Liturgical Year
Celebrating the Liturgical Year at OLP
At OLP, Christ is the center of all we do. Weekly school Mass is an integral part of our school community along with a variety of other Liturgical Celebrations throughout the year.
Fr. Bill's Blog
We are blessed here at OLP to have the Diocesan Associate Director of Vocations as our Parochial Vicar.
Fr. Bill can often be seen in the lunch room at OLP, stopping in to visit the students in class or even at a sporting event. Check out Fr. Bill's blog on the Diocesan Vocation page by clicking on the link below.
http://www.eriercd.org/seminary.asp
Weekly Mass
Here at Our Lady of Peace we celebrate liturgy weekly. Each class has a turn (some have two) at preparing the liturgy. The class responsible for the liturgy picks out the readings and writes the Prayers of the Faithful. With the help of Mrs. Pawlowski, music teacher, they choose the music for the liturgy. The readings and prayers of the faithful are read by students from the class preparing the liturgy. The gifts are brought down by two students from the participating class. Altar servers are selected from grades 5-8. There are a few weeks the mass is prepared by the faculty liturgy committee. That committee selects students from several different grade levels to participate in those masses. Five teachers plus Mr. Lipiec, our principal, make two teams of Eucharistic ministers who alternate weeks to serve.
For the 2011 - 2012 school year, the weekly school liturgy will be moved from Tuesday to Thursday.
Blessing of Pets - The Feast of Saint Francis
(on or near October 4)
Saint Francis gave up his wealth to live among the poor. He wanted to spend all of his time in prayer and in holy conversation. As the years passed and he traveled to many lands preaching about peace and the love of God, Francis learned more and more to appreciate the simple gifts of God’s creation. He realized all of creation is one, and he addressed the sun, the moon, the rivers, and the animals as his brothers and sisters. It is said that he spoke to the birds and calmed a dangerous wolf that was threatening the town of Gubbio.
We at Our Lady of Peace School share Brother Francis’ respect for God’s creatures and choose his feast day to bring our pets to school and ask for God’s blessing upon our pets and upon all animals. The invitation to have one’s pet blessed is extended beyond the school to all members of the parish.
Book of Remembrance
We set aside the month of November to remember those who have gone before us in death. In the main foyer we create a sacred space with a table on which is a crucifix, a candle and a Book of Remembrance. We invite anyone in our school family to write the names of their loved ones and friends who have died. Each morning beginning on November 2nd, the Feast of All Souls, during our Morning Praise, we read the names written in the Book and say a special prayer for those who have died. This is a yearly tradition at OLP.
Weekly Lighting of the Advent Wreath
One of the strongest symbols of Advent is an evergreen wreath holding four candles. The circular wreath is a sign of God’s loving care, which has no ending. The evergreen branches suggest the faithfulness of God, which is always alive and fresh. During the first week of Advent, a single candle is lighted on the first day of our school week, followed each week by lighting one more candle until all four candles are lit. According to tradition, three candles are purple (At OLP we use blue), while the candle for the third week is a bright rose color. It is meant to lift our spirits, just as the liturgy for the Sunday of the week tells us to “Rejoice!” (Gaudate! in Latin.)
The wreath lighting is done in a formal ceremony in our gym, led by our Student Council. In this way the light gradually increases as we move toward the coming of Jesus, the Light of the world. Our wreath is large and after the weekly ceremony is placed in the main foyer for all to see and to remind us that we are in the season of Advent. It is not yet Christmas!
Deck The Halls
While we are in school before Christmas, we are still in the Advent season. However, on the Monday of the last full week before Christmas vacation, at the very end of the day, we decorate our rooms and our school for Christmas.
We place two large Christmas trees in the main foyer on either side of the Advent Wreath (This reminds us, that even though the Christmas trees are up, we are still in the season of Advent). Each student makes an ornament from preschool through grade 8. The children bring their ornaments down to the foyer as the Student Council officers hang the decoration on the trees for the little ones that cannot reach, and guide the taller students in placing their ornaments. Christmas carols are heard throughout the building. It is a very joyful time at OLP.
Advent Projects
The students at OLP annually participate in an Advent Prayer Service which is planned by Student Council. Music and readings are included. Student representatives process carrying a banner with each charity’s name. The students contribute items or money to help local charities. The contributions are presented by all grades to a representative from each charity who is invited to the prayer service. The charities that were chosen for 2008 were Catholic Charities, Make A Wish, St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Network, Erie Dawn, House of Healing and St. Pat’s Haven. The First Graders present a play during the service. All are welcome to this Prayer Service.
Blessing of the Rooms
(on or near the Feast of the Epiphany)
The word January, the first month of the new year, comes from the Latin word janua. It means doorway, an entrance into a bright new beginning!
It is a custom at OLP School, on or near the Feast of the Epiphany, to bless doorways and rooms in the school building. It is a blessing and a reminder to welcome the stranger and the traveler and all those who enter during the coming year. We write the date in chalk above every door way in the building along with the letters C, M, and B. These are the initials of the wisemen: Caspar, Melchoir and Balthasar.
Burying (Farewell to) the Alleluia
Before Lent we say goodbye to the alleluia. The word, always sung with joy and energy, means “praise God” in the Hebrew language. The Church does not sing this song of joy during Lent, a season of penance and simplicity. Putting it aside gives greater delight to its return, when we sing many beautiful alleluias on Easter.
During the Middle Ages, many churches sang hymns praising the alleluia and wishing it well on its last day before Lent began. Then it was buried for forty days. At Our Lady of Peace School, we do the same in a very solemn ceremony in the gymnasium (on Fat Tuesday – the very last thing we do as a school for the day). We put our alleluia in a large container and put it away during Lent.
Seder Meal
Each year as part of the religion curriculum, the fifth and sixth graders participate in the Seder Meal. This meal symbolizes the bridge between the Last Supper (Exodus Meal of Freedom) and the Eucharist. The sixth graders prepare the ritual foods and invite the fifth graders to be active participants by assuming the role of the “youngest” child. This meal is celebrated during Holy Week with one of the parish priests or faculty member as the facilitator who assumes the role of the Jewish father whose job is to teach the meaning and lessons of the Seder.
Living Stations
This is a Lenten tradition which was first presented in 1983 and later revived in 1995. Since that time, this yearly presentation has provided an opportunity for the fifth and sixth graders to lead the school and parish in a powerful spiritual experience. All students are involved in the reenactment of the last hours of Jesus’ earthly life. Their talents are used to create the still-life stations, narrate the text, provide music for each station and perform liturgical movement to reinforce the meaning of each station. The Living Stations are a means of grace for the students and for all who attend this prayer service.
Jesus Christ Superstar
The presentation of Jesus Christ Superstar began when the 8th graders led the school community in worship to commemorate Holy Week in the 1980’s. Mime and movement were used as forms of prayer. Through the years, it has evolved into an eighth grade tradition. The students recall the passion of Jesus through the eyes and voices of people who walked with our Lord during his ministry on earth. The class combines their talents to lead the school and parish in a unique prayer experience.
Welcoming (Resurrecting) the Alleluia
The first thing we do after the Easter break is to restore the alleluia to our prayers. In a joyous celebration we bring back our alleluias and sing it many times over and over again in a joyous hymn. We do this as the first thing after Easter break, before we pray and before we sing any Easter songs or greetings. We take our alleluias out of the large container and process and place them all over our building reminding us that Christ has risen from the dead and praising God for this wonderful gift.
Mary's Day Celebration
A very special tradition at Our Lady of Peace School is Mary’s Day. It is a day in the month of May which is set aside to honor Our Blessed Mother, the Patron of our school. The 8th graders plan a prayer service with readings and music. The entire school gathers in the church for the service. The 8th graders are dressed up and carry candles or carnations to place on the Altar as part of the procession. It is a beautiful ceremony and all are welcome.
Retreats
Our Lady of Peace School students participate annually in grade level retreats throughout the school year. A theme is chosen, and the presider, teachers and students are involved in the planning and active participation on that day. The Pastor and Associate Pastor are invited to join the students in this very special day that is filled with prayer, reflection and fun. Some grades have invited Cathedral Prep students to join them on that day. This always makes the experience extra special, especially when those students are OLP graduates.
Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades hold their retreats between church and school. In 2008, St. Andrew's in Erie was chosen for the 5th and 6th grades retreats. The 7th and 8th grades held their retreats in Harborcreek at Our Lady of Mercy Church. These retreats are a worthwhile day away, where everyone experiences a special closeness to God and our school community.
