Enrichment Week Masses

Wednesday AM – Year 9 will be walking to Holy Spirit Church in West Bridgford to celebrate Mass. A Mass prep notice is below and has been emailed to form tutors.

Thursday AM – Year 7 and Year 8 will be walking to Holy Spirit Church in West Bridgford to celebrate Mass. A Mass prep notice will be sent to form tutors soon and there will be a rehearsal for students during Thursday form time.

Mass Preparations – Monday Form Time

On Wednesday morning, year 9 will be walking to Holy Spirit Church for Mass and we are looking for some students to help with the planning and leading of some of the Mass parts – this will be rehearsed this morning (Monday) during form time.  

Please can you select some volunteers to help with the following Mass Parts and send them down to the chapel asap this morning in form time:

9T – Welcome and introduction – 4 readers, 4 object bringers (8 students in total from 9T)

9E – Penitential Rite – 3 readers (these are one line short prayers, 3 students in total from 9E)

9R – First reading – 1 reader 

9R – Psalm – 1 reader (2 readers in total from 9R)

9B and 9P – Prayers of Intercession – 4 student readers from 9B and 3 student readers from 9P

9N – 2 offertory bringers (who will bring forward the bread and wine)

In addition to these Mass parts, if there are any students who would like to altar serve or who would like to help Mr and Mrs Ryder lead the music, please could these students also come down to the chapel. 

The word of the week is Fortitude

We are in the 13th week of Ordinary Time and the Liturgical colour is green! This week’s resources have been planned by 7N – thank you 7N for your enthusiasm!

We remind ourselves that we meet in God’s presence as we make the Sign of the Cross.  In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Fortitude is one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Fortitude is the special strength and courage given by the Holy Spirit to help you stay strong and brave, especially when facing difficulties or challenges. It’s like having a spiritual backbone that helps you to stand up for what is right, even when it’s tough or scary.

When thinking of the theme of fortitude, 7N wanted to share the example of Esther in the Bible. Esther has her own book in the Bible but possibly it is one of the books you are less familiar with?
Esther was a young Jewish woman who became the queen of Persia, an ancient and powerful empire. 7N chose a video from saddleback kids to help explain the book of Esther…

“Esther inspired us because she had courage to stand before the king to ask to retract an order to massacre the Jews. She knew that approaching the king without being summoned could result in death but she bravely decided to speak up to save her people. This act required immense courage and a willingness to sacrifice her own safety for the common good.”

In your form groups, think about some other examples of people who have been courageous and stood up for faith or beliefs in challenging times.

These could be biblical figures, saints, historical figures or even people in the present day.
Write a list in the comments box below of all of the people your form named!


Let us pray…

“Dear Lord, we thank you for the examples of those who have gone before us who have shown great courage and bravery to stand up for their 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

Good morning, we welcome God into this space as we make the Sign of the Cross.  In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

“When thinking of inspirational figures who have shown fortitude we thought about people like Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks who played an integral role in promoting the equality and dignity of black people. Let’s listen to Kid president to remind ourselves of the story of Martin Luther King…

Please watch the video below until 2:36

We are now going to listen to a clip from Martin Luther’s final speech. This is the powerful, prophetic speech Martin Luther King made made to a packed church in Memphis, Tennessee, on 3 April 1968, just a day before he was assassinated.

Earlier in this speech Martin Luther King Jr said the words:
“Ours is a spiritual movement depending on moral and spiritual fortitude.”

Martin Luther King Jr. relied on God to give him fortitude whilst leading the Civil Rights Movement. He spoke out against unfair laws that treated African Americans differently. Instead of fighting back with fists or anger, Martin Luther King Jr. taught people to protest peacefully and inspired thousands of people to join together for a better future. His speeches and actions encouraged people to believe in themselves and in making the world a fairer place.

As we quickly build up to the general election on Thursday and reflect on what is important to us and the kind of leaders we hope for in the world, we continue to pray for our prayer intention this week that the campaigners and voters seek truth, justice and peace.

Let us pray together…
Heavenly Father, help us to inspire others, as Martin Luther King Jr did. Let our fortitude and trust in God shine out in all that we do so that others may hear their calling to be a disciple.
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.

Good morning, we welcome God into this space as we make the Sign of the Cross.  In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

For our think prayer resource this week, 7N made a list of ways in which we can show courage and fortitude in our everyday lives and have brought them to life with a video to help us to think and identify the ways we already see and use the gift of fortitude…

In your prayer journals, we would like you to write down or draw some of the ways you show fortitude (courage) day to day. Remember, that sometimes the things that might seem ‘small victories’ can actually be a really big deal and take a lot of courage!

Celebrate the ways you show courage in your prayer journals whilst listening to the music.

We pray…

Holy Spirit, give me the courage I need to face my fears and the strength to stand up for what is right. Fill me with your wisdom and guide my actions. Help me to trust in your presence and rely on your power in every situation. Amen.

We remember that God is with us throughout our day as we make the Sign of the Cross…

Shield templates are available to pick up in the staff room.

We remember that we meet in the presence of God by making the Sign of the Cross…In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

When thinking about symbols linked to fortitude, 7N identified the symbol of shield as something that we all wear on our school uniform that represents fortitude. Historically, a shield protected warriors in battle, symbolising the courage to face danger head-on.

Our Becket shield reminds us that we are called to stand firm in our faith, even when faced with adversity. Shields are also often used in family crests, so our shield shows people that we are a ‘family’ in faith.

For our ‘do’ activity, 7N would you like you to decorate your own shield of courage for your form room. Your shield might be a remake of the Becket shield, it might be a shield to celebrate your house patron, or a bespoke shield with words or symbols of encouragement and strong faith. There is also a space for you to create a motto or prayer for your shield on the banner at the bottom of the page.

Every student has their own shield to decorate, lift out any colours you have and get creative whilst listening to the song below…

We pray together our school prayer that unites us a faith family and encourages us to have fortitude…

We remember that God is with us throughout our day as we make the Sign of the Cross…