Submitted by
S. Daly

Age Group
5-14

Aim
To celebrate the start of a new school year
To welcome new children to a school

Faith Group
Christian

Resources
Hosts, wine, water, candles, chalice, ciborium, cloths, altar frontal showing children in school uniform, or welcoming handshakes, or some scenes from the Responsorial Psalm
Large sheets of paper showing the Psalm and Bidding Prayers responses

Time of Year
September
Start of the school year

Other Details
The themes of this Mass are 'Welcoming new children' and 'Friends are a gift'

This is written as a Mass for a Catholic school, but could be adapted for other services

The Mass can be for the whole school, or just the new children and their parents

The children could make up their own Bidding Prayers, or use the ones below

Script
PRIEST - BEFORE MASS
The theme of this Mass is "welcoming friends". A good friend is one of the best gifts God can give us. If we have good friends, we are very lucky.
We can play with them and talk to them. They will help us when we need help.
They will never let us down.
In this Mass, we are going to think about our friends - old friends we have had for years and new friends we are making in this new school.
We are going to thank God for our friends - and for the happiness we can have with them.

HYMN - "Bind us together" by Bob Gillman (Celebration Hymnal for Everyone number 80)

PRIEST - FIRST PRAYER
God our Father, we thank you for our friends. Help us to be true friends to each other and to love one another like real friends. We make our prayer through Jesus your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

CHILD - FIRST READING (1 Cor. 13:4-8)
The first reading is from a letter Saint Paul wrote to the Christian people in a place called Corinth. He is telling them about the kind of love that real friends should have for each other.

"This is what love is like. Love is never in a hurry, and is always kindness itself .
It is never snobbish or rude or selfish.
It doesn't keep on talking about the wrong things other people do.
Remembering the good things is happiness enough.
Love is tough. It can face anything.
It never loses trust in God, or in men and women.
It never loses hope and it never gives in.
Love holds good, everywhere, for everybody, for ever."
This is the Word of the Lord...

CHILD - RESPONSORIAL PSALM (ps 62:7-9)
1. The response is Lord God, I am happy to be with you.
Lord God, at night I lie in bed and think of you.
Response...

2. I lie there in the darkness of the night and remember how good you are, for you have always helped me.
Response...

3. I am like a little bird that clings to its mother.
Response...

4. You are like the mighty eagle who spreads its wings above its young to protect them.
Response...

5. I am happy to lie here in the dark under the shadow of your wings.
Response...

6. I know you will always love and care for me, like a true friend.
Response...

CHILD - GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Alleluia, alleluia.
I want you to be my friends and be happy with me.
Alleluia.

PRIEST - GOSPEL (John 15:15-17)
Saint John is telling us in this reading that Jesus wants us to be his friends. He doesn't want us just to work for him.

One day, Jesus said,
"If your friendship with me is a real friendship, it will bear a great harvest. But there will be no harvest at all, if our friendship is broken.
You need me.
I have one aim. I want you to know the happiness I know. I don't want anything to spoil your happiness. This is the secret of it - my secret: love one another as I have loved you.
You are real friends of mine, if you do what I have told you.
I don't want you to be my SLAVES, just doing the things you are told to do, without knowing why you are doing them. I want you to be my FRIENDS.
Remember - you did not choose me. I chose you to be my friends - and I want you to be friends with eachother."
This is the Gospel of the Lord...

PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL (Bidding Prayers)
PRIEST - God our Father, you are the special friend of little children.
You said to your friends, "Don't stop the children from coming to me. Bring them back."
Put your arms around us now and bless us as we pray.

CHILD 1. The response is "hear our prayer".
Bless all of us, your children, as we work, play and pray together.
Lord, in your friendship... hear our prayer.

CHILD 2. Jesus was a good friend to everyone he met.
May we try to be good friends to the people we meet at this new school and at home.
Lord, in your friendship... hear our prayer.

CHILD 3. I get angry sometimes, because I expect my friends to be just like me. But you made us all different. We enjoy different things and can do different things. Help us to learn from our friends.
Lord, in your friendship... hear our prayer.

CHILD 4. Sometimes I do not want to share my friends. Help us to remember that friendship is for sharing.
Lord, in your friendship... hear our prayer.

CHILD 5. Some people find it difficult to make friends. They must feel lonely, especially in a new school. Help us to look after them - and include them in our games.
Lord, in your friendship... hear our prayer.

CHILD 6. Bless our mothers and fathers. Help them to be real friends together.
Lord, in your friendship... hear our prayer.
Let us now ask Mary, the mother and friend of Jesus, to add her prayers to ours.
Hail Mary...

CHILDREN - OFFERTORY
1. We bring some flowers. We give flowers to a friend.
2. We bring a globe. We remember our friends around the world.
3. We bring our love, with the bread, the wine and the water.

PRIEST - EUCHARISTIC PRAYER FOR CHILDREN

PRIEST - SECOND PRAYER
God our Father, we offer you bread and wine, but today we also bring to you our friendship and love for you and one another. Take our friendship and make it stronger. Take our love and make it a little more like the love that Jesus has for all people. We ask this in the name of ...

PRIEST - THIRD PRAYER
God our Father, we have come close to you through your Son, Jesus. Help us to build up a really strong friendship with him and with all your children, so that your people may really be one great family, full of your love and the love of the same ...

PRIEST - FINAL BLESSING
Go in peace, to love God and always be his friend.

HYMN - "Give me joy in my heart" (Celebration Hymnal for Everyone number 190)