A handbook for preparing liturgical assemblies in schools; with a Foreword by Bernadette Farrell

This book is not just an addition to the pile of books about school assemblies. It is a serious attempt, possibly the first, to see assembly as Liturgy, as much as what is done in parishes every Sunday. An assembly is Prayer, not a performance or a competition between classes and teachers. It is less complicated than busy teachers sometimes think, once basic concepts of liturgy have been explained.

I prefer to cut children’s spiritual garments a little too large for them to grow into, as they will in time. And who knows what vivid image or hint of the beauty of God will remain in their mind and memory? Dorothy Coddington

The aims

• to help the class teacher in a Roman Catholic primary school know what liturgy is and to feel comfortable with its rituals
• to give the teachers the confidence to prepare and lead liturgies that are simple, prayerful and worthy
• to encourage children in their spiritual development and liturgical formation
• to provide examples of liturgies based on the rites of the church

Julie McCann, besides being a teacher, is a musician. She is much in demand to speak about liturgy in schools to gatherings of teachers.
‘I have been a teacher in a large primary school in London for eight years. Over that time we have worked to change our practice in assemblies from class ‘performances’ to liturgies that reflect and form our identity as a Catholic Christian school.’
‘In this book Julie has mapped out a journey of transformation; one on which she herself has led many children. Beginning with the basics, she guides us through actions to renew our liturgical experience. In a climate of curriculums it can be difficult to remember the importance of dimensions less easily measured.

This wonderful book helps us grasp the opportunity.’ Bernadette Farrell, from the Foreword