Prayer and Liturgy
At St Mark's Catholic School, prayer is central to our community. It nurtures our relationship with God, strengthens our faith, and unites us with a shared sense of purpose.
Spiritual Formation: Catholic education emphasises the development of both the mind and the spirit. Prayer helps students grow in their relationship with God, nurturing their faith and moral character. It instils values such as compassion, gratitude, and humility.
Connection to Catholic Identity: Prayer reinforces our Catholic identity. It allows our community—students and staff—to align their daily actions and decisions with the teachings of the Church. This shared practice fosters a sense of belonging and unity in our faith.
Moral and Ethical Guidance: At St Mark’s, prayer helps students reflect on their choices and actions in light of the Gospel. It encourages them to seek God’s guidance when faced with moral dilemmas and to live according to Catholic values.
Community and Fellowship: Prayer often takes place in communal settings such as Mass, Celebration of the Word assemblies, or class prayers. These collective moments of worship build fellowship among the school community and create a sense of shared mission and purpose.
Emotional and Spiritual Support: Prayer offers students and staff a way to cope with challenges, stress, and emotional difficulties. It provides a space to seek comfort, peace, and strength through faith, especially during difficult times.
Integration of Faith in Daily Life: Prayer at St Mark’s encourages students to see their faith as integral to every aspect of their lives. It helps them bring a spiritual perspective into their academic work, relationships, and daily routines.
By fostering a culture of prayer, at St Mark’s we aim to shape well-rounded individuals who are not only academically prepared but also spiritually grounded and guided by Gospel values.
Tutor Time Prayer
Students at St Mark’s live out their faith by praying three times a week in their tutor periods (the other two tutor periods are spent in assemblies). Prayer during tutor time sets a spiritual tone for the day, fostering a sense of community and shared faith. It helps students centre themselves, reflect on their actions, and invite God’s guidance in their academic and personal lives. This practice reinforces our mission, Catholic identity and values, encouraging students to live with compassion, respect, and gratitude. By praying together, the school community builds a bond rooted in faith, creating an environment where spiritual development is as prioritised as academic growth. It also helps students connect their daily routine with their relationship with God. Students at St Mark’s are actively involved in the prayer during tutor time and all students take responsibility to lead prayer for their forms - this can be connected to the liturgical calendar, an area they feel passionately about or with specific intentions during a time of need.
Prayer Events
During the year the school community experiences the depth and breadth of Catholic spirituality.
Here are some of the examples that we have organised recently: Rosary for peace in Ukraine, Eucharistic Adoration, Stations of the Cross, Week of Prayer - Israel and Palestine Crisis, Offering prayer cards during November - month of the Holy Souls, Week of prayer for Christian Unity - students wrote their wishes for their brothers and sisters in Christ on paper stars and put them on display board, Advent Examen, Praying with Art during Lent, Tutor time video created by our Catholic Ambassadors to celebrate the month of the Rosary and more.
Thursday Masses
The Holy Eucharist, Vatican II tells us, is "the source and summit of the Christian life" (, no. 11; cf. , no. 1324).
In our school we are blessed to have the chapel where we are able to celebrate weekly Mass.
Each form from Year 7 to Year 10 has their own Mass once a year on a rota basis.
On Thursdays we have dedicated a special long break time for this to happen.
The students are involved in readings, altar serving, choir, offertory, preparing slides and welcoming.
Praying with Parents/Carers
Parents and carers are warmly invited to join us each term for a time of shared prayer with and for our school community. These happen via Google Meet and all are welcome. Look out for information from the school about future events.