Review:Prayer Assemblies for primary schools (Veritas)

This book is designed for Catholic primary schools. It is a teacher resource book which contains 40 assemblies based on themes from the academic and liturgical year. Teachers, principals and student will find it useful and invaluable, in fact. If you are a teacher or a principal of a Catholic school, you really must buy this book, no arguments!

You can tell this has been co-written by a primary school teacher, Elaine Mahon who is now a Cathechetical specialist for Veritas. Each assembly is broken up in a way that the teacher can pick it up and go to assembly.

Each service has handy background information for the teacher about the theme of the assembly or gathering. It goes on to suggest appropriate items that could be used to create a sacred space for the gathering. These always include a cloth, candle, Bible and a cross or crucifix. It even tells you what colour cloth to use, depending on the season of the liturgical year.

To top things off, the book comes with a CD which gives you all the music suggestions and lyrics are contained in the book.

Other clever features in this resource are that the prayers and responses echo those in the mass, this is great for children to reinforce their learning in the church and in the school.

As well as the themed assemblies, there are also occasional assemblies based on exceptional occasions in the school year. These include illness or death. There are even gatherings for staff meetings and Board of Management meetings as the author obviously believes that a school that prays together, well…prays together!

At the back of the book, there is a section containing all the prayers, songs and feast days Catholic schools would need. I am very impressed with this book as it is a god-send (excuse the pun) for teachers and principals in Catholic Schools.

Top of the class award from anseo.net 5/5 stars!

learning Management Primary Schools school schools