Collective Worship and Prayer at Bishop Challoner
Prayer is the life-breath of our school and embedded as natural part of our daily rhythm. Although we have several set times for prayer, our prayers are also responsive to life events, and staff know that they can stop to pray whenever it feels appropriate, whether in response to a national or global crisis, or as restoration after a falling out.

Daily Pattern Weekly Pattern Termly/Annual Pattern
Tutor Prayers during Morning
Registration
Celebrations of the Word/Assembly each day (Monday Y11, Tues Y10, Weds
Y9, Thurs Y8, Weds Y7)
School Chapel open and staffed every breaktime and lunchtime for student
prayer and reflection.
Student created prayers for the week shared throughout the school year.
Grace at 1.19pm each day
Class prayer/ examen at 3.30pm		 Morning Prayer Monday at 8.30 and
Wednesday at 8.45am
Mass Thursday at 8.00am
Assembly once a week for each year group
Staff prayer before briefings Monday morning and Friday afternoon
Eucharistic Adoration alternate Friday lunchtimes
Rosary Tuesday lunchtimes
Prayers before Sports fixture
The Flow worship band practice Monday lunchtimes
Celebration of the Word once a week during morning registration.		 Prayers before any mock or GCSE
exam.
Bishop Challoner Patronal Feast Day
Year 7 Welcome Mass
All Saints Mass
Advent Reconciliation
Carol Service
Epiphany Mass
Ash Wednesday Celebration of the Word
Lent Reconciliation
Ascension Mass
Year 11 Leavers Mass
Saints Peter and Paul Mass
End of Year Mass
Tutor Masses Years 7 to 9 Friday Period 5
Twice monthly Masses in the School Chapel
Monthly Reconciliation with Fr John Chadwick
Kintbury Retreats for Years 8 to 11
Whole Year Retreats for Year 7 and Year 8
Annual Year 7 Pilgrimage to Portsmouth Cathedral
Biennial Vocations Conferences

Our students belong to a variety of parishes within the North Hants Pastoral which are:

Not only do many of our students belong to these parishes, many are actively involved with them too; as readers, altar servers, welcomers or members of school/ parish worship bands.

The Flow Worship Band

We are very blessed to have a dedicated worship band to support our Masses and Celebrations of the Word. The student musicians and singers decided on the name The Flow (the Father Loves our Worship) in 2022, and they always enrich, beautify and enliven our sung worship with their talent. Led by our Head of Music, Mr Bryant, they put forward songs that they want to be sung and then these are taught during our Challoner Blast music practices.

Students play a vital role in the prayer and worship life of our school, going beyond reading prayers aloud, to planning and creating them. Weekly prayers are written by a dedicated group within the Chaplaincy Team, and Celebrations of the Word, created by a variety of students are led once a week during Tutor time.

Students help by preparing and leading morning prayer, planning and presenting assemblies, choosing and creating prayer stations, choreographing dances and directing dramas.

Special Faith Events

Whole School Mission – every four years, we run a whole school mission. In 2023 we were blessed to have Rise Theatre and One Hope Project in for the week, working across all our year groups.

Flame – every two years we invite students from Year 9 and above to attend Flame at the OVO arena.

Retreat Programme

Year 7 – Have two days dedicated in the Autumn term for a Retreat and Pilgrimage to St John’s Catholic Cathedral.

Year 8 – The whole year group enjoy a retreat day at the Ladywell Franciscan Centre, Godalming. Also, twenty four Year 8 students join with another Catholic School at St Cassian’s Kintbury Residential Retreat.

Year 9 – Participate in Relationships Day during the Autumn Term and join with another Catholic School at St Cassian’s, Kintbury Residential Retreat.

Year 10 – Experience Vocations Encounter and join with another Catholic School at St Cassian’s, Kintbury Residential Retreat.

Year 11 – Participate in Relationships Day during the Spring Term

Since the foundation of the school, Bishop Challoner’s Meditation for the 5th November, ‘On the Perfection of our Ordinary Actions’ has been read by the Headteacher at the beginning of our Patronal Feast day Mass. It contains the motto that all who study and work here hold dear.

A Reading from the Meditations of Bishop Richard Challoner

Every Christian ought to desire and endeavour to be a saint.  Nor does sanctity consist in much fasting, or in wearing hair shirts, or in taking disciplines, or in giving large alms, or in reciting long prayers, or in any other extraordinary practices or observances; all of which, however good in themselves, have been found in hypocrites, or in such as have been all the while slaves to pride, self-love, and passion.  But true sanctity consists in unfeigned charity in both its branches, that is, as it regards both the love of God and our neighbours.  It consists in conformity with the will of God in all things, and adhering close to him; it consists in being humble.

Consider that sanctity does not so much depend upon doing extraordinary actions, as upon doing our ordinary actions extraordinarily well.  Our life passes away in the daily ordinary actions, which take up our time from morning till night; such as our rising, our morning exercise, our daily labours, or the business of our calling, our regular devotions, and spiritual lectures, our meals, our conversation, the employment of our thoughts when our hands are at work, our examination of conscience at night; and our evening exercise, &c.  Now, if all these daily performances are done extraordinarily well, our whole time will be spent extraordinarily well; and nothing more will be required to make us saints.

 

Prayer for the Beatification of Richard Challoner

O God who made your servant Richard Challoner,
a true and faithful shepherd to his flock,
graciously honour him
to be numbered among the Blessed of the Church
that through his intercession
we, who have been taught by his word and example,
may be given the grace to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ
and strive always to do ordinary things extraordinarily well.
We make this prayer through the same Christ our Lord.

Amen
Prayer for our sister school

Heavenly Father, we pray for the students and staff of St Bede’s
College,
our sister school in Bamenda: keep them safe in your care.
May our communities grow in love and understanding of You and of one
another.
We make these prayers through Christ our Lord.

Amen

“Pray without ceasing”
– Thessalonians 5:17

 

Wanting support to grow in the habit of daily prayer?

Here are a few tried and tested suggestions of apps/ sites that lead you through a meaningful prayer time, of about ten to twelve minutes. All the places below also have other forms of prayer to discover.

Pray as you go
 – free and accessible on laptops or as an app for phones https://pray-as-you-go.org/

Sacred Space
 – free and accessible on laptops or as an app for phones https://www.sacredspace.ie/

In need of prayer right now

Catholic Christian Prayer Line  020  7434 9211 https://www.stpatricksoho.org/outreach/sos-prayerline

Christian Prayer line 0300 111 0101  https://www.premierlifeline.org.uk/

You are also very welcome to email our lay chaplain to ask for prayer for you/ your families.

Teresa.cripps@bcs.hants.sch.uk

“Prayer is a surge of the heart, it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy.”
– St. Therese of Lisieux

Scroll to Top