Weekly Prayers

Thursday 23 October

Tuesday 2 September

It's Fathers Day on Sunday.  We can pray for our fathers whether they are still with us or not, whether they are near or far, whether they are ill or in good health, whether we knew them or not. 

Share the "Our Father" with your children on Sunday or let them share it with you.

Our Father

Our Father,
Who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come;
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Thursday 21 August

Gone Fishing

‘Come, be my disciples, and I will show you how to fish for people!’

Jay sighed. He wished a fish would take his bait. When the line finally jiggled, he jerked it up quickly,

but there was no fish and part of the worm was gone. ‘That’s the one that got away,’ said Grandpa with

a chuckle. ‘Try again’. Grandpa helped Jay bait the hook.

After a while Jay pulled up a fish. ‘I got one this time,’ he yelled.

After Jay and Grandpa caught several more fish, Grandpa stuck the oars in the water and rowed to shore.

‘Did you know that Jesus once talked to his disciples about fishing?’ asked Grandpa as he rowed.

‘Some of them had fished for a living, so they understood fish talk. Jesus told them they could be fishers of people’.

Jay wrinkled his nose. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘We sing that song at school, but I don’t get it. How do you fish for people?’

‘You offer them food – spiritual food – just like you offered worms to the fish,’ replied Grandpa.

‘Jesus called himself the ‘Bread of Life,’ so telling others about him is like offering them food.

‘Sometimes they don’t bite, though, do they?’ Jay asked.

Grandpa shook his head. ‘Nope,’ he said. ‘Some don’t want to hear about Jesus at all. And others are

like the fish that only nibble. They’re sort of interested, but not too much, and they leave after hearing

only a little about Jesus. But other people are like the fish we caught’. Grandpa’s eyes sparkled like the

water around the boat. ‘They want to know all they can, and they eventually receive Jesus into their lives’.

Jay grinned as he admired the fish in the bucket. ‘So we have to keep fishin’, do we Grandpa?’ he said.

‘Even when it seems like they’re not biting. We have to keep telling people about Jesus’.

Monday 28 July

Sometimes people have so much sadness going on in their lives that all the baking in the world won't help. But we can pray for them and tell them that.  Just for people to  know that we are thinking of them in any way can ease the burden.

Jesus calls Andrew, Simon, James and John to follow him. They are to move away from their work fishing and become ‘fishers of people’, gathering people into the kingdom of God. They could not have imagined just how far the new nets that Jesus was giving them would spread … even as far as (name your town/city). Andrew, Peter, James and John turned out to be so good at catching people that they helped Jesus found the Church. We’re going to remember them in prayer and ask them to pray for us.

Lord Jesus, thank you for calling the fishermen, Peter and Andrew, James and John, to follow you.

Help us to follow you and do whatever you think we’d be good at. Hear our prayer, and those of your

friends, the fishermen, as we ask them to pray for us:

Holy Andrew, Pray for us. Holy Peter, Pray for us. Holy James, Pray for us. Holy John, Pray for us.

Amen.

Saturday 21 June

Prayer to keep our Children Safe

God, Our Father, we pray that through Your intercession of St. Nicholas You will protect our children. Keep them safe from harm and help them grow and become worthy in Your sight. Give them strength to keep their Faith in You; and to keep alive their joy in Your creation. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Friday 6 June

The Sumner Families - Please pray for them.

Please say a special prayer or read out the prayer below together to help us help them and other people we know who are grieving for loved ones regardless of time.

A Prayer for the Loss of Others

Lord, we come to you now for the families in Sumner who have lost daughters and a mother and also for the family of the tourist.  We come to you to ask that you provide them strength and comfort in this time of deep need. Their hurt and grief run so deep.  We feel so much pain for them, but we can only imagine how hard this time must be for them. 

We know you can be our greatest shoulder, but we also ask that you remain their biggest provider. It is a time when daily life can be so burdensome. Please provide patience from others as they work through their grief. Surround them with understanding so that they can work through all the emotions this loss brought up. In this time when so many things get lost - bills need to be paid, homework needs to be done, etc. - allow those around them to help keep regular life on track.

And Lord, allow us to be a comfort to them. Help us be what they need during this time. Provide us with the comforting words, the kindness in our hearts, the patience to allow the grief to take it's course. Let us be part of your light and comfort during this time.

We pray these things in your holy name. Amen.

Monday 12 May

Could each family pray for the girls and their families in Nigeria. Pray for their safety and their return. Any prayer in the name of Jesus is good. Talking and thinking of them is prayer itself.

Tuesday 15 April

Jesus preached and taught in Jerusalem!

Monday 14 April

Jesus chased the money - changers out of the temple.

We all know people who are in need sometimes we stand beside them and have no idea what is going on in their lives. 

This is Holy Week, help family,  friends or strangers with something this week!

Whether its making them a dinner, baking, offering to do a school run or just "How can I help you". 

Ordinary People can do Extraordinary Things.

Sunday 13 April : Palm Sunday

Jesus rode into Jerusalem while crowds of people covered the streets ahead of him with their cloaks and with palm branches.

Friday 4 April

The Events of Holy Week

Holy Week is the last week of Lent, when we follow Jesus from Palm Sunday, the Sunday of the Passion, to his death on Good Friday in preparation for his rising from the dead on Easter Sunday.

Palm Sunday: Accompanied by his disciples, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a colt, while crowds of people covered the streets ahead of him with their cloaks and with palm branches.

Monday: Jesus chased the money-changers out of the Temple.

Tuesday and Wednesday: Jesus preached and taught in Jerusalem.

Thursday: After washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus celebrated the Feast of the Passover, instituting the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

After the supper, Jesus and his disciples went to Gethsemane topray, where he was arrested. by the Temple guard.

Good Friday: Jesus was taken into Roman courts, before Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas, who sent him back to the Jewish court. Roman soldiers took him to Golgotha, the place of the skull, where he was crucified.

Saturday: Jesus rested in the tomb while his disciplesobserved the Sabbath.

Easter Sunday: Jesus was risen from the dead.

Wednesday 19 March

Lent can start any day, you can start today.

You can do something every day, once a week or something as a one off.

You can start today........

This is what some of our families do in Lent, it may give you some ideas.

Eating a meal together without any tv or music or distractions.

Saying a prayer in the car on the way to school.

Giving up playstation/ipod/ipad/tv one day a week in the house.

One sibling makes the other siblings bed in the morning.

Turning off the radio in the car for the school journey.

Making a card for an elderly relative.

Picking another family in the community and making a dinner for them.

Going to mass all together.

Not having meat at dinnertime.

Family praying, before bedtime.

Establishing a quite place/time out positive place in your house with a cross or holy symbol.

One family goes for a walk together.

Fasting - Having less than usual at one dinner time. This raises great conversations about Lent. 

These are just some of the things our families are doing.

Lent is about really focusing on the people we love, giving each other the time, being a good neighbour and connecting us in a deeper way to Jesus.

Wednesday 12 March