Leadership in Learning Communities

Members promote and participate in the creation of collaborative, safe and supportive learning communities. They recognize their shared responsibilities and their leadership roles in order to facilitate student success. Members maintain and uphold the principles of the ethical standards in these learning communities.


This links with the CGE (Catholic Graduate Expecation) #5 - A Collaborative Contributor who: (F) exercises Christian leadership in the achievement of individual and group goals.

 In this section, you will find two pieces of work:
1) an example of how it is important for different faiths to understand each other and be respectful of one another. I believe it belongs on this particular page because as a teacher of Catholic faith, I have shown how it is possible to work with other teachers and exercise Christian leadership.
2) an example Prayer Service. I believe this shows how it is important to work together with the rest of the staff and sometimes lead them in prayer with a prayer service. This is particuarly important when there are strong feelings within the staff on a particular issue (such a sick colleague - which is the intention of this particular prayer service.)


Interreligious Dialogue

 A scenario where there is misunderstanding between a non-Catholic student and a Catholic in a school setting. In the spirit of ecumenism or inter-religious dialogue, what steps would you take to resolve the uncertainty?   


Every year I am in charge of taking children from my school (two grade 6 classes) on a residential trip for a week away. Last year, one of the boys, of a non-Catholic faith, told the staff that he brought a prayer mat with him and he needed to pray 5 times a day.  He explained that he would need a quiet room to do this. He showed us a piece of paper he had with the various times which he needed to pray.  Unfortunately, looking at the times, one of the times was quite late (between sunset and midnight -he had the time of 11pm on his sheet.) However as a staff, we thought that this would probably be fine because the children would likely be excitable and up at this time anyways. However, one of the other times was not at a suitable time (pre-dawn).  This student also requested that he have privacy and thus, the staff arranged to have him use one of our rooms for most of the prayer sessions.  For the pre-dawn prayer time, asking a staff member to wake up and then wake him up was not as easy to accommodate. We struggled to accommodate this request.  None of the staff was equipped with enough knowledge to know the rules for this particular religion and thus we simply had to learn.  We researched acceptable prayer guidelines and realized that prayer times are flexible, particularly for children at school. We arranged, therefore, for the child to pray as soon as he woke up. 
In addition, many of the children started asking questions as to where this boy was always going and why he was carrying this prayer mat.  We asked the student if he wouldn’t mind talking to the rest of the children, which he did eloquently. With this religious dialogue, we were all educated a bit as to this student’s faith, which I believe, had an impact of increasing acceptance then and in future related situations.
It is important to remind Catholic children that, "He who does not love does not know God" (1 John 4:8). In my example above, 5 of the principles outlined by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue were adhered to: acting in God’s love; Christian virtues; freedom of religion and belief; mutual respect and solidarity and respect for all people.




A Prayer Service in the Event of a Sick Colleague


Presider:  R Kirvar

Title:  Prayer Service for a Sick Colleague
Liturgical Season:  Ordinary Time
Intended Audience: Teachers, Other members of staff,
Context:  A colleague is sick and staff come together to pray.
Symbols:
  • Use bright and colourful fonts for the program – green/yellow that denote warmth and healing.
  • Have a cross on the wall as a focal point.
  • Have a flower to be held while the poem is read. Flowers can be a symbol on the program to match.
  • Leader to light a candle at the front of the room, before the service starts, which will link to final song.

Introductory Rite
Leader: Welcome.

All: sign of the cross.  Today we gather for a colleague (name colleague) to pray for him/her in his/her time of need.

Opening prayer (leader): Almighty and Eternal God,
You are the everlasting health of those who believe in You.
Hear us for Your sick servant (Name of colleague)
for whom we implore the aid of Your tender mercy,
that being restored to bodily health,
he (she) may give thanks to You in Your Church.
Through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen
Song (All sing)- Lay your Hands by Carey Landry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoSXT3OoEBs

Scripture (NRSV - The Prayer of Faith)
Leader: A reading from James 5:13-18 - Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.
The word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God.
Time for quiet Reflection (duration of song)  - Heal me O Lord https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeUPu4y59pw  


Other Readings, Litanies, Rituals
Participant in Service (or leader): A Meditation by Cardinal Newman - God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for nothing: I shall be an angel of peace. Whatever, wherever I am, I cannot be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him: if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. Therefore I will trust Him.

Another participant in service (or leader) holding a flower:
Healing.  A poem by Greta Claxton
When thought grew calm and human will was silent,
The healing came,
Gentle and natural as an opening flower.
Within the freedom of true self-surrender,
We feel the healing touch of Love’s all-power.

Concluding Rite
Leader: Dear Jesus,
Divine Physician and Healer of the Sick,
we turn to You in this time of illness.
O dearest Comforter of the Troubled,
alleviate our worry and sorrow with Your gentle love,
and grant us the grace and strength to accept this burden.
Dear God,
we place our worries in Your hands.
We ask that You restore Your servant to health again.
Above all,
grant us the grace to acknowledge Your holy will
and know that whatsoever You do,
You do for the love of us.

All: Almighty and Eternal God, You are the everlasting health of those who believe in You. Hear us for Your sick servant (N...) for whom we implore the aid of Your tender mercy, that being restored to bodily health, he (she) may give thanks to You in Your Church.  

Concluding Song (all join in) - Christ Be our Light  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y5N6oxIKH0&list=RD7Y5N6oxIKH0)  


 
References –
Please see the link below for a TIP SHEET when making your own prayer service.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5c6SKGRY72kQjhTZHBPNWpPYWs
 

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