Week 33 Collective Worship

Week 33   Collective Worship

30 May 2021                                  5th June 2021

Day 1

Trinity Sunday

A Day to Celebrate and Give Thanks for the Holy Trinity

There are three holy (or divine) persons
involved in the Holy Trinity:

God, our Loving Father

Jesus, our supportive brother, who walks
alongside us through the good and bad times

The Holy Spirit, who, like the wind, moves and
shakes everything in our lives.

Although we cannot see the wind, we know its
power when we see it blowing through the
trees or during a storm.

In the Gospels, the Holy Spirit often appears in
the form of a dove.

Words of comfort – three persons in the one God, each of whom loves us
and is there for us every day.

As the leader of Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Vincent Nichols,
points out every time we make the sign of the cross we are reminded of
the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Day 1   Closing Prayer

Day 2

                              Celebrating World Environment Day – Making a Difference

World Environment Day takes place every year on 5 June. It is the
United Nations’ flagship day for promoting worldwide awareness and
action for the environment.

Over the years, it has grown to be the largest world platform
for environmental action and is celebrated by millions of
people across the world.

Every year, World Environment Day is hosted by a different country
and commemorated with a show through the week of June 5. This
year, the event is based in Pakistan.

Led by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the                   Recently, Pakistan launched the
Government of Pakistan – in one of the world’s          Protected Area Initiative to develop 15
most ambitious projects to restore forests- is          model protected areas across the
planning 10 billion new trees spread over 5 years.      country to save over 7300 sq km of land
                                                        area and create over 5,500 jobs to help
The campaign includes planting trees in urban           the environment.
settings, such as schools, colleges, public parks and
green belts.

Challenge:

Pakistan has a very ambitious plan to
help the environment. However, even
small actions can make a big
difference.

What small steps can we take to
make a difference to our
environment this week?

Day 2   Closing Prayer

God our Father, Creator of our Universe,

We pray for the success of World Environment
Day. May other countries commit to following
Pakistan's example to think big in tackling the
threat to our home, the Earth, and in caring
for people by creating jobs.

Meanwhile, let us as both individuals and a
school community, continuing taking small
steps to help.

Amen.

Day 3

Following Jesus' Command to Care for Creation – The Example of St Francis of Assisi

                                                                     At the end of St Mark's
                                                                     Gospel, Jesus did not
                                                                     say spread my word to
                                                                     "all humankind," but to
                                                                     "all creation."

                                                                     Therefore, we have a
                                                                     responsibility to show
                                                                     care and concern for
                                                                     our environment and all
                                                                     creatures in it.

In Italy in the 13th Century, St Francis of Assisi took Jesus'
command to "spread the word to all creation" to heart and
lived his life by it. He did everything he could to live in
harmony with nature and all creatures.

Today, he continues to inspire millions around the world.

He is a model for Pope Francis, who took his name.

St Francis gave up a life
of wealth, privilege and
partying to live simply
and help the poor.

He founded the
Franciscan religious
order and is Patron Saint
of the Environment.

Day 3 Closing Prayer

Day 4

Spreading the Gospel to all Creation – Pope Francis Follows the
Example of St Francis of Assisi​

Since he was elected, Pope Francis has
devoted a lot of time to promoting
our responsibility to care for the
Earth, our environment and our           Pope Francis' major
brothers and sisters from all nations.   writings 'Lauduto Si''
                                         (meaning praise be to
Both he and St Francis of Assisi are     You) and 'Fratelli Tutti'
living examples of Jesus' command to     (meaning brothers and
"Go spread my word to all creation."     sisters all) stress the
                                         importance, and
                                         urgency of, caring for
                                         each other and our
                                         planet.

                                         To show his connection
                                         to St Francis, the Pope
                                         signed and introduced
                                         'Fratelli Tutti' at Saint
                                         Francis' shrine in Assisi
                                         on his feast day, 3rd
                                         October 2020.

Pope Francis and St Francis both stress the
importance of living in harmony with everyone
around us and with nature

However, Pope Francis is concerned that making
money, rather than caring for people, is now seen
as the most important thing in our society.
Therefore, people and the natural world are being
exploited in the race to make a profit. This can
have devastating consequences for some people
in the developing world.

                                       Reflection:
                                       Do you agree with Pope
                                       Francis' opinion that
                                       money now seems to
                                       have replaced people at
                                       the centre of our
                                       society?

Day 4 Closing Prayer from Pope Francis

           “O God of the poor, help
           us to rescue the
           abandoned and
           forgotten of this
           earth, who are so
           precious in your eyes…
           God of love, show us our
           place in this world as
           channels of your love for
           all the creatures of this
           earth.”
           (Laudauto Si' 246)

Day 5

Following Jesus' Teaching – Taking care of our World and our Brothers and Sisters

Reflection:
Recently, our Collective Worship focused on Mental Health Awareness
Week and connecting with nature to improve our wellbeing.

Can you remember some ways in which connecting with the natural
environment has helped people during Covid-19?

We are gradually emerging from the
pandemic. Now we have the ability to
make changes. Our countries are also
hosting two of the most important
political events this year: the G7
summit in June and the United
Nations Climate Change Conference
COP26 in November.

These meetings will gather together
men and women who have the power
to make defining choices and policies       Challenge:
which will help us to repair and
rebuild, provide what is needed for         Using your imagination,
our brothers and sisters, and take care     what changes would
of our common home.                         you ideally like to see to
                                            help our brothers and
(Taken from a letter to Secondary Schools
                                            sisters and our planet?
from the Catholic Bishops of England and
Wales for the Feast of Pentecost , the
coming of the Holy Spirit, 23rd May 2021)

Reflection on God's Creation

                               Taken from the Novena (9 days of prayer) for
                               Pentecost, 2021

Father, we praise you with all your
creatures.

They came forth from your all-
powerful hand; they are yours, filled
with your presence and your tender
love.

Praise be to you! Son of God, Jesus,
through you all things were made.

You were formed in the womb of
Mary our Mother, you became part
of this earth, and you gazed upon
this world with human eyes.

Today you are alive in every creature
in your risen glory. Praise be to you!

Day 5 Closing Prayer for Peace and Courage in Our Lives

        Amen.