Celebration of the Word
A weekly gathering celebrating the word. A celebration which focusses on God speaking to us through the scriptures and which creates space and form for our response.
We GATHER together to establish who we are as a praying community and to recognise that it is God who has called us together.
Through scripture, we open ourselves to LISTEN and RESPOND to God.
Then we SEND the students out, transformed by what they have and done so that they can play a part in the Church's service to the world.
Prayer in Together For Good and Meetings
Students and staff open each school day and staff meeting with an act of prayer. These are led by form tutors, students and those involved in the staff meetings. Starting each day and meeting this way ensures key moment are punctuated by a moment of calm reflection and allows us all to recognise prayer and worship is at the heart of our school life.
Grace Before Meals and Sunset Prayers
Members of Year 7 have two additional opportunities for prayer; with a Grace Before Meals recited by the class daily before lunch, and a Sunset Prayer to finish the school day. Both prayers allow for continuous recognition of the school’s core Catholic values, provide further opportunities for calm reflection and highlight our expectations for Blessed Thomas Holford students to be considerate members of our community.
Celebration of the Word in Assemblies
Every year group at Blessed Thomas Holford receives a weekly opportunity for Celebration of the Word through their assemblies in the Main School Hall. Each assembly is led by either a Head of Year, member of Senior Leadership or a section of the student body. These assemblies each focus on a Gospel Passage; giving an opportunity for students to Gather as a community, Listen to the Word, Respond with reflections on how this message is applicable to their own lives, and Go Forth with a positive action that students and staff can achieve throughout that week and beyond.
Wednesday Word
All students and staff are invited to create their own Celebration of the Word once a week. These acts of reflection are based around the previous Sunday’s Gospel and are delivered by anyone who volunteers to lead that week’s session to any staff or students who want to attend. This act of prayer emphasises the community and equality preached by Jesus Christ, with students teaching staff about their lived faith experience and vice versa, allowing each member of the community to have a platform to enrich each other’s school faith journey.
See our 'Wednesday Word' page
Walk By Faith
In addition to the daily acts of prayer and worship that take place during form time, Thursdays include an opportunity for an extended Celebration of the Word for all students from Years 7-11, where students are given pieces of scripture, topical events in the Catholic calendar and religious news to reflect upon and react to. These sessions are delivered through a video, with interactive moments for form tutors and students to involve themselves with.