Catholic Life and Mission
GIFT ‘Growing in Faith Together’ Team
At St. Richard’s, we have a dedicated and well-established GIFT Team. Our GIFT Team is made up of pupil chaplains from Year 5 and Year 6 and they have the pivotal role of leading prayer & liturgy and spreading the Word of God within our school community. Our GIFT Team chaplains volunteer for the role and devise an action plan at the beginning of every academic year. They then meet weekly to review their action plan and plan prayer groups, Celebrations of the Word and organise liturgical events.
The GIFT Team chaplains are responsible for:
- Supporting all pupils in our school to know, love and follow Christ.
- Giving joyful witness of Christ in our school, being missionary disciples.
- Planning and leading prayer groups linked to the Liturgical year.
- Planning and delivering Celebrations of the Word.
- Supporting in assemblies.
- Developing the use of prayer spaces e.g. the Prayer Room, prayer area in the Eco-garden.
- Mentoring Year 3 children on the Sacramental programme as Sacramental Buddies.
You can see some of the exciting things we have been doing below.
.
Our GIFT team and Caritas Ambassadors wrote some beautiful prayers to reflect on the passing of Pope Francis and the election of our new Pope. We will continue to work to be Pilgrims of Hope this year, just as Pope Francis called us to be.
During Lent, the GIFT Team plans a series of Celebrations of the Word encouraging the children in Prayer Group to reflect on various pieces of scripture and how we can use Lent as a period of growth.
Our GIFT Team met with their Sacramental Buddies to help them prepare for making their first Sacrament of Reconciliation. They shared prayers, advice and answered any questions that the children had.
A beautiful Stations of the Cross service planned and delivered by our GIFT Team for some of our KS2 children.
Our GIFT Team visited St Mary’s, Manchester to see the designated Jubilee year Holy Door. We had a fantastic morning and learnt lots about the church. Thank you so much for welcoming us.
The GIFT Team planned and led an Advent prayer group each lunchtime in December. We shared stories from the Jesse Tree and it was well attended by many of our KS2 children.
The GIFT Team led a remembrance prayer group during November. The children who attended the group wrote their own prayers on poppies and these are displayed on our remembrance tree in our Prayer Room.
Throughout October, the GIFT Team led a Rosary Prayer group during lunchtime. We planned each session following Gather, Word, Respond and Send. Each session we shared one of the Mysteries of the Rosary, prayed a decade of the Rosary and then gave the children a task to send them away with to share the Good News.
