as we make the Sign of the Cross…In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Please make sure to collect yellow paper clipped card from the staffroom for today’s resource.

Leader: Good morning, as we begin our time of prayer, we invite you to join in making the Sign of the Cross…

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

During the Season of Creation, we are encouraged to reflect on how we can protect and appreciate the Earth, which is a gift from God. We will be creating a large prayer display that we will add to each week of the season of creation to help us to reflect on the important of this season.

This week, as we focus on the word of the week “encounter,” we will reflect on how we can help others encounter Christ, by being the light of Christ on earth.

In Catholic tradition, a monstrance is a special vessel used to display the Eucharist, the Body of Christ, during adoration. The monstrance often has a sunburst design, symbolising the light of Christ radiating out into the world. Just as the monstrance holds and displays the presence and light of Christ, the sun shines its light, warming and nurturing all it touches.

Think of how the sun lights up the world and helps everything grow. In the same way, we are called to shine the light of Christ onto others. This means showing love, kindness, and compassion to everyone we meet. When we act with Christ’s love, we help others encounter Him through our words and actions.

Every tutor group should have two pieces of yellow paper (two rays of sunshine). Before writing and creating your form’s reflective response for our school prayer display, you must remember to:

• Write neatly
• Write only on one side of the paper, as this will be displayed you cannot write on both sides
• Write “By….” and which form group you are from
  
  

On one ray you are all called to write about how you can shine the light of Christ for others to see. Think about ways you can show love and kindness, like helping a friend, being generous, or standing up for someone in need.

On the second ray you will write about how you can help others to encounter God. Remember that when you show love, you bring Christ into others’ lives. How can your actions, words, or even prayers help someone else feel God’s presence?

Please keep these safe. If a Chaplaincy Team member doesn’t make it to your form to collect these, please drop it off on the staff prayer table in the staffroom.

Let us pray…

Lord Jesus, Help us to shine your light in all we do and to reflect your love to those around us. May our actions and words help others to encounter God through us. Guide us to be instruments of your peace, bringing hope and kindness into every interaction. Let your presence be felt through our efforts to serve and uplift others. Amen.

We remember that God is with us throughout our day as we make the Sign of the Cross…In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen