1. Year of Mercy Spirituality Pack
6. WHOLE SCHOOL ASSEMBLY
This PowerPoint is designed to introduce the Year of Mercy
in a whole school assembly.
Top and tail this PowerPoint with
your own way of
introducing / closing an assembly
Eg. Sign of the Cross
Song
Prayer
School Prayer
Sending forth
Take as much or as little detail, from the slides and notes,
appropriate to your setting
MAKE IT YOUR OWN!

2. Who is this?
What do we know about Pope Francis? Who he is, what he does, where he lives etc

3. The Year of Mercy 8th December 2015 – 20th November 2016
Pope Francis has called a Holy Year of Mercy.
We have a whole year to think, in a special way, about the love and mercy God has for us and we have for each other.

4. What is mercy? Ask the children what they think mercy means?
What sort of actions can you do to be merciful to another?

5. Where is this? Explain St Peter’s Basilica – St Peter, follower of Jesus, the first Pope and basilica big Church. When the Pope call a holy year he opens a door that has been closed since the last holy year.
At the b

6. This is the holy door in St Peter’s Basilica
This is the holy door in St Peter’s Basilica. People travel to Rome to walk through the door as a symbol of embracing God’s mercy and saying thank you to God for his constant love and forgiveness.

7. When we look at the door close up we can see that it is made up of individual panels, made of bronze, showing stories from the Bible.

8. The last time this holy door was opened was in 2000 By Pope John Paul II. Traditionally, the Pope hits the door with a silver hammer. This reminds us of the Old Testament story of Moses striking the rock with his stick. The people of Israel had been in the desert and they pleaded with Moses to find them some water. Moses asked God and God told him to strike his stick on the rock. When he did this water flowed out from the rock and quenched the thirst of the people. Since the doors are sealed Pope John Paul didn’t simply push the door open he gave it a shove!

9. So the door is an invitation for us to step through – leaving old habits behind and starting again to live like Jesus. God pours out his love in abundance

10. Stepping through the door is a sign of accepting God’s love
Stepping through the door is a sign of accepting God’s love. God loves us as we are.
God calls us to be the best person we can be. We also dedicate ourselves to being merciful to others.
We discover, in a deeper way the love and mercy of God.

11. To go through this door and experience the mercy of God we are invited to make a journey. A journey of faith is called a pilgrimage. We began our faith journey when we were baptised and that journey continues until we die and go to heaven to live, with God, forever.

12. Insert a picture of the door you are going to use in school
We are not going to make a pilgrimage journey to Rome to walk through the holy door (although many thousands of people will) we are going to have a holy door in school. Every time you walk through this door say a little prayer of thanks to God for his abundant love and mercy. Ask God to help you show mercy to others.

13. A Reading from the Gospel of St Matthew 18:21 - 35
Jesus often told stories to get his message across. Listen to this parable of the unforgiving servant......
A Reading from the Gospel of St Matthew 18:

14. We heard about someone who showed mercy and someone who didn’t show mercy.
What can I do to show mercy to others?

15. Prayers of Intercession
Our Father

16. Prayer for the Year of Mercy
God of Mercy
May I and every person in this school
come to know your merciful love
more and more this year.
We ask you to deepen our love for you
and each other.
Help us to enter the door,
to give ourselves to you anew
for the building up of your kingdom in our school.
Amen
Say the prayer together or one person to read and everyone responds Amen