What is Prayer?
Prayer is our opportunity to offer to God everything that is in our hearts and minds. Prayer invites every member of our school community at Cardinal Wiseman into a relationship
with God who is present, loving, and attentive.
Prayer is a space where we:
- Recognise God's presence in our lives and in the life of our school.
- Give thanks for the blessings we receive; our friendships, learning, challenges, and growth.
- Ask God for help; for ourselves, our families, our world, and those in need.
Whether it happens in a classroom, assembly, our chapel, or personal moment of reflection, prayer is central to our identity as a Catholic school. It shapes our values, deepens our sense of purpose, and draws us into the wider mission of the Church.
“Prayer is the best weapon we have” - Padre Pio
At Cardinal Wiseman, we proudly pray three times each day.
Raising The Bar prayer - Every morning, we come together as a community for a Raising The BAR briefing, led by one of our leadership team. These focus on Belonging, Accountability and Relationships. Christ is the greatest example of all. He taught us what it truly means to raise the bar as he set the ultimate standard. Each Raising the BAR briefing concludes with a prayer in which we ask for God’s guidance to be the best version of ourselves today.
Weekly Reflection
Each week, students work with Keri, our Lay Chaplain to produce our weekly reflections - these are short videos, watched by all students across the school that cover the following:
- The liturgical season
- Our virtue focus for the half term with examples of how we can live them out in our everyday lives.
- Upcoming feasts, solemnities, Holy days of Obligation and other celebrations
- A relevant theme with reflection questions
- A closing prayer (relevant to the theme/feast/time of year)
During the seasons of Advent and Lent, students use custom made journey booklets alongside the weekly reflections to deepen their prayer at these special times. The booklets contain additional reflection activities, saint inspirations, music and artwork.
Formation prayer
Prayer during formation was overhauled in September 2024, in response to pupil and staff feedback. Pupils enter a darkened classroom to worship music and reflection questions and scripture for them to consider. We then pray together as a formation group - a pupil-prepared prayer.
End of day prayer
In the final minutes of each day, our whole school community comes together in a simple, communal prayer.
On Monday, we pray the Our Father together.
Liturgy
Throughout the year, we celebrate a number of liturgies together as a school community both virtually and in person. They are events in the Church’s calendar as well as events in our world that should be celebrated or commemorated. These include Remembrance Day, and times of joy and sorry, such as the recent death of Pope Francis.
Reconciliation Week
During Advent, we have a particular focus on preparation for the Christmas season and most importantly, the birth of Jesus Christ. We know that this period is one of busyness and so during our Reconciliation Weeks, every class is given the opportunity to slow down, to take time to reflect with prayer stations and moments of silence, as well as to have the opportunity to meet with a priest for the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Lent
Lent is another important season in the Church where we focus on getting ready to move through Holy Week, remembering Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection on Easter Sunday. During Lent, as well as Advent, students use a journey booklet which contains a school wide liturgy and pledge activity to help focus our efforts on three key themes: Fasting, Prayer & Almsgiving. Examples of these booklets are shown below:
