Mrs David's Catholic Life Overview
Welcome to our Whole School Catholic Life page for 2024/2025 – Mrs David’s opportunity to share aspects of faith formation and OLOL experiences that have an impact on a child’s perception of what Catholic Life is all about. At OLOL, we ensure that Catholic Life infuses every aspect of our school day so that our work, our prayer, our curriculum and policies, our play is all rooted in personal faith development, and our school, parish and the wider life of the Church is greatly enhanced as a result.
It would be impossible to share everything we do at OLOL but these pages should be a sample of the Catholic Life we live daily. Please take a look at our Twitter/X feed (@ourladyoflourd1), Class Catholic Life pages and other pages in this section of the website, as they are filled with more active faith at OLOL.
Feast of St Jerome 30th Sept 2024
St Jerome is a great Saint for those of us who work in education and for those who study to seek inspiration from. He is the patron saint of librarian and translators. St Jerome was a master of classical languages and was responsible for the first translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew and Greek into Latin (the Vulgate) that we still use today. He wrote many other books and commentaries. St Jerome was made a Doctor of the Church in a special honour given to those saints whose writings have had long term impact on our faith.
World day of Migrants and Refugees 29th Sept 2024
Today at Mass we also thought about the plight of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants as we celebrated the 110th World day of Migrants and Refugees. Pope Francis Has given this special day a focus, “God walks with His people”. This year the Holy Father wants us to recognise that we are all migrants during our time on Earth, journeying towards our ultimate home, the Kingdom, with our Father in Heaven. Here is the Pope’s message for us…
Year 6 Confirmation Inscription Mass
Following our lovely first meeting on 24th Sept, we gather together again at Mass on 29th September to make our public commitment to the faith and continuing our Christian journey. This day is also a feast, St Michael the Archangel, and who better to inspire us today than the defender of the Church as we look towards our growth and service in the faith. It was lovely to see Year 6 make their enthusiastic commitment to the preparation of the Sacrament, and to hear the parish, staff and families supporting them back.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Macmillan Fundraising 2024
On 27th September we will continue our annual tradition of supporting Macmillan by taking part in the World’s Largest Coffee Morning…Our Catholic Life asks us to think of others and give to those in need, for whatever reason. The rain made our coffee morning a little quieter than usual but I would like to say thank you to our families and parishioners for attending and donating what they could to support this amazing cause #OLOLFundraising
Our Lady of Walsingham Sept 2024
This wonderful shrine to Our Lady is a focal point of Marian prayer and pilgrimage in the UK (alongside our very local centre of pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes at Hednesford). It has been on my own personal wish list for a long time but circumstance has always prevented me going but Mrs Anthony is the real Walsingham expert visiting regularly, and we benefit from the many Mass and prayer intentions she takes for our school and parish. A site of pilgrimage since 1061, it was created by a woman with great faith to honour Our Lady. It has had a very rocky history during the reformation when the site was destroyed and Catholic generally had to hide their faith and worship in new creative ways to avoid the persecution that came with our belief and liturgical practises. For 300 years pilgrimage stopped at Walsingham, until the 19th Century when Catholics were allowed again to bear public and open witness to the faith. The Holy Father bestowed Minor Basilica status on Walsingham in 2015, a special recognition also held by our own Mother Church St Chad’s. On the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham (24th Sept) we all met for a Confirmation meeting and Father Sean reminded the children about the links between Our Lady of Walsingham and Our Lady of Lourdes.
O Mary, recall the solemn moment when Jesus, your divine son, dying on the cross, confided us to your maternal care. You are our mother, we desire ever to remain your devout children. let us therefore feel the effects of your powerful intercession with Jesus Christ. make your name again glorious in the shrine once renowned throughout England by your visits, favours, and many miracles. Pray, O holy mother of God, for the conversion of England, restoration of the sick, consolation for the afflicted, repentance of sinners, peace to the departed.
O blessed Mary, mother of God, our Lady of Walsingham, intercede for us. Amen.
Year 6 Confirmation Preparation Sept 2024
Our Year 6 children, their families and their sponsors joined us this evening to reflect on the final stages of their faith journey towards the Sacrament of Confirmation…a journey that gathers pace once the gifts are bestowed upon us and we get this amazing new life full of courage, wisdom, understanding of the truth of Christ and witness to His Word in our actions, thoughts and words. The children presented their projects today, research to find the Saint who speaks to their hearts and inspires them in their growth. In their Service of Commitment, the children, parents and staff talked of our bright light of faith and how it will shine, highlighting the active use of the gifts and expression of the fruits, and how our service to others is an integral part of our growing Christian actions. The commitment shown by the children in their preparation has been admirable and as they prepare spiritually through Mass and Prayer over these coming weeks, let us also remember them and their journey of faith from children to young adults in the Church in our own prayer's.
Cycle to School Week 2024 - Sustainability, CST and Living Simply...
I was quoted in a National Newspaper this morning as our school prepares, in some mighty horrendous weather, to live the journey of Laudato Si in our ongoing work towards creating more sustainable living choices. As adults educating, nurturing and raising the next generation of our planets stewards, it is vital that we role model and make sure our young people know what sustainable living is the only sensible choice to make for ourselves and for others...Catholic Life is everyday life for people of faith and morals!
Metro.co.uk
September 23, 2024 9:06 am
Cycle to School Week kicks off with heavy rain
Cycle to School Week kicks off – but the weather is not playing ball (Picture: The Bikeability Trust). Pouring rain is far from inviting when planning to cycle to work or school – although the right gear means it is doable in any weather. Just as heavy rain sweeps across large parts of England and Wales, the Cycle to School Week kicks off.
More than 420 schools and their 125,000 pupils have pledged to swap car journeys for cycling to get to school this week. It is expected to ease congestion on the school runs by removing an estimated 56,500 cars from UK roads, The Bikeability Trust said, who is organising the initiative on behalf of Active Travel England. This could lower carbon emissions, improve air quality, help tackle childhood obesity by encouraging kids to move and teach life skills.
Pauline David, head teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School, Birmingham, said: ‘As a school, we are fully invested in sustainable education and participate in Cycle to School Week every year. The children love being able to do this, and occasionally, we get some parents joining in, too! We are always looking for as many ways as possible for our children to develop knowledge and understanding of the impact we are all having on our planet. Initiatives such as Cycle to School Week allow us to teach the children about the many physical development, health, wellbeing, environmental, and traffic congestion reduction benefits of cycling or scooting to school. We hope these small changes in behaviour will lead to a lifelong love of cycling and a deeper understanding of how each child can make a difference in the world’s future, which we are here to steward for future generations.’
OLOL Prayer Bags
Each Friday we send home a themed OLOL Prayer Bag with children in each class so that they can develop their child led prayer skills at home with their families, sharing with them a beautiful expression of their growing faith and religious knowledge understanding. As ever, it has been lovely to see the children share this with their class mates and with a much wider audience on our X account. Each week that children share their liturgy, I will share some photos here - a real strength of our school community is their love of prayer and liturgy and their joy in sharing this with others…
Jubilee Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope
On 24th December 2024, the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica will be opened as we herald a most special year for all Catholics. In 2025 we will celebrate a Jubilee Year after spending 2024 in preparation during the Year of Prayer. This year, OLOL children and staff have made special time to analyse and reflect on the words of the Our Father, renewing our understanding. Pope Francis said:
“From now on I am happy to think that the year preceding the Jubilee event, 2024, will be dedicated to a great ‘symphony’ of prayer. First of all, to recover the desire to be in the presence of the Lord, to listen to him and adore him.”
In this autumn term, we will continue with our preparations in school and will keep you updated in the weekly newsletter about how we will participate in this ancient Church custom.
Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist Sept 2024
On Saturday 21st September, we remember the life and work of the apostle St Matthew. Jesus made a clear choice when he picked St Matthew, a tax collector, hated by the Jewish community for applying the Roman financial regulations. A choice Jesus made often in his life of reaching out to the marginalised and disenfranchised in society. St Matthew answered Jesus’ call immediately and without doubt…
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” (Matthew 9:12–13).
From these negative beginnings Matthew became a strong follower of Christ, one of the 12, and had an active life preaching the Word in the land where he lived and prayed with Christ. His Gospel has become part of the historical record of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus, written in the language of the Jews (and Jesus) to assist in conversion to Christianity. We thank St Matthew for his obedience and giving us the Word to guide us. Little wonder that St Matthew is the patron saint of bankers, accountants and tax collectors!
Ss Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions Sept 2024
Today we celebrate the feast of Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions. This group of Saints is a mixture of priests and lay persons who were martyred for their faith and for the drive to bring missionaries into Korea. At the time these people lived, Korea was a country where the Catholic faith existed because of the commitment and faith of the lay community, having no priests for many years to sustain or support their growth, a time when there was no one to give the Eucharist - what a powerful faith and how God must have watched over this community. Ss Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Chong are now the patron Saints of Korea and a true sign, alongside the history of the Catholic Church in Korea that faith and witness cannot be stopped even when facing the harshest conditions.
We give thanks for those priests and faithful all over the world who give their lives for their faith and put Christ at the centre in the face of terrible retribution. We aspire to be strong in our own active faith and witness. Amen
Year 6 Conformation Retreat Sept 2024
Retreats form an important part of the Catholic formation of our children and staff. Year 6 had a very special encounter with Jesus today at their Confirmation Retreat, a peaceful opportunity to get their hearts ready for the Sacrament they are soon to receive. The children created beautiful candle art as a reminder of their baptism, and that the Holy Spirit will soon be this light of active faith shining brightly within them, guiding them in their formation and helping them to live the gifts and fruits in their lives everyday. We know that these children will be wonderful witnesses of the Lord to others, and in the fullness of the Holy Spirit they will live rich Christian lives. It is important that our whole school community keeps the children of Year 6, and all Catholic children and adults, making this Sacrament in our prayers. Year 6 will continue to grow in acts of service this year as they make contributions to the life of the parish and our school community.
Heavenly Father, we have gathered today to prepare our hearts for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Help us grow closer to you and recognise the gifts of the Holy Spirit in ourselves and others. We ask you to be with us on this important next step in our faith journey.
Amen
Mrs D RE Challenge
Exaltation of the Holy Cross: Sept 2024
As part of our ongoing work to develop the children’s understanding of their faith, I set challenges in our newsletter. These Mrs D RE Challenges are an opportunity to be creative and reflect on aspects of the faith and the lives of the Saints. This weekend, I asked the children to design crosses and crucifixes to celebrate the feast…look at some of their wonderful work. Each day the desk in my office got fuller and fuller and we ended up with 84 pieces of joyful expressions of faith from our fantastic children!
In Memorium: Junior Bubala
On 17th September we will remember the 4th anniversary of the death of Junior. Many of our current staff remember this young man with great affection and our school community continues to mourn his tragic loss at such a young age. He was part of our OLOL family and we continue to honour his memory through prayer. We keep in our thoughts also Junior’s family including his sister who also attended OLOL. Mass will be said for Junior on 16th September at OLOL Church. “The more we are afflicted in this world, the greater is our assurance in the next; the more sorrow in the present, the greater will be our joy in the future.” St. Isidore of Seville
Evangelii Gaudium Sunday 2024
The third Sunday in September is always dedicated to the Holy Father’s encyclical, Evangelii Gaudium, the “Joy of the Gospel”, in which he asked us all to be mindful of the need for evangelisation and missionary discipleship in our ever changing world. This year we celebrated this on 15th September. We are asked to find and share the joy in the words contained within the Gospels. This year, Pope Francis' theme is Growing as Missionary Disciples - “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations," What will we do this year OLOL to remember the words in Acts of the Apostles that “You shall be my witnesses.”
“We cannot forget that evangelisation is first and foremost about preaching the Gospel to those who do not know Jesus Christ or who have always rejected him. Many of these are quietly seeking God, led by a yearning to see his face… Christians have the duty to proclaim the Gospel without excluding anyone.” Pope Francis
This date is also the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows and this image of Mary is often instantly recognisable as it shows her with swords piercing her heart, each sword representing one of the seven sorrows of Mary. Can anyone find out what the Seven Sorrows of Mary are? This is a good day to think about the sorrow that we have experienced and to find compassion and empathy, alongside some inevitable sadness that sometimes marks the beginning of sorrow. Are you able to celebrate this feast day by giving comfort to someone experiencing sorrow?
Our mother of sorrows, with strength from above you stood by the cross, sharing in the sufferings of Jesus, and with tender care you bore Him in your arms, mourning and weeping. We praise you for your faith, which accepted the life God planned for you. We praise you for your hope, which trusted that God would do great things in you. We praise you for your love in bearing with Jesus the sorrows of His passion. Holy Mary, may we follow your example, and stand by all your children who need comfort and love.
Mother of God, stand by us in our trials and care for us in our many needs. Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.
Amen
Class Blessings 2024
We were visited by Deacon Tim to bless our classrooms and shared spaces. In this annual blessing, Deacon Tim calls on our Father in heaven to come among us and protect us, inspire us and work through us as we live, love and learn together. We asked for God’s continued gifts to help us become the people He intends us to be. We ask for God’s blessing on our hearts and minds so that we are filled with all of the skills and attitudes to have another successful year at OLOL.
Lord God, we welcome you to this place and ask you to fill it with your glory. You are our Good Shepherd. We ask your blessings on our work, our play and our reflective time.
Lord Jesus, bless all who work here. Open their minds and hearts to receive the Gospel, and fill their hearts with your Holy Spirit.
Divine Teacher, bless our teachers with wisdom and patience. We thank you for their knowledge and care for us.
Heavenly Father, we dedicate our prayer table to you. Inspire us to pray always.
Loving God, bless all of our books and study materials. May they be a source of light for our minds and hearts.
We ask your blessings on our studies. We pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross Sept 2024
This year this feast falls on a Saturday when we are not in school so I wonder can OLOL think about the meaning of the cross/crucifix on this date (14th). The cross had an early history very closely linked to the death of criminals who would be placed on crosses at city walls or outside the towns and they were a negative things to see during the Roman period - their preferred method of execution. On this date though we think about how the cross became an image of salvation. St Helena's finding of the cross on which Jesus died in the 4th Century, in Jerusalem during the building of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. We wear and display a cross or crucifix as a sign of our Christian faith and we remember the many early martyrs who came to their death by the cross.
Exaltation of the Holy Cross Novena
Jesus, Who because of Your burning love for us willed to be crucified and to shed Your Most Precious Blood for the redemption and salvation of our souls, look down upon us and grant the petition we ask for... We trust completely in Your Mercy.
Cleanse us from sin by Your grace, sanctify our work, give us and all those who are dear to us our daily bread, lighten the burden of our sufferings, bless our families, and grant to the nations, so sorely afflicted, Your peace, which is the only true peace, so that by obeying Your commandments we may come at last to the glory of heaven.
Amen.
At OLOL we are Curious and Active
Jesuit Virtues Sept - Oct 2024
This half term our focus Jesuit Virtues are curious and active, and we have started to think about what it looks like to demonstrate these virtues in our lives at home and school. We aim to always be following the example of Christ and the Saints who have come before us. What are the characteristics of curiosity and activity? What does it look like if we live in this way? Curious people are always searching for knowledge through research and questioning, we explore God's creation with wonder and a thirst for understanding our world better so that we become closer to the creator. Active people show responsibility and commitment to the school, community, Parish and wider world - they are positive role models and have an active faith that celebrates the Word and encourages others to be active in their commitment to others interests. What will OLOL do this half term to show we are Curious and Active?
We are always aware of St Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, the motto of the Jesuits, and how this motto really sums up why we do what we do at OLOL, for the greater glory of God!
Most Holy Name of Mary Sept 2024
Today (12th Sept) we celebrate the Most Holy Name of Mary, a time when we think about our reverence for Mary and her name. This has been a long tradition in the Church. Only Mary and Jesus have dedicated liturgical days to celebrate the time of their naming. When we pray the Litany of the Holy Name of Mary, we are reminded so clearly of many of the titles which honour her for being the mother of Jesus, mother of the Church and our mother...why not research some of the many titles for Mary and see how some of them came about. We will be at Mass today on this special feast...
Blessed be the Holy Name of Mary, now and forever...
Education Sunday: 8th Sept 2024
This weekend we will celebrate one of the oldest and most important special Masses of the Church’s year – Education Sunday. On this day we think about the purpose and mission of Catholic education, the enlightenment and excellence that comes from the learning journey that children and young people experience when they attend our schools, colleges and universities. We remember that Christ is at the centre of our school (and all Catholic schools) and we aspire to be the place where all children grow into the people that God wants them to be. This Mass has been happening annually since 1848 and so we hope that OLOL pupils and their families will make a special effort this weekend to attend Mass and give thanks for the vocation and service of staff and leaders in Catholic places of education for the faith formation and academic excellence that is developed and nurtured. It is tradition to wear uniform to this Mass as an outward sign of the pride we have in our school community.
"The mission of schools and teachers is to develop an understanding of all that is true, good and beautiful."
Pope Francis
CAFOD National Assembly Sept 2024
The Season of Creation
Today (6th Sept), all OLOL pupils and their teachers took part in the CAFOD National Assembly as part of the Season of Creation. This joyful assembly reminded us of the absolute beauty of God’s creation on earth and opened with a quote from the Book of Amos:
“Let justice flow like a stream,
and goodness like a river that never runs dry.” Amos 5:24
and in the gathering prayer we were reminded that we need to build a brighter world so that everyone may live their life to the fullest - what an aspiration! It was interesting to hear the stories of our global neighbours and the struggles and challenges of climate change… I hope that the children of OLOL are part of the global attempts to build a better, safer world with creation protected for all future generations. What will we do this year OLOL to be part of the positive change the world needs?
St Teresa of Calcutta: 5th Sept 2024
Today, children in St Teresa of Calcutta’s House Team remember the life of their House Patron Saint. She started her vocational life with missionary work, and then with the Sisters of Loreto taking her final vows in 1931 and becoming a teacher in the Loreto community in Calcutta. Her special calling to work in the service of the poorest people came as she saw the hardship of the community she lived and worked in. She worked tirelessly to support the ill, disenfranchised and neglected men and women in Calcutta and over time founded the Missionaries of Charity. Mother Teresa, as she had become known, sent her sisters to all parts of the world to serve the poorest communities with love and dignity. She died on 5th September 1997 after a life filled with faith, hope, love, charity and unwavering compassion for those unable to help themselves. St Teresa of Calcutta’s House Team strive to know about her active faith and to use her as a role model for their response to social justice.
“Whatsoever you do to the least of my
brethren you did it to me.” (Mt 25:35-40)
The Season of Creation 2024
The Season of Creation has begun (1st Sept – 4th Oct) and is a special time when we think about stewardship and our obligations to develop our relationship with the creator, to protect and care for creation, gifted to us by our heavenly Father to be our home and to be safely handed over to successive generations. Each year there is a theme for the celebration of this season, and this year the focus for over 2 billion Christians is "To Hope and Act with Creation". As a school we will think about what this justice and peace looks like in relation to climate and ecological awareness and action, alongside consideration for those communities affected by the impact of man-made and natural ecological disasters. We will become more aware that our wellbeing is linked to the wellbeing of the Earth. The future is endangered by humankind’s unequal use of resources and inability to separate personal need from global justice and we want our OLOL children to see that they will be the generation that has the power to make the greatest change. During this season, say the Prayer for the Season of Creation and the small things to make family change (all of our small actions put together then create greater change over time!).
To Protect and Heal God's Creation
We praise you for your goodness, visible in all the diversity that you have created, making us a cosmic family living in a common home. Through the Earth you created, we experience love and nourishment, home and protection.
We confess that we do not relate to the Earth as a Mothering gift from you, our Creator. Our selfishness, greed, neglect, and abuse have caused the climate crisis, loss of biodiversity, human suffering as well as the suffering of all our fellow creatures. We confess that we have failed to listen to the groans of the Earth, the groans of all creatures, and the groans of the Spirit of hope and justice that lives within us.
May your Creator Spirit help us in our weakness, so that we may know the redeeming power of Christ and the hope found in him. May the groans of the Spirit birth in us a willingness to serve you faithfully, so that we may hear and heal Creation, to hope and act together with her, so that the first fruits of hope may blossom.
Loving and Creator God, we pray that you will make us sensitive to these groans and enable us to have the same compassion as that of Jesus, the redeeming Lord. Grant us a fresh vision of our relationship with Earth, and with one another, as creatures that are made in your image.
In the name of the one who came to proclaim the good news to all Creation, Jesus Christ. Amen.
"May our lives become an opportunity to sing our love for God and care for our common home." Pope Francis
Ordinary Time...
Ordinary time is anything but ordinary! We are in Ordinary Time now and it is the longest time in the liturgical calendar – split into two pieces separated by what we traditionally think of as the big seasons of Advent and Christmastide, then Lent and Easter. Our classrooms are covered in green to symbolise this season, and in this season, we think about the life and ministry of Jesus. During this time we are asked to deepen our prayer lives and our interaction with scripture so that we know Him more clearly. It is a time when we should be looking for opportunities to be active messengers spreading the Word.
It has been a long tradition in our faith to have special prayers for each weekday during Ordinary Time
- On Monday we honour the angels
- On Tuesday we honour the apostles
- On Wednesday we honour St Joseph
- On Thursday we honour the Eucharist
- On Friday we remember Christ’s death
- On Saturday we honour Our Lady
- On Sunday we relive the joy of Easter each week
Ordinary Time is not telling us that this season is “ordinary” or unimportant, it is a history of the life and work of Jesus and as we journey through it we grow in our faith and our relationship with God. It is filled with vital feasts and solemnities that mark key people of God, who formed our faith and events in the life of Jesus and the Saints.
Our First Whole School Liturgy Sept 2024
Today we gathered (as an almost full school) to share prayer and scripture, and reflect on being back together for another school year. We talked about how we can proactively be part of God's plan for us all in our prayer life, with hard work, good choices and following the example of the Saints that came before us. We reminded ourselves that we are unique beings, made in His image and likeness and with that comes certain truths. God does not make mistakes so who we are is exactly who God intended us to be (and this means we are perfect as we are!). We talked about how cruelty, name calling, taunting is disrespectful to God’s creation and we must celebrate difference. We talked about our talents and how we must nurture and develop the gifts that God has given us, so that we can reach our potential, our hopes and dreams and fulfil God’s plan. We will keep reminding our OLOL family that God loves us in our uniqueness and our entirety even when we do not love Him as we should, and we forget to love ourselves…Our school is full of children with amazing aspirations and for those who haven't started thinking to grown up futures, we decided that it is ok to not be sure what God's plan for us is...until we are ready but that we can build skills, knowledge, wisdom while they wait and grow in understanding. New beginnings, new goals, new challenges and a school ready to do God's work! What a great start!
Welcome Back to School OLOL
It is so wonderful to welcome you all back to school, safe and sound, after the long summer holidays ready to start another busy and exciting school year. Treasure the happy memories of time spent with loved ones and adventures had, and get ready to challenge yourselves in all aspects of life and learning in this school year. Mrs D
May God watch over the children, staff and families at OLOL for this coming school year as we embark on new adventures in faith and learning together. Help us to see the excitement that comes from new learning and to treat this as a fresh start. May we all share in the joy of witness, sharing of the Good News and living lives where all of our words and actions in play, in prayer, in work and in family life are considered, and lead us to proclaim God's glory in all things. Help us to speak truth to justice and give service in what ever way we can. Amen
