Check out this array of resources for use in schools and with young people in your church.
You’ll also find additional resources in our seasonal resources sections, including such things as the Jesse Tree resources during Advent, and Stations of the Cross for young people in the Lent to Easter section, and so much more! Why not check them out? You can find the link in our Resources home page:
QUICK LINKS: School Assemblies | School Masses | Class Prayer | Dramas | Catechesis and Youth Group Ideas | History and Heritage | Children and the Mass |
School Assemblies
A to Z of School Assemblies
With 26 School Assembly ideas, one for every letter of the Alphabet, that’s two thirds of the School year covered!
From Advent to Zombies, we offer a variety of outlines which can be adapted to almost any age! Whilst some of the ideas suggest visual aids, they’re usually things you can find lying around the house somewhere!
At Face Value
From love and forgiveness to happiness and friendship, from perseverance to patience, here’s a second volume of School Assemblies, with each outline exploring a particular Value.
They can be adapted for use with children and young people across the Key Stages and, like all resources, they can be simply adapted to your own circumstances, individual gifts and ideas.
We’ve pulled out these resources from our archives and, when necessary, have tried to change some of the cultural references which may be outdated but hopefully you’ll forgive us if a few have slipped through the net, and be able to replace them with your own more current observations!
Autumn Days
These ideas and outlines are designed for Class Prayer time in Primary Schools during the Autumn Season.
With ideas for visual aids and words of reflection and imagination, we hope these resources will inspire you to create your own times of imaginative prayer with children.
Tread Softly, Act Boldly
The environmental crisis caused by and now facing humanity is real. For many children and young people the facts before us can cause fear and even anger but it also fills them with enthusiasm and passion to act now to save the world.
These School Assemblies are provided can be used and adapted across the Key Stages, and are appropriate of course for homily outlines with all ages. They acknowledge the feelings of fear but also reinforce the hope that comes from action and that it’s not too late – and that all of us have a responsibility, individuals and governments alike.
Here, at St Mary’s – like so many other churches across the UK and the world, we are beginning to more seriously act for the save of the beautiful world God has created and of which we are a part.
We have a deep responsibility to act as Stewards of God’s Creation and we hope these Assembly outlines will reinforce the need to tread softly and act boldly.
The Teacher, the priest, the Pupil and the School Assembly
Perhaps Charlie Mackesy’s book, “The Boy, the mole, the fox and the Horse” has been a Godsend for teachers, particularly during the most difficult months of the COVID Pandemic.
His book provides a beautiful commentary on life, and the combination of his drawings and poetic narrative has provided encouraging and well-loved sayings not only for children but for people of all ages, and many people have taken both comfort and inspiration from his work.
These School Assemblies pick out some random texts from his beautiful book as a starter for further reflection with children and young people about the Christian life.
Hopefully, the outlines provided here will stir you to create your own talks, and provide a model for exploring life with the children in your care.
In the Beginning
This resource from our WILD SIDE may be of use to you in helping to value God’s Creation and tackle some of the real issues facing our world. The first resource begins with a creative and dramatic retelling of the Creation story in the Book of Genesis, followed by reflections, prayer, and a call to action. Have fun!
School Masses
Food for the Journey
From seasons and saints to values and challenges, our liturgical material for celebrating the Eucharist involves children, and provides inspiration for you to design your own celebrations.
It comes with thanks to the schools, children and staff, who have helped to form them over the years, and is dedicated in particular to St Mary the Virgin Primary School.
Class Prayer
As the Crow Flies
This little publication features a few reflections, prayers and meditations created for various celebrations of the Eucharist with young people.
They are offered as models. Ideas. Feel free to use them as they are or perhaps be inspired to create your own, and to encourage young people to be creative too! Perhaps, at times, all we need is simply permission to be creative, and to believe that we can be creative. After all, God is creative. When we are creative we reflect God’s life in us.
What would God say?
The prayers presented in this publication are an imagined dialogue, bringing to God the assumed and imagined needs and experiences of young people, and imagining what he may say in return – in a way that can be perceived by whatever young people are there listening to you speak.
This is a relatively short publication because the resources inside are meant as models and examples of prayer with young people to inspire you to create your own.
We know that prayer is about being attentive to God discovering his will, being in his presence, so that all of our life becomes prayer, aiming to be able to ‘pray constantly as St Paul teaches us. And so prayer is a dialogue – yes, it is speaking to God, being with God but it is also about listening to God.
Why not have a go of creating your own– and get involved in the dialogue between young people and God, and imagine what they may say to God, and what God may say to them!
With apologies for any cultural references that have slipped through editing and which may be out of date now! Just substitute with more relevant references. You can do it!!
Dramas
Highly Seasoned
This collection of dramas has been drawn from Youth Ministry within a Diocesan, Deanery and Parish environment.
Like any resource which can easily become dated or not be transferred easily from one situation to another, feel free to adapt, edit, rewrite them according to your circumstances, particularly in terms of cultural references!
These dramas can be used within a youth group setting to provoke discussion – and indeed, some of these were written simply to do that – to introduce a theme which was further explored either in group activity or to form the basis for the theme of a public act of worship or a homily or address. They can be performed as part of public worship for which many of these dramas were originally written, both Eucharistic and no-Eucharistic. None of them were written by experts in drama (you may be able to tell!) and neither were they performed by actors – just young people, clergy, youth leaders and other who were willing to put themselves out there, and make a fool of themselves!
Between the Lines
Between the Lines is a creative collection of Reflections and Meditations from Scripture. Some of them are written in conversational, dramatic form and others are more reflective and poetic.
All can be used for both private devotion and corporate worship. Many of them were written for gatherings of young people but are suitable for older generations too.
Sometimes when reading Scripture we can often forget the human side of things and our reading of it can be very two dimensional. This book is not, of course, a theological exposition or a Biblical Commentary. However, we hope that these Meditations will help you to get into the Bible and enable the Word of God to be alive and active!
Catechesis
On the Way
These resources were initially created quite a few years ago, an ambitious project that created online resources for catechists and young people preparing for Confirmation.
The original idea provided session outlines to be led in-person by catechists which could then be followed up by young people at home by visiting the website where they’d find lots of additional resources. However, that resource eventually became unavailable and we have revisited all of this material, updated it a little, and are re-producing it in several publications.
The material, whilst originally designed as a Confirmation course, can be used and adapted for use at any time, and whilst there is a progression through the sessions, each session can also be used as a stand-alone activity. There are two additional supplementary publications as part of this series.
Cairns for the Way
Cairns, of course, are piles or stacks of stones which have been used for a variety of purposes, from prehistoric times to the present. Their uses have included burial monuments, landmarks, ceremonial rites, to locate buried items, and to mark trails. It is the latter use to which the title of the resource refers.
This resource was written to accompany the Christian Nurture Course, ‘On the Way – the journey of a lifetime’ to provide a closing time of prayer for each of the sessions, and gathering together some of the themes explored.
They are stopping points and guides along the way, as young people progress along the Christian Way – perhaps in preparation for Baptism and/or confirmation.
However, the usefulness of these resources goes beyond these sessions, and they can be used as stand alone ideas for gatherings of young people – and not so young – to be creative with prayer time.
These Prayer and Liturgical ideas could also be used within a school setting, perhaps for Class/Form Prayer Time, or even adapted as ideas for School Assemblies.
Get A Way
Organise your own day of discovery with children and young people with our GET A WAY’ Activity Pack which has grown from other materials in our OWN THE WAY range. This particular resource is particularly appropriate for 11 – 12 years + but can be easily adapted.
Here you’ll find a suggested structure for a whole day or just a morning or afternoon, with a number of short activities. Alternatively, each activity could be used simply as a youth group session, or simply provide a template for your own ideas!
History and Heritage
Whilst the following resources are particular to St Mary’s Church and the wider community of Butetown, they may inspire your own ideas for making the most of your own history and heritage.
Walls and Windows
This publication from St Mary’s Church provides a rich resource for schools in their delivery of the curriculum, making the most of our history and heritage.
It includes extensive notes and ideas for teachers and learners to discover more about the history and heritage of St Mary’s Church and the wider community of Butetown.
Treasure Hunt
This fun treasure hunt of St Mary’s Church is a journey through the diversity of Tiger Bay, beginning in the 12th century as we unravel the mystery of the Stone Head!
Children and the Mass
Some years ago, we created simple publications to accompany younger children during the Mass, or to explore what it means to pray. They were simply made with available clip art.
At some point, we’d love to revisit and redesign the pages but in the meantime you may find the following useful. (Hopefully, we”ll be able to update some further publications soon)
We Love to go to Mass
A little booklet designed to accompany young children during Mass
When Mass Begins
A journey into Mass for young children
This is the House of the Church
A little booklet exploring the church building as the House of the Church
Here is the Church (Baptism)
A little accompaniment for young children for a celebration of Holy Baptism
Come, Holy Spirit
A little reflection on the Holy Spirit for young children
Seasonal
In addition to the resources on this page, you’ll also discover more on our Seasonal Resources pages, including Advent to Christmas and Lent to Easter.
South Cardiff Ministry Area 