Our Focus for the Year
January - Solidarity - All people are God's children -. That makes us brothers and sisters. We are connected to each other. We can be very different from each other, but we are still one family - God's family.
February - An option for the poor and vulnerable - You need food, water, a house, your school, a doctor. So does everybody else on the whole Earth, but there are many people who do not have these things. Jesus wants us to take extra good care of these people.
March - The dignity of the human person - Each of us are special because of God's love. We must treat others in a caring way because they were made by God too.
May - The diginity and rights of workers - All people work in the same way - Their work should be safe and helpful to them because God made them. By our work we help ourselves and others, and we show our love to God.
June - We are called to Stewardship - God made the earth and sky, the people, animals and flowers. God tells us we must take good care of them. It is an important job.
September - We are called to live as a family and a community - Jesus knows that people can only be happy if they have families and friends. He tells us that we can let these important people help us. He asks us to help them too.
October - Rights and Responsibilities - All of God's people need food, clothes, work, a home, school, a doctor. Some people have what they need, but many people don't. Jesus wants the people who have what they need to help others.
November - Promotion of Peace - When we fall out with our friends we must say sorry. We must try to live in peace and get on with everyone. This is not easy but Jesus wants us to keep on trying.
Meet Our Chaplaincy Team
Our Chaplaincy team representatives were chosen after completing the initial application and interview process before being commissioned in Church at Mass with our local community by Father Julian on Tuesday 5th September 2023. They have since been involved in leading Prayer and Liturgy reflection sessions to each year group across the school every Thursday which they independently organise themselves, an example of which can be seen below. They will also be leading a Monday Gospel assembly to the whole school at the end of each half term and readings, psalms and bidding prayers at all whole school masses.
Our Aims
St. Augustine’s Chaplaincy Team
We aim to:
- Promote the Catholic character of our school.
- Encourage pupils to show their Catholic values in daily living.
- Develop good relationships within and beyond the school community.
- Support the liturgy, prayer and spiritual life of the school.
- Involve pupils to act positively and fundraise for charities.
- Maintain the Chaplaincy Team webpage and Prayer Station.
- Promote Saints’ Days.
- Provide a link with the parish and Chaplaincy Teams in other schools.
- Support our school with our Mission Statement.
- Organise a children’s weekly prayer and reflection meeting.
St. Francis of Assisi Key Values
As part of the St. Francis of Assisi Academy Trust, each school was invited to create their own set of Key Franciscan values, explaining what each of the four values look like at our school and how we achieve these. The Chaplaincy Team worked together to create this document before being shared with the teaching staff for their own input. This can be viewed below:
Chaplaincy Team in the Community
The Chaplaincy Team have a Call To Action plan in which they serve our local, national and global community and neighbours in order to promote the Common Good for all. This includes promoting their faith and spreading the Word of God such as by joining our local parishioners after Mass for Tea and organising our Harvest Festival.
Harvest Festival donations for Food Bank
Chaplaincy team interview Bishop Wilson at Westminster Cathedral
SHARING THE WORD
St. Francis of Assisi Chaplaincy Team prayer
Our school Chaplaincy Team, along with the other 7 schools in our Academcy Trust, wrote a chaplaincy prayer that was shared as part of our work towards Catholic Life and Chaplaincy. A part of each school's prayer was used to make the new Academy Chaplaincy prayer .
The whole prayer can seen in the document below. This has highlights to show the exact parts that were chosen from St. Augustine's Chaplaincy Team's version and similar wording. We will be using this final St. Francis of Assisi Academy Trust Chaplaincy prayer within our Thursday Class Acts of Worship.
St. Francis of Assisi Academy Trust Chaplaincy Celebration Liturgy.
On Wednesday 27th September, our Chaplaincy Team joined our other Catholic primary schools' Chaplaincy Teams in a special celebration liturgy. During the liturgy, one child from each school read a bidding prayer and the children also shared their ideas of how we as schools create a caring community, share compassion for others, have reverence for creation and make peace. These were then written onto leaves and place as a whole Trust of schools on a values tree. In addition, the children received Academy Trust Chaplaincy Team Badges which were blessed by our Trust CEO Mr Celano. Finally, they were reminded of our Franciscan Values Award and how to promote and lead this throughout the school which was launched by all schools.
