NORES Supporting Catholic Education and Formation This PowerPoint is designed to explore the call ‘Come follow me’ Top and tail this PowerPoint with your own way of introducing / closing an assembly Eg. Sign of the Cross Song Prayer School Prayer Take as much or as little detail, from the slides and notes, appropriate to your setting MAKE IT YOUR OWN! NORES Supporting Catholic Education and Formation NORES is the Office for Religious Education, Evangelisation, Catechesis and Schools in the Diocese of Northampton. Registered Charity: 234091

‘St John Henry Newman’

This is John Henry Newman He was born on (21 February 1801 On October 13th 2019 he will be canonised by Pope Francis That means he will be declared a saint. The last time an Englishman was canonised was in 1976 What makes him so special ? Let’s find out…… Notes according to list this should be John Ogilvie by Pope Paul

Newman was very clever and when he was 16 he went to Oxford University Newman was very clever and when he was 16 he went to Oxford University. He liked oxford and he liked to study but some people made fun of him After finishing his studies he became a tutor (that’s a bit like a teacher but with university students) at Oxford. He was popular because he didn’t just want his students to pass exams but really tried to help them

At the time he was born it wasn’t that easy to be a Catholic There were lots of things Catholics were not allowed to do. For example you couldn’t be a Member of Parliament. Newman’s family were not really very interested in religion but Newman always asked questions about God While at Oxford he decided to become an Anglican priest He then moved to be small village near Oxford where he built a school for poor students

As he grew older however he began to feel that God was calling him to be a Catholic priest. He wrote a poem called ‘Lead kindly Light’ asking God for help in making his decision In 1845 he was received into the Catholic Church and then after further study became a Catholic priest. However this made his life complicated and difficult. Some of his family and friends didn’t understand his decision; they thought it was a stupid thing to do and he would be better off staying as he was. You have to remember Catholics were not well thought of in England at that time and people just couldn’t understand why he would do this. They thought he was too clever to be a Catholic! Some Catholics didn’t completely trust him because he wasn’t born a Catholic. Newman knew however that this was the work God wanted him to do however difficult it made his life

The pope asked Newman to set up an Oratory The pope asked Newman to set up an Oratory. The word Oratory comes from the Latin to pray. An oratory is a place of prayer where people come to meet a priest, to go to Mass, to go to confession or just to reflect. At the time people in England were not used to seeing Catholic priests or hearing people called Father so people often made fun of him. Newman however wanted to look after those who were poor or who needed help so he kept going and kept trying. Eventually he won their trust. He started a school for boys at the Oratory which was in Birmingham and a university in Dublin.

As Newman grew older people really began to trust him As Newman grew older people really began to trust him. The poorer people appreciated all his help and the practical things he did for them The Pope decided to make Newman a Cardinal. Newman didn’t want to leave his work so the Pope gave him special permission to stay in Birmingham He had to chose a motto as a Cardinal and the motto he chose was Heart Speaks Unto Heart. This means that Newman hoped that his life and actions would speak to others helping them find their way to God. He hoped that God’s heart would speak to them

He lived until he was ninety years old More than 15,000 people lined the streets at his funeral They wanted to say goodbye to someone who had done so much for them

Pope Benedict said Newman showed in his life what it means to be a good priest and a good person. “He devoted his life to caring for people: visiting the sick, helping the poor, comforting those who were sad and caring for those in prison. “ Pope Benedict also praised Newman for his work in education. He said that Newman believed education was more than just exams. Education was helping people to become the best they could be.

Newman wrote many prayers in his life but one that people remember most says: “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.” Newman believed that God calls each of us to a particular role in life. This is called a vocation. We all need to try to become saints and we do that by doing ordinary things well, by trying to help others, by not being afraid to follow God’s call.

Let us pray…… Let us pray Loving God I offer you my life today Give me all that I need to live my life following the example of Jesus We make our prayer through Christ our Lord Amen Add your own / children’s prayers

Let’s reflect quietly as we listen to his prayer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDVQGnn-6iE Let’s reflect quietly as we listen to his prayer

Let us pray that we will always listen to Jesus’ call and follow him. Here I am Lord ready to follow you.

Let us pray for all world leaders that they will follow Jesus’ way of love. Here I am Lord ready to follow you.

Let us pray for Pope Francis, Bishop Peter and all our priests that they will lead us by their example. Here I am Lord ready to follow you.

Let us pray for all those in need: the lonely, the unloved and those who have no one to care for them. Here I am Lord ready to follow you.

Here I am Lord ready to follow you. Let us pray for those who are sick and the people who look after them and also for those who have died. Here I am Lord ready to follow you. Add in any prayers relating to your own school setting. Let us join all our prayers together in the words that Jesus gave us Our Father…...

What has God created you to do? Something to take away / ponder on during education week What can you do to be the pest person you can be?

Everything I do I do it for you by Bryan Adams Listen to ‘Everything I do I do it for you’ as children leave the hall. Or sing a hymn