RTJ PLANNING CALENDAR

MONTHLY PRAYER SERVICES

September,1998 to May,1999

EACH YEAR RELIGION TEACHER'S JOURNAL ISSUES A PLANNING CALENDAR WITH A PRAYER SERVICE SUITABLE FOR THE CLASSROOM.

You are encouraged to subscribe and obtain your own copy.
This reproduction can only give you an idea of these prayer services which have been adapted from Classroom Prayer Services for the Days of Advent and Lent by Gwen Costello, Twenty-Third Publications.

Please be as creative with these as you like. The prayer table suggestions and action responses can be changed to suit your class.

A PRAYER FOR THE CATECHIST

BE WITH ME THIS YEAR,LOVING GOD.
KEEP YOUR HAND ON ME AS I BEGIN ANEW
TO PROCLAIM YOUR HOLY WORD
AND TO SHARE MY FAITH WITH YOUR CHILDREN.
AMEN

Preparation:Create a prayer table.Include the following

A Bible opened to Mt.6:9-13
a basket with the Our Father printed on cards

CATECHIST:

Jesus,our Savior,as we begin this new year of classes,
teach us how to talk to God,
to spend time being quiet so we can listen to God,
to praise and thank God,to ask for what we need,
and to express our sorrow when we have hurt others.

READER ONE:

When the disciples asked Jesus how they should pray,he said,
"PRAY THIS WAY:OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN,HALLOWED BE THY NAME..."

ALL:

Our Father,who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,thy will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.

READER TWO:

Jesus,our Brother,teach us to ask for our daily bread and to give thanks for it by sharing it with those in need.
Forgive us when we fail and teach us to forgive others as you forgive us.

ALL:

Give us this day our daily bread,and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

READER THREE:

Jesus,Our Friend,strengthen us to avoid evil and to turn away from anyone who pulls us away from you.

ALL:
And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from evil.

CATECHIST:

May we someday be with Jesus in your kingdom,God our God,
and may we be signs of your love and care today and all through this school year.
Teach us now in the silence of our hearts how to pray.

Pause for silent prayer

CATECHIST:

As Jesus taught us,let us now pray the Our Father together......

ALL:

Our Father..............

As the children are dismissed from class give each child one of the cards containing the Our Father.
Suggest that it be kept in a visible place as a reminder to pray often.

Sharing God's Peace

On the prayer table

A candle
A Bible open to John 14:27
A basket
Paper dove cut outs
print names of war torn countries on doves

CATECHIST:

Holy Spirit,please teach us to share peace each time we gather as a class.
We need your help to be peaceful people who offer only good things to one another.
Please forgive us for the times we have caused others to be sad, afraid, or unhappy.

READER ONE:

Peace is a gift we all hope for. When we are at peace we feel God's presence in our lives no matter what else is going on.

ALL:

May the peace of Christ be in our hearts today and everyday.

READER TWO:

Just as Jesus said "My peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you," may each of us be bearers of peace this day.

ALL:

May the peace of Christ be in our hearts today and every day.

READER THREE:

Help us to be people of peace.....at school with classmates and teachers, at home with family members and here in our religion class.

ALL:

May the peace of Christ be in our hearts today and every day.

CATECHIST:

In silence,let us now talk to God in our own words about our need to offer peace to one another and to everyone we meet.

Pause for silent prayer

CATECHIST:

Let there be peace on earth,Holy Spirit,especially in countries torn by war and fighting.
Let there be peace in the hearts of all people,and let there be peace in this class.
We ask this is Jesus' name.

ALL:

Amen

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some Action steps:

Practice a handshake of peace
Think of the children who live in states of violence
Distribute dove cutouts
Put names of individuals on cutouts at another time and pray for them.

Saying Our Thanks

On the Prayer table prepare:

A candle
Bible
Philippians 1:3-40
an empty basket or cornucopia

{Before prayer time have children print the names of people that they are grateful for.}

CATECHIST:

Help us,gracious God to say thank you often:
to You,to family members,to teachers,to school friends and to all who help us in any way.
May we often recall these words of scripture:

READER ONE:

"I give thanks to my God everytime I think of you--which is constantly, in every prayer I utter,rejoicing,as I pray on your behalf".

ALL:
We give you thanks,God our great God,for all your gifts.

READER TWO:

For the beauty of nature,for cold and wind and warmth and water,for bright sunlight and the dark of night...

ALL:
We give you thanks,God our great God,for the gifts of nature.

READER THREE:
For everyone who smiles at us today,or teaches us or shares a difficult task. For bus drivers and teachers,for neighbors and for friends.For everyone in this class...

ALL:
We give you thanks,God our great God,for the people in our lives.

CATECHIST:[The catechist invites the children to come forward and place the slips of paper prepared earlier in the basket that she/he is holding]

Pause for a moment of silent prayer.

CATECHIST:

Thank you for the gift of your love,dear God, and thank you for all those who love us. we pray this in Jesus' name.

ALL:
Amen

FOLLOW UP: Have children send thank you notes to special people in their lives,or if time permits design class posters for persons within the parish community. If possible invite those people to class and present them with the posters.

WALKING WITH JESUS

PREPARATION:

Invite the children to gather around the prayer table,on which is placed a candle,a Bible~opened to John 15:18-19~ and a gift box containing index cards for all with "May Jesus be with you" inscribed.

CATECHIST:

As we move forward during Advent on our journey of faith,Jesus moves forward with us.
At the Last Supper he promised that he would not leave us on our own~~not ever!

READER ONE:
Jesus said to his friends:"I will not leave you orphans;I will come back to you soon.
In just a little while,the world won't see me, but you will because you believe in me, and you will also have a share in my life."

ALL:
Jesus we believe that you give us life.
Be with us as we wait for Christmas.

READER TWO:
As we prepare to celebrate your birth,Jesus,as we send cards,buy gifts,and share joy with others,help us to remember that it is your birth we celebrate.

ALL:
Jesus,we believe that you give us life. Be with us as we wait for Christmas.

READER THREE:
When we are at parties or decorating our homes, when we are wrapping gifts or baking cookies,you are always with us.

ALL:
Jesus,we believe that you give us life. Be with us as we wait for Christmas.

CATECHIST:
Every time we go to Mass, we hear the words. "The Lord be with you," and we answer, "and also with you."
Let us ask God now in the quiet of our hearts to help us to believe in these words
and to truly live them as we wait for the celebration of Jesus' birth.

Silent prayer......................

CATECHIST:
Be with us, Jesus, our Savior.
Help us,strengthen us, and give us joy,
as we prepare for your birth.
May we always share your joy with others.

ALL:
Amen

ACTION RESPONSE

In the last minutes of class, hand each child one of the index cards to decorate. Encourage them to share the blessing 'MAY JESUS BE WITH YOU' with family members,friends and classmates.
Try to remember to greet one another with the blessing!!

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RELIGION TEACHER'S JOURNAL(ISSN:0034-401X) is published monthly during the school year by Twenty-Third Publications,P.O.Box 180,185 Willow ST. Mystic,CT 06355-0180. Editor/Gwen Costello...Phone:800-321-0411 Single subscriptions~$19.95 per year. Special rates for bulk subscriptions.

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