The more we can understand what good liturgy looks like, the better these experiences will be for our young people.
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18
It’s a sad reality that for many young people today, their only connection with church is at school. The Church owes a great deal to headteachers and teachers who prioritise the faith life of the school for their pupils. I am fortunate to work in many schools in England and witness the vibrancy, enthusiasm and passion that is dedicated to giving children a spiritual formation, not just an academic education. By our baptism we are made members of the Mystical Body of Christ and participation in the Liturgy of the Church is our identity.
‘Where two or three are gathered, I am there among them.’ Matthew 18:20
When the school community prays together, Christ is present too. There will be different occasions during the week when this happens; more intimate classroom prayer and larger assemblies for the whole school or year groups. The more we can understand what good liturgy looks like, the better these experiences will be for our young people.
Active Participation
This has been such a misunderstood phrase from Vatican II, but still many people haven’t heard of it. ‘Full, conscious and active participation’ is desired for us by the Church. It invites us to experience an interplay between body, heart and mind (internal and external) and the liturgy allows this interplay in a variety of ways. We listen, watch, speak responses and prayers, make various gestures, stand, sit, kneel, process, sing and pray quietly. Let’s make sure that every element is explained and that pupils understand exactly how they take part.
Involving Pupils in lay Ministry
The Lord bless you and keep you;the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you… Numbers 6:24-25
This is a distinct way of participating and offering gifts and talents by way of reading, music, serving or welcoming. Let’s have children helping to lead the singing and call them Cantors. Let’s have them prepare to read Scripture and call them Lectors. Let’s use liturgical words to help children develop their vocabulary of the rituals and spaces in which we worship God.
Liturgy is Tradition
The Celebration of the Eucharist is the pinnacle of our liturgical life. There is nothing more important, so we know the answer to the famous line in Fr Ted, ‘Is there anything to be said for saying another Mass?’ Yes! Everything! So the tradition of the Eucharist continues without question. We then have a rich history of prayers and devotions throughout the year which mark the passing of time, the seasons and feasts. These are also part of our identity and are worthy of being passed on. Yes of course we can be creative in school, but not at the expense of what has been passed on to us. Look at what we already have, build on it, be creative with it and allow our young people the joy of sharing in it.
With all this in mind, let’s teach and allow our young people to enter into the prayer life of the Church in school surroundings,
Elements of Good Liturgy
Scripture
In liturgies outside of the Eucharist, the Word of God should be central. It may be the Scripture from a recent RE lesson, something addressing a particular need of the class, something connected with the Liturgical Year or simply chosen by the pupils as a favourite Bible passage. It might be a full story or a short phrase. Use whatever is most suitable for the pupils at that time. Age-appropriate books might be considered but you can also use a range of Bibles for different age groups – the Catholic Good News translation is great for younger children (from 4 year olds upwards). What little they don’t understand, they will rise to. You might prepare with a story/picture book but move on to the authentic Word of God in the Bible for an actual liturgy. On some occasions you may just create a sacred space and listen to some Scripture stories or invite some of the children to read the story aloud.
Signs and Symbols
In the liturgy, heavenly realities are made tangible through signs and symbols ‘perceptible to the senses.’ (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 7) In school we can use those same signs in a sacred and creative way.
Candles, a crucifix, water, colour, images etc, are all part of our tradition and it’s our duty to pass on their use. Shells and pebbles are pretty but they are not distinctively Christian symbols so use them but make sure there isn’t a better alternative (see resources at the end).
Prayer
Prayer is our personal and corporate communication with God. In school we can let our young people explore different ways of praying, starting with the tradition of the Church. Teach them all our well-known prayers and they will have them for life. Explore prayer in the Bible and how different saints have prayed. Help them to compose their own words, from simple repeated phrases, prayers of intercession to litanies and collects (see resources at the end).
Avoid beginning a prayer with ‘Dear’. There are so many wonderful adjectives that are attributes of God (Almighty, Everlasting, Loving) that reflect our worship better.
Meditation
Imagine Christ Our Lord before me on the cross… ask how it came about that the Creator made Himself man, and from eternal life came to temporal death, and thus to die for my sins. Then, turning to myself I shall ask, what have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I do for Christ?’
(St Ignatius of Loyola, Spiritual Exercises).
Imaginative Prayer is easily adapted for young people. Let’s use the story of Zaccheus in Luke 19:1-10.
The same technique works for Lectio Divina. Rather than being in the scene, the children are invited to listen to the word several times over, and focus on what draws their attention. There are some great videos online for lectio with young people.
You might consider each child having their own meditation journal, a small notebook that they can record the Scripture passage in and their thoughts about it.
Senses
There are so many elements of drama in liturgy.
Have something beautiful to focus on: a statue, icon or just a candle.
Use reflective music as a background.
Include smell. Incense, diffuser sticks, room scent or a perfumed candle will make a powerful difference to the experience.
Use the sense of touch; pass round a wooden feely cross. The children take it in turns to say a little prayer. It might be ‘thank you God for…’ or ‘please look after…’ There are no rules; the child doesn’t have to speak out loud or say anything at all if they don’t want to. There’s no pressure. Sometimes silence can enable a richer spiritual experience.
Pupils might make a sign of peace. They might hold some work they’d like to offer, one at a time, and place it round the altar or focal point. They might have drawn a picture or written a prayer on a piece of paper. All can be held and then offered up.
Music
We all know that if we sing, we pray twice. But it’s hard if you’re not musical and many teachers aren’t confident in leading songs. I think that for whole school gatherings, it’s important to sing. It unites us, lifts our hearts and inspires us. For a quiet class liturgy, it might not be necessary to always sing. But if you are confident or have pupils who can lead, go for it. There are great online resources and audio backing tracks that are really useful. Prayerful music as a background is important to help create an atmosphere of prayer and reflection. Keep it for prayer (not the music you get changed for PE).
Margaret Rizza and Taize are great instrumental tracks.
Resources
www.mariahall.org/prayer-resources
https://godinallthings.com/
www.teachingcatholickids.com/teach-your-kids-imaginative-prayer/
