Welcome to our Whole School Catholic Life page for 2025/2026 – 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. Our engagement with Catholic Life prepares us to be globally aware Catholics with moral and ethical understanding to serve God.

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 Carlo Acutis - 12th October 2025

One Life Music - Autumn Life Streaming October 2025

Confirmation Preparation Meeting - October 2025

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 of faith 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 become true witnesses to His Word in our actions, thoughts and words. The children presented their projects last week, research to find the Saint who speaks to their hearts and inspires them in their growth. The work has been very impressive and is now available in church to be viewed by families. In their Service of Commitment during the meeting, the children, parents and staff talked of the 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 positive, 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. 

Pupil Prepared and Led Prayer - Year 1 October 2025

This morning, Year 1 invited me to come and be a part of their Pupil Prepared and Led Prayer. Year 1 are learning how to plan their own prayer and liturgy and the Prayer Leaders, Marielle and Rory did a great job organising their prayer and helping everyone to join in. A great start to becoming independent planning their prayer experiences. A lovely visit to Year 1 to see prayer in action...

Feast of St John Henry Newman - 9th October 2025

St John Henry Newman was born in London in 1801 and died in Birmingham in 1890. John Henry was the oldest of six children. He grew up with two brothers and three sisters and good parents. He learned a lot from his parents, and from one grandmother and aunt. He was a kind older brother to his siblings, helping them in their school work and making sure they were ok. He loved reading he loved the outdoors and was a really hardworking student. As a grown up, he became an Anglican priest but, St John Henry Newman searched for the truth and this made him leave his Anglican faith and convert to Catholicism. As a Catholic leader he established a University in Dublin. As a Cardinal he was based at Birmingham Oratory. His feast day is not celebrated on the anniversary of his death but on the day he became a Catholic. On 1st November 2025, Pope Leo will announce that St John Henry Newman is a Doctor of the Church - this is a very great honour.

Prayers for October - Whole School Focus

As a school we are consolidating our knowledge of prayers in the Rosary this month. All classes are revising the following prayers, and perhaps you can use them at home to develop confidence in using them in the Rosary.

Fatima Prayer

O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Your mercy. Amen.

Hail Holy Queen

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, 
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To you do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. 
To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears 
Turn then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us, and after this exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us O Holy Mother of God

That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ

Meet our RE Councillors

We have many pupil voice groups that support the Catholic Life of our school. The RE Councillors are the group that look mostly at RE, the subject we learn, rather than Catholic Life. They met with their teacher leader today and if the smiles are any indicator, it was a successful planning meeting! I look forward to hearing from you all about how we can improve RE at OLOL...

Pupil Prepared and Led Prayer - October 2025

Thank you Year 5 for inviting me to your Pupil Planned Prayer today focussing on the Rosary and Our Lady. I loved how reverent, peaceful and prayerful your classroom was and it was a real pleasure to see the confident manner in which the liturgy was being led by Grace and Joshua. A lovely experience for me to share this with you. 

Black History Month - A Faith Perspective - October 2025

This month, we think about Black History. The people who changed the world, the experiences of black people in the world, and how it has shaped culture. At OLOL, we also think about Catholic people of colour who have had an impact on our faith and formation. Let's think about some important Catholic figures:

St Josephine Bakhita - the first female black Saint

St Martin de Porres -  He is the patron saint of Black people, mixed-race people, barbers, innkeepers, public health workers, all those seeking racial harmony, and animals

St Charles Lwanga - Martyr from Uganda

Our Lady of the Rosary - 6th October 2025

Pope Leo XIII wrote  “It has always been the habit of Catholics in danger and in troublous times to fly for refuge to Mary.” The Rosary provides us with a great weapon to use against evil and in this month of October when the devotion to the Holy Rosary is at its most active, we think about why the Rosary is so important and how it came to be. The use of Rosary grew over a long period of time but it was ,made especially popular by St Dominic. St. Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order, had a vision of Mary, who told him about the Rosary (and even showed him a pair of rosary beads). Dominic made it his mission to spread the Rosary wherever he went. Over time, the intercession of Our Lady was requested through the Rosary in many wars and battles. On more recent times, Our Lady appeared to 3 shepherd children in Fatima, giving them many messages. She told them to pray the Rosary every day for peace. She invited them to add on a short prayer to every decade: “O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and bring all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of your mercy.” This Fatima Prayer then became part of the Rosary. At OLOL, every child has access to Rosary Beads and time to pray this most powerful prayer. We celebrated this special feast today in class based liturgies led by our young liturgy leaders...

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Celebration of the Word

Children shared liturgy today linked to the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time and a n interesting Gospel where the Apostles ask Jesus to make their faith bigger and he tells them a story that reminds then that faith is not about how much of it you have but the quality of that faith, and how it is used to build and nurture a relationship with God. We must remember that we do not get praised or rewarded for doing what is expected in faith, we act in humility and because it is what we are supposed to do. Is Jesus being mean to the Apostles when he says this? We are those humble (we hope!) servants who know that our work for God is never done...we will get our heavenly reward when the time comes!

Month of the Holy Rosary - October 2025

During October, the staff and children pledge to say the Rosary everyday, following the guidance from Pope Leo, “I invite everyone, each day of the coming month, to pray the Rosary for peace; personally, in the family, and in community.” We hope you and your family will join us…

Family Pilgrimage at OLOL

Pilgrimage is a big part of the OLOL experience for pupils and staff but we love to hear about our families embarking on pilgrimage of their own. C and O (with their little brother, mum and dad) all had a most wonderful pilgrimage in Assisi recently, visiting shrines, relics and key locations linked with St Francis, St Clare and St Carlo Acutis. What an amazing and life transforming experience for them. We are blessed that they have shared their stories with us back at school…

Feast of St Francis of Assisi - 4th October 2025

The Season of Creation ends today with the Feast of this wonderful Saint, Francis of Assisi who dedicated his life to a deep knowledge and care for creation. He was the founder of the Franciscan order and is the patron Saint of ecology and animals. St Francis came from a very wealthy family but he gave away everything he owned to be better able to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, once he received God’s call. St Francis is the Class Saint of Year 1 and in their recent retreat they spent time thinking about creation, stewardship and St Francis. As a school committed to active participation in Catholic Social Teaching, his example is one that we try to follow every day in school. 

Guild of St Stephen Annual Mass at St Chad’s Cathedral - October 2025

Thank you to Mrs Anthony and Deacon Tim who met up with past and present pupils from OLOL at this very special gathering of altar servers today at St Chad’s Cathedral. It is a very special gift of service that these children offer to our school and parish. Faithful service carried out with diligence, generosity of time and utter reverence for their role and responsibilities. This thanksgiving Mass is a great way for those who choose to build a relationship with God and their emerging vocations in this way. We are so proud of their commitment. Thank you children for your service…

CAFOD Family Fast Day - October 2025

Our school family were inspired after liturgy led by the CAFOD Club to bring small amounts of money into school to support the work of CAFOD to provide clean water for communities. Year 1 did some wonderful work to think about the importance of having access to this most basis human right. Thank you to families who donated in school or in church for this valuable fundraising effort.

Memorial of the Guardian Angels - 2nd October 2025

Today we celebrate our Guardian Angels, those sent by God to watch over us and intercede for us from the moment we are born until the moment we die. They watch us grow up, they walk beside us at our first day at school, they stay close when we have a bad day, they give us distance when we need to solve problems by ourselves, they support us in prayer and then when the end comes, they take us back to God. In Jesus' life he found strength from angels, and in scripture we read often about the intercession of these messengers and defenders from God. It is important to remember they are with us and allow them to help us make good choices in our lives. Father Sean spoke to us about the special prayer we say to our Guardian Angels in Mass yesterday - we should learn this prayer and say it each morning or evening...

Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God’s love commits me here,
ever this day be at my side,
to light and guard, to rule and guide.

Amen.

St Therese of Lisieux - 1st October 2025

We attended Mass this morning on the Feast of St Therese of Lisieux (also called St Therese of the Child Jesus). Our Mass was about Guardian Angels (which we actually celebrate tomorrow but we had to swap a Mass time this week). St Therese is interesting as she has 2 Saints as parents, Ss Louis and Zelie Martin. When Therese was a child, she was not always very nice or well behaved - she was a bit spoilt. She became very sad when her mother died and it took her until she was 13 to find joy - she called it her Christmas miracle. She had always been interested in becoming a nun and when she was 13 this became a very intense wish. When she was 14 she tried to enter a Carmelite order and was refused and she went to Rome with her Father to ask Pope Leo XIII for permission - he told her to go, and if God willed it she would be able to enter the Carmelite Order and she finally joined when she was 15 years old. She had a reputation as a good, reliable and joyful nun. St Therese died when she was only 24 years old. St Therese is most known for her “Little Way.”  She spoke not of doing great things, but of small things with great love. At OLOL, we celebrate Little Way Week annually in October... 

Meet our CAFOD Club 2025

This year, we are branching out and establishing a new pupil voice group for Catholic Life - CAFOD Club. Mrs Downing is looking after this group and helping them  to really put Catholic Social Teaching in action in our school family, linked to the work of CAFOD. The aim is that, as the CAFOD Club prayer says, we will work, “to build a brighter world where everyone is welcome, everyone has what they need, and no one is left behind."

OLOL RE Homework Challenges

Each term, class teachers set RE based challenges that children can do on their own or as a family - top celebrate the RE curriculum, to embed learning, to share learning or just to have fun at home with RE themes. OLOL children always join in with these challenges wholeheartedly and here are some examples...

Mrs D RE Challenges 2025 - September

Each month, I invite children to explore their faith through art by taking part in a Mrs D RE Challenge. The challenge for September was to celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross by designing a cross that means something to them. As always the children's designs are delightful and have allowed them to express a variety of interpretations. Children who take part always get an RE themed treat for their efforts...

Meet our Mini Vinnies 2025

Our Mini Vinnie Team have already started to plan their campaigns and liturgy support for the year with Miss Teall and Mrs Anthony. We look forward to regular newsletter updates about their good works as they embed Catholic Social Teaching even further at OLOL...

Feast of St Jerome - 30th September 2025

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 librarians 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, after Pope Damasus I asked him to. This task took him most of his life to accomplish. 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. St Jerome loved to learn, and when we find learning hard we can ask for his intercession to get us back on track! One of his famous quotes is "Ignorance of scripture, is ignorance of Christ." Do you know why pictures of St Jerome often show him with a lion? Try to find out...

St Michael, St Gabriel & St Raphael - 29th Sept 2025

Today is Michaelmas! What is that? some youngsters among us will ask...Pupils in Year 5 today are wearing their own clothes to celebrate the Feast of Ss Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, the Archangels and also traditionally Michaelmas, a day to celebrate the harvest and the end of the long days and get ready for the dark season to come in winter. St Michael is considered the greatest of all angels, especially honoured for his defeat of the devil in the war in heaven. Because of that, he is known as Guardian of the Catholic Church. St Gabriel is the patron of messengers as he delivered the announcement that would change Mary's life when he told her that she had been chosen to bear the Son of God. Not only that, but he also brought the good news of John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth as well. St Raphael is less known, but no less important as the patron of travellers and healing (He was known as the Divine Healer). Pope Francis said:

“We celebrate three of these Archangels because they played an important role in the history of salvation and also because they play an important role in our journey towards salvation,” the pope said. “Michael defends us, Gabriel gives us the good news, and Raphael takes us by the hand and walks with us; he helps us with the many things that occur along the journey.”  

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.

There's always time for prayer at OLOL...

Our Year 6 Chaplains and Liturgy Leads are training this month so that they can support younger pupils and their classmates using the Conservatory Prayer Space. We have an area for quiet prayer, Rosary and reflection, and we have a space for what we call practical prayer - activities that accompany prayer that are creative and help us think about those prayers carefully. The space is available all the time but is best used at lunchtimes with a steady flow of children wanting to access the space...

Season of Creation Daily Prayer

We are entering the final week of the Season of Creation and this means the final week of sharing daily prayer with Dan and Emily (One Life Music) - Today we thank God again for the wonderful gift of Creation and ask Him to show us how we can live in peace with every other living creature...This weekend we will celebrate the Feast of St Francis of Assisi and this will close this special time of prayer and reflection for Creation and Stewardship.

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Celebration of the Word

Children shared liturgy today linked to the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time and a very important parable -  the story of Lazarus, who was poor and covered with sores and the rich man who had the best clothes, food and drink that money could buy. When both succumbed to death, Lazarus was carried straight to our Father in Heaven while the rich man languished in hell, crying out to Abraham for the same comforts that Lazarus was receiving.  The parable teaches us that our earthly wealth and comfort do not guarantee future happiness, and in the same way, suffering on earth can lead to eternal comfort with God. This parable is a great reminder of why we must take every opportunity while here on earth to do good for others, share the comforts we enjoy with those who do not. Understanding that success is more than material wealth... We have attached our celebration for you to share at home.

St Vincent de Paul - 27th September 2025

I read a really interesting article this weekend about the week ahead in liturgical terms - the author called it a week of "heavy hitters" in the middle of this chunk of ordinary time. The week starting with St Vincent de Paul, followed swiftly by Ss Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel the Archangels, St Jerome, St Therese of Lisieux, the Guardian Angels and then St Francis of Assisi. That author was not wrong!

Lets start with today, St Vincent de Paul. As a school that runs a Minnie Vinnie group, we are very tuned in to the life and Mission of St Vincent de Paul - trying in all things to emulate his goodness towards the vulnerable in society. St Vincent was a French priest, a very clever one, who actually became a priest when he was 19 because he was so studious. He enjoyed a comfortable life but as he learned more about the experiences of the poor in his community he changed his own lifestyle and work to ensure he did everything he could to support those in need. Following his death many groups set up charitable works in his name, and these "Vincentian" groups are in existence all over the world (SVP, Young Vincentian's, Minnie Vinnies in the UK alone). 

St Vincent de Paul is often used as an example of Catholic Social Teaching in action linked to solidarity, dignity, options for the poor etc. 

St. Vincent, patron of all charitable associations and father of those who are in misery, come to our assistance.
Obtain from Our Lord, help for the poor, relief for the infirm, consolation for the afflicted, protection for the abandoned, a spirit of generosity for the rich, grace of conversion for sinners, zeal for priests, peace for the Church, tranquillity and order for all nations, and salvation for them all.

May we be united in the life to come, by your intercession, and experience joy, gladness, and everlasting happiness. Amen. St Vincent de Paul, Pray for Us

Sharing CST Actions from Outside School

How lovely to see the kind actions of OLOL children who are trying to do more, in little steps, to help look after our Common Home. Three OLOL siblings shared with us their rescue of a worm on their way to school. By moving him to the safety of his natural habitat, they saved him being squashed but this act of kindness also generated a discussion for these excellent ambassadors of stewardship about litter and what they could do next. Small steps, create big strides and this family are a great example to us of how we can be better at protecting the earth and the creatures who live here.

RE Displays at OLOL - Autumn Term

It was lovely to have a learning walk this morning, quietly when no one was in school to review the RE boards and see how each class is celebrating their RE learning. Here are some photos so you can see the lovely environment your children have for their RE development. 

Macmillan Coffee Morning - September 2025

Thank you to the parents who donated so many lovely cakes to our Macmillan fundraising Coffee Morning today. Cancer is something that comes close to all of us at OLOL in one way or another whether it be it friends or relatives who have fallen ill with this disease, and to be able to support this charity in a small way is a wonderful thing for the school family to do. We will announce the amount raised in the newsletter. We will be in touch soon about a school fundraising event for Mrs Walsh Fanning's treatments and we hope you will all be able to support her. 

OLOL Prayer Bags - Sharing Pupil Led Liturgy at Home

Each Thursday 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…

Our Catholic Social Teaching (CST) Displays

At the start of this school year we looked at the Catholic Social Teaching principles to revise and refresh our understanding of what they mean and how we can live our faith filled actions. We decided to review some of the Saints who exemplify these principles through their lives and Mission. Each class created a lovely art display that we would like to share with you…

Our Lady of Walsingham - 24th September 2025

The 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).  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 but this year the staff finally visited, and what a lovely experience we all had. 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. 

The staff enjoyed a wonderful pilgrimage to Walsingham as part of our Jubilee Year celebrations, earlier this year, and shared Mass and tours of both sites. 

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.

St Pio of Pietrelcina - 23rd September 2025

Padre Pio is one of the Saints of healing and today we celebrate his feast. He was a Capuchin Friar and then Priest who saw a vision of someone with Christs crucifixion wounds, and then shortly afterwards he received the stigmata himself. These 5 wounds are very rare but Padre Pio was in esteemed company as St Francis of Assisi and St Catherine of Siena also received the stigmata. Padre Pio was a very holy and humble man and tried very hard to keep his stigmata a secret but eventually people got to hear about him. God's power worked through Padre Pio to heal hundreds of people with many illnesses. St John Paul II Pope made him a Saint in 2002. Padre Pio said: "Pray, hope and don't worry. Worry is useless. Our Merciful Lord will listen to your prayer." 

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Liturgy Together

Children shared liturgy linked to the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (also called Evangelii Gaudium Sunday). The Gospel yesterday remind us of an important truth - “The one who can be trusted in little things, can be trusted in great”. Think of the words TRUST and TRUTH, they are so closely aligned and we must consider that you cannot have trust without truth, and you cannot have truth without trust. How important is trust and truth to you? How important is it that we trust God and have faith in Him? Read and share this liturgy at home to consolidate your understanding of this weekends key scripture...

Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist - 21st Sept 2025

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 - 20th Sept 2025

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 

RE Superstars at OLOL

Each week, Mrs Larkin askes teachers to send the children who are working their hardest in RE to share work with her. This is such a lovely opportunity to celebrate great and faith filled learning, and for us to be able to show our school family how important RE is in our busy curriculum schedule. I will try to post the superstars here each week! 

Evangelii Gaudium Sunday - 21st September 2025

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 Leo's theme is "I believe" - directly inspired by the Nicene Creed. This year, the Church has been celebrating a very important anniversary. It is 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea. This great gathering of Bishops from around the Church began the work to formulate the creed we proclaim in Mass each Sunday. On Evangelii Gaudium Sunday, we are invited not only to say these ancient words at Mass, to profess our faith, but also to build our lives upon them—living and sharing the faith with conviction and joy.

Pope Francis said, “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.” 

OLOL Prayer Bags - Sharing Pupil Led Liturgy at Home

Each Thursday 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…

Year 6 Confirmation Retreat - 19th September 2025

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 were tricked by Mrs Anthony using some relighting candles but the trick held a very important message - that the light of Christ and the fire of the Holy Spirit will never be extinguished in their lives and faith. 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

Our Conservatory Prayer Area

It was lovely to see the children engaging with our conservatory Prayer Area so enthusiastically today. Children use this space for spontaneous or quiet prayer including rosary. They also come along to do practical prayer activities. Children helped Mrs Anthony to get the space ready for another year of fulfilling prayer with some lovely improvement suggestions. 

House Team Meetings - September 2025

Each half term, our House Teams meet to put Catholic Social Teaching into action, and through prayer, discussion and action they solve some of the problems that ail the world on a very local and doable level. We love these meetings because the children group vertically so that Years R - 6 are all in their teams, working together with some excellent role modelling taking place. Filled with the spirit and guided by their House Saint, to make actions inspired for good - the children set targets that they will review at subsequent meetings. This time, Care for Creation - Stewardship... 

Class Blessings 2025 

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

In Memoriam: Junior Bubala - 17th September 2025

On 17th September we will remember the 5th 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 24th 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

Our Lady of Sorrows - 15th September 2025

I always feel immense sympathy when I see imagery of Our Lady of Sorrows, whose Memorial is celebrated today. Paintings of her show her grief stricken face as she shares with us the agony of 7 blades in her heart. What do these blades represent? Our Lady reminds us of her great sufferings as the Mother of Christ, each blade in her heart marking a key event in the life of Jesus starting with the very prophecy Simeon made foretelling that the sword of sorrow would pierce her soul. These 7 sorrows of Our Lady are:

1. The prophecy of Simeon
2. The flight into Egypt
3. Loss of the Child Jesus for three days
4. Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary
5. Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
6. The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross 
7. The burial of Jesus

Spend some time imagining what these events must have felt like for Mary - read the scripture and then do some reflection about suffering, sorrow, sadness...Think about different types of suffering...Which sorrow would have affected Mary the most, and why? 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

Our Prayer Spaces at OLOL

At our school we take pride in establishing calm and reflective places to pray. Each classroom has a Prayer Table and so does my office, for times in the day where I also need a focal point to centre myself and talk to God for personal strength, for peace and harmony in the whole community, for guidance in dealing with the many challenges that come with running a school, for wisdom in making lots of different decisions each day, to thank Him for our wonderful school family... Where do you go to pray? What space is most comfortable for you when you want to talk to God? 

Happy Birthday Pope Leo - 14th September 2025

This Sunday we celebrate Pope Leo's 70th birthday! Hasn't a lot happened to Papa Leone since his last birthday...I wonder how a Pope celebrates a big birthday? Let's hope there are family, cake, good friends and a very happy day for our wonderful Holy Father.

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Liturgy Together

Children shared liturgy linked to the Exaltation of the Holy Cross this morning. Please read or share this at home with your child to consolidate what they have learned.

Education Sunday/The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

14th September 2025

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. Let us remember the words of Pope Francis, who said: 

"The mission of schools and teachers is to develop an understanding of all that is true, good and beautiful."

In addition, the core liturgical event of this Sunday (14th Sept) is the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. I wonder can OLOL think about the meaning of the cross/crucifix on this date. 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 - this was the Roman preferred method of execution. On this date though we think about how the cross became an image of salvation and lost those negative feelings. 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. Can you find out which Saints died by crucifixion?

Most Holy Name of Mary - 12th September 2025

Today is the Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Mary, a special day of reflection, pray and devotion to Our Lady and to consider the sacredness of her name and many titles, and her unending love for Jesus. It is hoped on such a day that we think about how to be inspired by and to act like Mary and to consider her many sacrifices in accepting that her son would die in  order to fulfil his Mission. This Memorial has been a long tradition in the Church. Only Mary and Jesus have dedicated liturgical days to celebrate the time of their naming. Mary and the other versions of it such as Mariam, Miriam etc. is a very popular name to this day, almost always inspired by Our Lady when it is chosen.

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...

Take time today to thank Our Lady for her constant intercession and prayers for us and our needs, for her unwavering faith, and her example of love. 

Liturgy for Pupils in St Teresa's House Team - Sept 2025

The children in St Teresa's House Team attended a Service of the Word today and were able to pray, reflect, hear scripture and talk about the life of St Teresa of Calcutta (following their house celebration of her Feast last week). This time for the house team to spend together, children from all year groups sharing this important liturgical experience and uniting in a shared understanding of the actions, words and impact of the Saints that have come before us - seeking inspiration to be like them in our own journey of faith. 

CAFOD National Assembly - 11th September 2025

Today, the school community joined in with the CAFOD National Assembly on the theme of the Season of Creation. The assembly gave us really important reminders about our responsibilities and how the work of CAFOD fit into that global mission. It was a timely reminder of the Catholic Social Teaching Principles that guide our living Christian faith and actions. All of us must be the change we need for our world to be as God wants it to be, to be the stewards of creation we must be, to be Pilgrims of Hope even when the challenges are great, to work in togetherness "hand in hand" to build a better world... At OLOL, we are active supporters of the work of CAFOD and again this year we will raise money and take an active interest in those shared aims so that every community thrives and can reach the potential intended by our creator. We were reminded that we need to build a brighter world so that everyone may live their life to the fullest - what an aspiration! 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? OLOL Parents, you can watch the assembly below with your child and discuss the key themes at home. 

We are Open for Creation - One Life Music

OLOL continues to purchase wonderful liturgy resources from One Life Music to enhance and support our own planned prayer and liturgy. This month we are using their Open for Creation daily prayer resources. Through prayer and action we will do our little things for creation every day, hoping to be the agents of change that the world needs to protect God's Creation. 

St Peter Claver - 9th September 2025

Today we celebrate the life and mission of St Peter Claver. He was a Jesuit priest and the children will learn about him when they discover more about Catholic Social Teaching, especially human dignity, preferential options for the poor, solidarity and the common good. Living in the 17th Century, St Peter Claver dedicated his life to serving slaves, baptising more than 300000 during his mission in Columbia (a span of over 40 years). He would go to slave ships as they arrived with clothing, food and drink, medical supplies and cared for those who were sick or dying after the terrible journey to Columbia. He called himself the "slave of the slaves" and spent a long time trying to re-educate slave owners. St Peter Claver reminds us, through his words and work, what God expects from us to support the marginalised and the vulnerable. 

St Peter Claver said "Seek God in all things and you shall find God by your side".

Jesuit Virtues Eloquent & Truthful: Sept - Oct 2025

This half term our focus Jesuit Virtues are eloquent and truthful, 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 eloquence and honesty or truthfulness? What does it look like if we live in this way? Eloquence is the ability to speak or write fluently, persuasively and appropriately. We are eloquent when we use language to express our ideas or opinions clearly and with conviction. When we choose our words, we should do so carefully so they are kind and compassionate, and don’t hurt others. Eloquence isn’t limited to speaking and writing. We can express ourselves in other ways like music, drama, painting or dance. We should use our creative gifts to say things in a way that is interesting, truthful, memorable and faithful. God wants us to be truthful in all we do. Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’, so being honest and truthful means we are following in his footsteps and living life the way God wants us to. Being truthful is being faithful to ourselves and to Jesus. We should stand up for the truth

What will OLOL do this half term to show we are Eloquent and truthful and how will we link this to our practical Catholic Social Teaching aims?

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!

The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - 8th Sept 2025

Today we celebrate the birth of Mary. This is a very old Marian Feast. Our Lady, in her humility, love and trust in God, represents the culmination of God's plan and the ultimate expression of His love, that came when Jesus was born. Her birth was the fulfilment of a promise to St Anne and St Joachim that they would bear a child, and how they must have celebrated this miracle pregnancy and eventual birth of Mary, free from sin because of her Immaculate Conception. It is important today, and everyday to take joy in her birth and the gift she gave to the world by being the Mother of God. Mary is the example for us to live by if we are to be truly Christian. Happy Birthday! 

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - Liturgy Together

This morning we gathered for prayer and to continue our Season of Creation celebration of life. We remember the words of Pope Leo telling us that we are creatures in harmony with all creatures and we are not the creator with any superior rights to those of any other living thing who shares this common home. We talked about loyalty and compared ourselves to the disciples. We thought about how St Carlo Acutis and St Pier Giorgio Frassati were shining examples to us of eloquence and truthfulness, and Catholic Social Teaching in action. Please share our liturgy (below) at home with your child again and discuss the searching questions the Gospel provides us with this week about "counting the cost"...

Canonisation of Two New Saints - 7th Sept 2025

This weekend we will celebrate the canonisation of two new Saints into our Church - the Holy Father announced that Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati and Blessed Carlo Acutis will be canonised together this weekend (after a short delay following the death of Pope Francis). We were very lucky last term to have a relic of Blessed Carlo Acutis in the Parish of St Dunstan's as part of the preparations and we are blessed as an archdiocese to have the first UK Parish dedicated to Carlo Acutis.  Carlo was only 15 years old when he died but in his very short life he showed his joyful and heroic faith, and love of God and the eucharist, announcing at the age of 7, that he knew he would be destined to serve God, and creating a website to teach others about miracles involving the eucharist. He serves as a wonderful example to us all, but especially our youngest faithful, of the power of love for God and its inspirational impact on our capacity for holiness (no matter what challenges are before us). Please try to watch the canonisation and Mass on Sunday (it should be live on ETWN and Vatican News).

St Teresa of Calcutta - 5^th Sept 2025

Today, children in St Teresa of Calcutta’s House Team remember the life of their House Patron Saint with an own clothes day. 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 5^th 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.

What can we do every day to be like this Saint and to show compassion, care, love, healing and service to those in need?

“Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren you did it to me.” (Mt 25:35-40)

Open Sessions at Bishop Challoner

Year 6 parents will have received an email from us about a meeting at OLOL to meet staff from Bishop Challoner on 12th Sept at 2.00 pm. It is very important that parents reflect on the future educational choices for their children and in as many cases as possible, we hope that you will decide to provide an ongoing Catholic Secondary Education for your child. The spiritual, emotional, pastoral and moral development that comes as natural elements of such an education will enable your child to reach their God given potential in a nurturing way that also drives for high standards. We hope that all of our OLOL children will apply for spaces at Catholic Secondary schools...

Our First Whole School Liturgy Sept 2025

Today we gathered (as an almost full school - just a few Year R left to join us) to share prayer, scripture, and to 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, those 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 and immerse ourselves in this community of faith. 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 we wait and grow in understanding. New beginnings, new goals, new challenges and a school ready to do God's work! It is so wonderful to have the school family back together and we p[ray that we will serve God faithfully and with our whole hearts, in all we do this year.

September Eucharistic Service

The whole school attended a lovely Eucharistic Service this morning (no Father Sean for a few weeks so instead of a full Mass, we are worshiping with Deacon Tim who will also start our Benedictions for each class very shortly).  

St Gregory the Great, Pope - 3rd Sept 2025

Today we remember St Gregory who was alive at the time of the Roman Empire (540-604 AD) and who led our Church in the first great missionary drive to convert the Anglo-Saxons in England to Christianity.  He spent his whole papacy bringing the Word to others either himself in person and in his writings, or by sending other missionaries out to bring the faith to those with no faith or those who believed in idols or false gods. St Gregory is buried in St Peter's Basilica in Rome. He is the patron Saint of musicians, singers, students, and teachers.

The Season of Creation 2025

The Season of Creation has begun (1st Sept – 4^th 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 "Peace 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.

The symbol for this year is a dove carrying an olive branch bringing life to the Garden of Peace. In the Biblical story of the flood, the dove plays the role of the blessed messenger: The dove sent out by Noah returns to the ark with a fresh olive branch in its beak, signalling that the flood is receding. As the flood story begins with a situation where “the earth is filled with violence” (Genesis 6:13), the return of the dove with the olive branch came to be known as a sign of new peace.

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!).

We have just this week received our 4th Eco School's Green Flag with Distinction for the practical and child led efforts we go to as a school to be stewards for creation, and this alongside our deep commitment to Laudato Si and to Live Simply (CAFOD) we are supporting Catholic Social teaching in the best way - with direct action! 

"May our lives become an opportunity to sing our love for God and care for our common home." Pope Francis

Prayer 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.

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 during 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.

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