Swindon School’s Sanctuary
21 October 2011
The blessing of Holy Family Primary’s new ‘Sanctuary’ took place recently Anna Goold writes with the details.
The newly appointed chaplaincy team wrote bidding prayers which were read out by pupils. Holy Family’s Parish Priest Monsignor Canon Jeremy Rigden blessed the room with holy water. Although the children have already been enjoying using the space, this ceremony deepened their understanding of why the space is so important. The ceremony was attended by staff, pupils, governors and parents and enjoyed by all. We ended with a rousing rendition of ‘Our God is a Great Big God’.
The Sanctuary provides a crucial opportunity for children and adults to develop their own spirituality and personal relationship with God. We hope that the space will be used for quiet contemplation, prayer, thanks giving and meditation. In this way we can all develop the important relationship between ourselves and God. By taking time out of the hectic school day we are able to take a step back and think about what is really important - our faith. Our Catholic faith is at the heart of all that we do and the Sanctuary acts as an outward sign of this inner belief and helps us to deepen prayer, enable communion and strengthen our mission.
By having a room in the school dedicated to faith and spirituality we hope that the children will develop a good understanding of the importance of these virtues. Children and adults will have the opportunity to pray, reflect, give thanks, think or just be - important opportunities which cannot be underestimated. By using the room in this way we can develop our personal relationships with God and grow ever closer to Him. The Sanctuary is a place that we can be proud of and in turn we hope that the children grow in confidence to be proud of who they are and the beliefs they hold.
Anna Goold
The blessing of Holy Family Primary’s new ‘Sanctuary’ took place recently Anna Goold writes with the details.
The newly appointed chaplaincy team wrote bidding prayers which were read out by pupils. Holy Family’s Parish Priest Monsignor Canon Jeremy Rigden blessed the room with holy water. Although the children have already been enjoying using the space, this ceremony deepened their understanding of why the space is so important. The ceremony was attended by staff, pupils, governors and parents and enjoyed by all. We ended with a rousing rendition of ‘Our God is a Great Big God’.
The Sanctuary provides a crucial opportunity for children and adults to develop their own spirituality and personal relationship with God. We hope that the space will be used for quiet contemplation, prayer, thanks giving and meditation. In this way we can all develop the important relationship between ourselves and God. By taking time out of the hectic school day we are able to take a step back and think about what is really important - our faith. Our Catholic faith is at the heart of all that we do and the Sanctuary acts as an outward sign of this inner belief and helps us to deepen prayer, enable communion and strengthen our mission.
By having a room in the school dedicated to faith and spirituality we hope that the children will develop a good understanding of the importance of these virtues. Children and adults will have the opportunity to pray, reflect, give thanks, think or just be - important opportunities which cannot be underestimated. By using the room in this way we can develop our personal relationships with God and grow ever closer to Him. The Sanctuary is a place that we can be proud of and in turn we hope that the children grow in confidence to be proud of who they are and the beliefs they hold.
Anna Goold
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