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1. I was so excited to read about the reintroduction of praying the Angelus in schools.
   I recall in Year 7 during primary school each student had the opportunity to ring the bell and remember this being a great responsibility and anticipation... to do it well.
   A student's day is full of varying emotions and praying this simple prayer is a wonderful reminder that we're not alone.
   It is an opportunity to ask for guidance, a time to give thanks.
   The calming repetition in the prayer itself, in addition to its daily call, offers a quiet predictable time for children in a hectic world.

   Posted By: Gail

2. What a great idea.
   Bishop Anthony must be congratulated for this decision.
   As a child in school many years ago, I remember almost looking forward to hearing the Angelus bell ring.
   This meant we would spend the next few minutes away from our studies, and in prayer.
   It helped us 're-focus'.
   In today's society, these few minutes may well be the only time these children would pray on a weekday.
   Well done, Bishop Anthony.

   Posted By: Peter Shafton

3. May God Richly Bless Bishop Fisher (and I am sure he will and does).
   The beautiful Angelus - I didn't even hear about it until I was about 40 (and had been solely educated at Catholic schools in NSW).
   What an encouragement for me who, unfortunately, found it necessary to remove my children from Catholic Schools due to the severe 'lack of Catholic' we experienced.
   Plus a review of Catholic Education to boot!
   The times... they are a changin'?

   Posted By: Kath

4. 'Tis great to read that Sydney has taken this 'new initiative', but readers of Cathnews will recall that Bishop Greg O'Kelly introduced this 'initiative' into the Diocese of Port Pirie some time ago.
   I'm not really being sarcastic, but grateful that geat things do indeed grow from the mustard seed - in this case from some of the smallest schools of rural Australia (which happen to be in SA) to the largest and most prestigious in Australia (which happen to be in Sydney)
   Thanks, Bishop O'Kelly.

   Posted By: Greg Slattery

5. Awesome! Great to see what happens when you get a solid Bishop and some great RE leadership under people like Ian Smith.
   We just spent about 40 years trying to make everything 'groovy' and 'relevant' and waved bye-bye to a generation of young people.
   It's about treasures new and old.
   We need to do interesting new stuff that reaches young people but also draw out the riches from the past like the Angelus.
   This is a gutsy move! Love it!

   Posted By: Jonathan Doyle

6. I grew up in England, where all my teachers in primary boarding school were Sisters of Mercy and all my teachers in secondary boarding school were Benedictine monks. We were woken every morning by the Angelus bell at 6.00 am, classes were interrupted at midday and study in the evening at 6.00 pm similarly by the Angelus bell. To this day I still love the prayer.

   Posted By: Dr Hugh Ivens

7. I live in Manly and enjoy hearing the Angelus very day. It brings a blessed sound in this very busy area.

   Posted By: Andrea taylor

8. What a wonderful thing. I recall saying Angelus when in primary school in the early 60s.
   I am happy to hear it being rung daily at noon and 6pm at Mosman and Neutral Bay.
   We need reminders like this. Our culture is very rich and is always very relevant.

   Posted By: Tor

9. This is good news! Will the students learn to genuflect at the words of Incarnation too?
   Hopefully Victorian schools will follow suit and also schools in the other states and territories .

   Posted By: Elizabeth

10. 1. Great move: ring the bells and have midday prayer in Catholic schools.
    2. Really bad choice: The Angelus in its usual text is not a good educational/catechetical choice.
    3. Alternatives: Have noon prayer, but apply the fuller tradition of noon prayer as a psalm antiphon, line from scripture and intercessory prayer.
    Any prayer in schools is part of the whole education process (physical, mental, spiritual, social) of the students in mind.
    How will young children and adolescents, come to terms with a text full of mixed meanings about sexual relations. “And she conceived of the Holy Spirit… Behold the handmaid of the Lord… Be it done unto me according to your word.”
    What are the hidden messages here?
    Not a good image in a church which still struggles with tensions of adult women (and men) and children being controlled and unable to say “no”.
    I know that Mary’s openness to work with God and, in turn, our willingness to participate with God in the work of the Kingdom, is part of the message of the Angelus.
    However, as a rote-learned, every day prayer in its present text with primary and lower secondary students, it will not achieve much beyond a sense of being totally unbelievable and of being controlled.
    Senior students might, with adequate catechesis, be able to deal with it. Maybe!
    But if I were a parent, I’d be up at the principal’s office, asking that their school, which aims for excellence, could make a better choice.

    Posted By: Eileen Luthi

11. Eileen Luthi has hit the nail on the head.
    Great idea, to be commended, but bad choice and form of prayer.
    Eileen's suggestion of drawing from the Church's tradition of the midday office, with a focus on psalmody, scripture and prayer that 'changes daily' would be much more valuable as true prayer and catechesis, than the same prayer day in day out which I suggest will be rattled off with no understanding as it did when I was in primary school in the 60's.
    Ring the bells by all means, but for good reason.

    Posted By: Christopher McElhinney

12. What a brilliant initiative! The Angelus prayers are beautiful and so rich.

    Posted By: Andrea

13. A Dominican should always acknowledge a Jesuit!

    Posted By: D. Davies.

14. An excellent idea. A framed print of Millet's interesting painting of the Angelus (peasants in a field praying) might be a reminder also that there is a Catholic culture. Becoming familiar in primary school, the meaning of which may not become apparent, should not be a problem. Children understand things when their minds become receptive to them and this is a common phase of learning.

    Posted By: R.M.

15. I appreciate the sincere and good intentions here. Going backwards, looking backwards to ritualistic practices and prayers will not engage a student in Australia in 2013.
    If it were as simple as saying the Angelus, all of us who grew up saying it every day would still be in the Church; we’re not.
    A simplistic solution for complex problems is naive.
    We need leadership that goes beyond that, to really engage a generation of young Australians in Catholic schools, the majority of whom live in families without any serious faith commitment or involvement. Moves like this just appease the right wing conservatives who literally live in the past.

    Posted By: Keith

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