Catholic Education Week 2021 - A Spirited Tomorrow

Primary Liturgy

• Before the liturgy begins, the Principal or nominated person, settle people into the gathering place by using a centring technique.

• Music (no words) could then begin playing in the softly in the background. e.g. Creation by Michael J Smith

• When all is still, the procession can begin. RESOURCES Procession: each person enters with a young plant

• One student representing a year level cohort. • One Staff representative • One parent representative

a data projector and computer with ppt loaded a sprouting seedling/ a lantern with an LED candle x 8 Appendix 1: Script for opening scripture Appendix 2: Connecting Scripture to 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia

WE GATHER Procession Darken the room if possible. Click the ppt x4 with space/ stillness in between. Click the ppt and the word ‘Plan’ appear. A person on the microphone says the word and

the assembled gently respond with the word ‘Lord’ repeated three times. Staff representative processes in bearing a sprouting seedling/ a lantern with an LED candle glowing and this is placed across the front/ on the prayer focus.

When the action is completed, the next word is displayed (‘welfare’) on the ppt is displayed whilst a student from Prep brings forward a sprouting seedling/ a lantern with an LED candle glowing and this is placed across the front/ on the prayer focus.

Continue this model as a representative from each year and a parent completes this procession (‘future with hope’, ‘call upon me’, ‘pray to me’, hear you’, seek me’, ‘find me’, gather you’).

Room is brightened at the completion of the procession.

WE LISTEN First reading: Jeremiah 29: 11 -14a Student proclaims the full reading– alternate scripture passages could be Luke 6 20-23 or

Matt 11: 28 -30 however the ppt would not be compatible to this resource. Students present the unpacking of the scripture (Appendix 1)

Reflection Connecting the scripture reading to 200 years of Catholic Education in Australia. A

suggestion is offered in Appendix 2. WE RESPOND 3 x ‘I wonder’ questions · I wonder about the plans God has for me…. · I wonder how God knows the hope in my heart… · I wonder how God is present to me….

The Examen We all have our own experiences and conversations with our Creator and they are all received with God’s love. In our prayer today, we will use the Examen to spend some time being with and praising God. I invite you to sit quietly and talk to God in your head. Dear Creator….

1. Where did I hear God today? 2. Where did I see God? 3. How did I let others see God in me today? 4. What gift of the Holy Spirit do I need tomorrow to be the best person I can be? 5. Amen

WE GO FORTH Song suggestions: We Are by Steph Unger and Gavin Agnew United As One by Matthew Walker Inspired To Serve by Judy Bailey Go Make A Difference by Steve Angrisano All The People Said Amen by Matt Maher What A Friend We Have In Jesus by Matt Maher Send Us Out by Gen Bryant Called by Steph Unger

APPENDIX 1 (Reference - Jeremiah 29: 11 -14a)

ROLE SCRIPT Child 1 I don’t want to do this, I have other things that I want to do! Child 2 I get overlooked all the time. No-one listens to what I want. Child 3 I have ideas for games to share but no one listens to me! Child 4 Why can’t things be simple? Why can’t I just do my own thing? Child 5 Hang on…didn’t that reading we just heard from Jeremiah tell us that God

has plans for us. Child 3 But it was written ages ago, how can it really mean anything for us? Leader It can. Child 2 But how? It was written by a prophet a long, long, long, long, long, long,

long time ago warning a group of people that they needed to follow God’s way or God would make not so good things happen to them.

Child 1 And did they listen? Or did yucky stuff happen to them? Leader Well, the scripture does tell us they didn’t listen and they were taken from

their homes and not allowed to return for over 60 years. Child 4 But what has that to do with us? And anyway, how is it a story telling us that

God is with us and can ‘see’ us, ‘listens’ to us, ‘has plans’ for us? Leader The Prophet Jeremiah was talking to people who were making decisions not

to live the best way they could. They were choosing not to love others and so, choosing not to love God. When they failed to love others, they stopped seeing all the good things they had and demanded all sorts of other things that they thought they wanted…and that’s when things started to go wrong from them! They lost hope. The prophet Jeremiah gave these people back their hope – he reassured them that God loved them and that God would give them another chance to live God’s plan which was, and is, to love all.

Child 5 Do you mean it wasn’t God’s plan to punish the people? Leader Not at all. It was the peoples’ own actions that caused them to suffer sad

times – God didn’t force them to leave them homes. Child 4 Do you mean God wants us to stop and listen to God each day? Leader Pretty much! Child 3 Do you mean God wants us to notice the good things happening around

us…rather than grumble about what we don’t have? Leader Pretty much! Child 2 You mean that God’s plan for us is to be the best we can. To be happy about

what happens each day in our life?

Leader Pretty much! Leader This scripture story is a promise that God has a good plan for our lives

regardless of how difficult our current circumstances might be. God can work through us and give us hope in ourselves and in those around us. Everyone and everything works for good if we trust in the goodness of God.

Leader and all the children

Pretty much!

All bow heads and leave the space. APPENDIX 2 Two hundred years ago the first official Catholic school opened in Australia. This plan for creating Catholic schools came from a concern that the children of Catholic families need an education in their faith. Often these families were the poorest in the communities. This concern for the welfare for all children to have a future with hope. Catholic education in Australia tells stories from so many places of how Catholic communities called upon God, prayed to God for guidance, called upon each other, listened to God in the words and actions of others, sought wisdom and found grace and peace as communities gathered in the name of the Lord. Catholic education in Australia has long the held the plan that education should be directed not just towards developing the individual student but also exploring ways the individual can contribute to the community.