HOW WE PRACTICE OUR CATHOLICISM AT ST JOHN’S COLLEGE
St John’s is a Catholic school. Being Catholic means we are part of the universal Roman Catholic Church. Our College was founded in 1941 by Priests of the Society of Mary. Their example of humble service and devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus, has an ongoing impact on our school. We encourage everyone in the St John’s College Community to follow the teaching of Jesus and live by the Gospel values he taught.
These Gospel values are based on the two great Commandments – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind”, and “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.”
· Our motto Opere et Veritate means “In Word and in Deed”. The motto encourages us not only to seek the truth but also to put Gospel values into practice in our lives.
· We pray formally - at staff meetings
- in form classes to start the day
- at assemblies
- at school meetings
We usually start our prayer by using the sign of the cross and saying “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. This in itself is a very old prayer. We are asking God the Father to give us wisdom when we touch our forehead. When we touch our chest, we are asking Jesus our brother to give us a heart of love. When we touch our shoulders we are asking the Holy Spirit to help us to be loving in our relationships with others.
Some common prayers we use:
THE OUR FATHER
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed by your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done on earth
as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil. Amen
HAIL MARY
Hail Mary, full of grace,
the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.
Holy Mary, mother of God,
pray for us sinners
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
GLORY BE
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen
We also often ask our patron saint, St John, to ‘pray for us’.
·
Our Chapel was designed by architect John Scott,
an Old Boy. It is used for special spiritual occasions.
Students are expected to be quiet and reverent
whenever they are in the Chapel. It is always open
during the school day for quiet prayer.
·
The Celebration of Eucharist (Mass)
Mass is said in the Chapel on Wednesdays at 12.15 p.m. All students are welcome to attend. Your form class will be rostered to attend lunchtime Mass twice a year.
Each term we also have at least one full College Mass and we encourage all our students to attend Mass in their local parish on Sundays.
Note: If you are not a Catholic or have not completed
your first communion – go up to communion with
everyone else and instead of accepting the Body of
Christ, ask the Priest for a blessing.
· Morning Liturgy
Every morning at 11.40 a.m. we have a liturgy in the Chapel. Houses are rostered on each day.
This liturgy is a time when we put ourselves in the presence of God, thank God for the positive things that have happened and ask for his guidance for the coming week.
· Religious Education Classes
All students study Religious Education for two periods a week.
Students study a mixture of Catholic doctrine, bible
teaching and Christian morality.
· Reconciliation
Once a year all students will be given the opportunity to have the sacrament of reconciliation. This is time when we confess our sins to Jesus and, through the Priest, are forgiven for our wrong-doing.
Non-Catholic students are encouraged to talk to the priest about their faults and to receive a blessing to help them do better.
· Spiritual Direction
Once or twice a year, each student has an opportunity to speak privately to our Chaplain about spiritual matters.
Our College also offers opportunities for Baptism and First Holy Communion. We encourage students to be Confirmed through Parish programmes.
· Service
Opportunities are provided from time to time for students to serve others and show compassion to those less fortunate than themselves.
· Questions
If students or parents have any questions, all they need to do is speak to their Religious Education teacher or to our Chaplain.
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