Religious Education

Praying at home with the family

Praying with children at home can be a meaningful way to nurture their faith and foster family bonds. Start by setting a consistent time and place, make it engaging with age-appropriate activities, and focus on gratitude and open communication with God. 

Helpful Tips for Praying with Children:

Establish a Routine:  Choose a specific time, like before bedtime or after dinner, and stick to it as much as possible. 

Create a Welcoming Space:  Designate a quiet, comfortable area where you can all gather for prayer. 

Make it Engaging:  Use storytelling, songs, or even simple crafts to introduce prayerful themes. 

Model Prayer:  Share your own prayers, focusing on gratitude, praise, and requests for help. 

Encourage Participation:  Ask children to share their thoughts, feelings, and requests in their own words. 

Keep it Simple:  Don't overcomplicate prayers, especially with younger children. Start with short, simple prayers and gradually increase the length as they grow. 

Focus on Love and Forgiveness:  Help children understand that God's love extends to everyone and that they can always ask for forgiveness. 

Be Patient:  Children learn at their own pace, so be patient and supportive as they develop their prayer life. 

Celebrate:Acknowledge and celebrate prayer time as a special and meaningful family activity. 

Connect Prayer to Life:Help children see how prayer can be part of their daily lives, whether it's before a meal, when they are feeling scared, or when they need help with a problem. 

Use Resources:Explore children's Bibles, prayer books, or online resources for ideas and inspiration. 

Pope Leo XIV's Prayer Intentions

August is dedicated to 'mutual coexistence' or 'accepting everyone'. 

Pope Leo XIV has asked the world to pray for mutual coexistence during the month of August. 

There is an old saying, “If everyone was the same then the world would be a very boring place.” 

We need to accept and value our similarities and differences. 

This needs to be encouraged by our faith, community and world leaders. 

Often the change needs to begin with us, the everyday people. 

Please try to find some quiet time in your busy day to pray Pope Leo's Prayer Intention for the month of August. 

Thank you. 

For mutual coexistence

Let us pray that societies where coexistence seems more difficult might not succumb to the temptation of confrontation for ethnic, political, religious, or ideological reasons. 

Amen