“Counsel” – Whole School Prayer Resources

Gather

Every prayer time begins with us gathering together.
To help us focus, you might dim the lights, turn on an electric candle if you have one, or move a cross or religious object to the front. As students are entering the room this morning, you might like to play this instrumental music to help create a calm atmosphere.

Thank you to 7R for creating this week’s resources!

Welcome back everyone!
We hope you had a restful and enjoyable half-term break.

Let us begin this time of prayer together, we invite you to join in making the sign of our faith:
All: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

This week, we celebrate two very special days in the Catholic Church:

All Saints Day – Sunday, 1st November

All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation and a joyful celebration of all the saints – those known to us and those unknown – who now live in heaven with God. These are people who weren’t perfect but made effort to live lives of holiness, love, and service, and who now inspire us to follow Jesus more closely. On this day, we remember that we are all called to be saints and sainthood is closer than we think! Carlo Acutis is a great example of this!

All Souls Day – Monday, 2nd November

All Souls Day is a time when Catholics remember and pray for those who have died, those in heaven and those who are believed to be in Purgatory – a place of purification before entering Heaven. On this day and throughout November (the month of Remembrance) many people:

• Visit cemeteries
• Decorate graves
• Light candles
• Attend Mass
• Offer prayers for the faithful departed

Next Week, the Prayer and Liturgy Team will be leading us in a special Remembrance Liturgy, but for now, to help us mark All Soul’s Day we are going to pray the Eternal Rest Prayer together.

This prayer is a beautiful way to show love for those who have died. Let’s take a moment to think of someone we’d like to remember today.
It could be a family member, a neighbour, someone from your parish church, or someone on the other side of the world.

Let us pray together:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.

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Learning About Counsel – A Gift of the Holy Spirit

Now we’re going to watch a video from 7R, who will help us explore the theme of Counsel – one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Make sure you pause the video when 7R lead you in a game of Would You Rather and discuss your answers!

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Closing Prayer

As we remember the one leper who returns to say thank you, we pray that the Holy Spirit will fill us with the gift of counsel so that we might make the right choices…

Holy Spirit,
guide our hearts and minds.
Help us to make good choices,
to seek what is right and true,
and to follow Jesus with courage and love.
Give us the wisdom to listen,
the strength to act,
and the grace to choose what is good.
Amen.

We finish this time of prayer together, by making the Sign of the Cross.
All: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Gather

Every prayer time begins with us gathering together.
To help us focus, you might dim the lights, turn on an electric candle if you have one, or move a cross or religious object to the front. As students are entering the room this morning, you might like to play this instrumental music to help create a calm atmosphere.

Let us begin this time of prayer together, we invite you to join in making the sign of our faith:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today, we’re reflecting on a different kind of “counsel“…
Not just the gift of the Holy Spirit, but the voices of our School Council – notice the different spelling!

What is the School Council?

The School Council is a group of students who represent the voices of all students in school.
They help shape decisions, share ideas, and work to make our school a better place for everyone.

This links beautifully to our theme of Counsel – because we hope that all leaders, whether in our school or across the world, are guided by wisdom and compassion to make good decisions for the common good.

The common good is one of our Catholic Social Teaching principles. The Common Good is the belief that no one should be left out from the gifts God has given us. It’s not just about helping one person or one community – we are called help everyone. Everyone deserves dignity and respect.

In order to make this wise decisions, we need to use God and rely on Jesus’ example!

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Let’s Listen

Now let’s hear from some of our School Councillors from last year.
As you listen, think about the following questions…

• Is the School Council something you’d like to be part of?
• Do you have ideas to share to help make our school a better place for all?
• Do you have gifts that could help our wider community?
  

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Closing Prayer – For All Leaders and Voices

God of wisdom and justice,
We pray for all leaders—those in our school, our communities, and around the world.
May they be guided by the gift of counsel,
to make decisions that protect the dignity of every human life.
Help us to listen to one another,
to speak with kindness,
and to work together for the common good.
May every person have a voice,
and may we use ours to build a world of peace and fairness.
Amen.

Let us finish this time of prayer together, by making the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Gather

Every prayer time begins with us gathering together.
To help us focus, you might dim the lights, turn on an electric candle if you have one, or move a cross or religious object to the front. As students are entering the room this morning, you might like to play this instrumental music to help create a calm atmosphere.

Let us begin this time of prayer together, we invite you to join in making the sign of our faith:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today, 7R invites us to reflect on the gift of counsel by creating a Bucket List for now until the end of the year!

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Why Make a Bucket List?

A bucket list is a way of setting positive goals—things we’d love to do, try, or achieve.
It’s good for our mental health because it gives us hope, something to look forward to and it encourages us to make good choices that help us grow and support others.

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Prayer Journal Task

1. Draw a big bucket in your prayer journal.
   
2. Around or inside the bucket, write your Bucket List Goals for the rest of the year.
   
3. Use the gift of counsel to think about what your goals could be:
   • What are some good decisions I could make?
   • How can I help others?
   • What will help me grow in faith, kindness, and wisdom?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Take part in an extracurricular activity.
• Make time for revision or study.
• Reconcile with a friend you aren’t speaking to at the moment.
• Contact a family member you haven’t spoken to in a while.
• Make quiet time each week for meditation or prayer.
• Help someone who’s struggling.
• Volunteer for a school or parish event.
• Donate to the Advent Appeal launching at the end of the month.

You may wish to discuss as a form some ideas before you get started with your own bucket list.

As you write, we’ll listen to the worship song: “Holy Spirit, You Are Welcome Here”
Let the words remind you that with each goal, we’re inviting the Holy Spirit to guide us with the gift of counsel.

And remember to decorate your bucket if you have space and time at the end!

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Closing Prayer

Holy Spirit, You are welcome here.
Fill our hearts with your gift of counsel.
Help us to make good choices,
to live with kindness and courage,
to use our time well.
to help others,
so that we may live our fullest lives.
Amen.

Let us finish this time of prayer together, by making the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Gather

Every prayer time begins with us gathering together.
To help us focus, you might dim the lights, turn on an electric candle if you have one, or move a cross or religious object to the front. As students are entering the room this morning, you might like to play this instrumental music to help create a calm atmosphere.

Let us begin this time of prayer together, we invite you to join in making the sign of our faith:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

🎉 This week, in the month of All Saints and Remembrance, we’re relaunching our House Competition: Rolling with the Saints! 🎉

Let’s hear some more about this competition from 7R!…

Your Mission: Build a Saint!

Each form is asked to collect or bring in one toilet or kitchen roll to start with – you can make more than one saint if you want to boost your chances of winning! With this roll, you are challenged to get crafty and build a saint that we can celebrate and learn from in this month of Remembrance!

Today, take time to:

1. Choose a saint (or saints) to research and celebrate.
2. Learn about their life, story, symbols, and virtues.
3. Plan how you’ll bring them to life using your cardboard roll.

Think about:

• What they’re known for
• What they might be holding, what they might be wearing
• What colours or symbols represent them
• How you’ll make them recognisable and inspiring
• What materials you will use
  
  

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Every entry should include a decorated roll representing your chosen saint(s) and a plaque with their name and a fact or quote about them.

At the end of the month, we’ll host a “Roll with the Saints” Catwalk Celebration to showcase your creations!

Here is last year’s video for some inspiration! Now it’s time to get creative!!

Closing Prayer

Loving God,
We thank You for the saints –
for their example of faith, courage, and service.
May their lives inspire us to follow You more closely,
to live with love, and to serve others with joy.
Help us to walk in their footsteps,
guided by Your Spirit and strengthened by Your grace.
Amen.

Let us finish this time of prayer together, by making the Sign of the Cross. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.