Prayers
Prayer is an important part of our daily life at St Edmund’s. Students pray well and that is because from the time they come to the school, prayer is shared with them from the beginning. Our Tutor Prayer time is essential.
St Edmund's School Prayer
Heavenly Father, as we gather in prayer, we ask for the guidance and inspiration of our school patron, St Edmund, who led a life based on Gospel values and the belief in the power of God. We pray that like Edmund, each of us will personally come to believe that,
“I can do all things with the help of God who strengthens me”(Philippians 4:13)
And that together, our school community may grow ever closer to you and to one another. May our school be a place that reaches out to the wider community and is mindful of the environment around us. We pray in the name of the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen
 |
Prayer for our School
Eternal God,
Bless all schools, colleges and universities,
especially St Edmund's school.
May they be lively centres for sound learning,
new discovery, spiritual growth and the pursuit of wisdom.
Grant that those who teach and those who learn may find you to be the source of all truth;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Prayer as we begin this day
I start this day in trust in you, Lord.
It may be ordinary, a day of work or study, of joys and difficulties.
I give it to you.
I offer you the hours of this day, that now or later they may be in your service.
I pray for those I meet, may I bring in some small way a dawning of joy and peace in their lives.
Thank you Lord, for this day; may I always be thankful for what is good.
Amen
 |
Common Prayers
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, At the words that follow, up to and including the Virgin Mary, all bow. who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
Amen.
Based on baptismal documents of the 8th century but related to texts of an earlier origin.
Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen
The first part of the Hail Mary is biblical, drawn from Gabriel’s greeting to Mary at the Annunciation and Elizabeth’s greeting at the Visitation. The second part of the prayer has its origins in 15th-century Italy.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass
against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen
The Lord’s Prayer ‘is truly the summary of the whole of the Gospel’. (CCC 2761.)
Glory Be to the Father
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning,
is now and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen
The doxology is a short expression of praise of the Trinity dating back to the early Church. It is used extensively in the Liturgy of the Hours and in devotions such as the Rosary.
Act of Contrition
O my God, because you are so good, I am very sorry that I have sinned against you, and with the help of your grace I will not sin again.
One of the forms of the Penitent’s Prayer of Sorrow found in the Rite of Penance.
Angel of God
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.
The prayer is based on one by Reginald of Canterbury in the early 12th century.
Morning Offering
O Jesus, through the most pure heart of Mary, I offer you all my prayers, thoughts, works and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your most Sacred heart.
Amen.
Grace before meals
Bless us, O Lord, and these your gifts which we are about to receive from your bounty. Through Christ our Lord..
Amen.
Grace after meals
We give you thanks, Almighty God, for all your benefits, who live and reign, world without end.
Amen.
 |
The Angelus
The Angelus is a short devotion in honour of the incarnation – when God became human. It reminds us of the story of the Angel appearing to Mary and how Mary said yes to God’s will and later gave birth to Jesus. It consists of the Hail Mary, repeated 3 times, with three short verses, a concluding verse and a prayer. The name Angelus comes from the first word of the devotion in Latin, ie. Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae (The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary). It is traditionally prayed in the morning, at midday, and in the evening.
Leader: The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary
Response: And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Leader: Behold the handmaid of the Lord
Response: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary…
Leader: And the Word was made Flesh
Response: And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary…
Leader: Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God
Response: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts;
that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made
known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be
brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same
Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Amen.
Prayer of St Richard of Chichester
Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which you have given me, for all the pains and insults which you have borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day.
Amen.
