A Family of Faith Year IV

FAMILY CATECHESIS

Families with children in Levels 1,2,4,5,6 participate in “A Family of Faith,” which provides parents/guardians with formation opportunities that build community while empowering parents/guardians to explore faith lessons with their children in the home setting. Families gather monthly on Sunday morning following the 8:30 am Mass from 9:40-11:00 am (October, November, January, February and April). After prayer and family discussion in the Parish Center, students move to classrooms where adult mentors affirm the lessons.

In addition, families gather for evening seasonal sessions (December, March, May).

A Family of Faith Year IV: Christian Prayer

Praying in Families with Children
[copied from https://www.intergenerationalfaith.com/prayer.html]

Prayer needs to be modeled and taught in very simple ways at home. All of the prayer activities in this chapter can be used in a family over the course of a year with increasing intensity and depth. For example, one family joins hands every night before the evening meal. Their prayers are simple, acknowledging God’s presence during that day, giving gratitude for good grades, good weather, good food, good playtime; offering intercessions for those who are in need; and asking to recognize God’s will for each family member. Sometimes this prayer is preceded by a short reading from the Bible or other book of prayers, and is usually followed by a simple song.

Although prayer time takes only a few minutes, its daily repetition acknowledging God’s presence within the family is important and nurtures everyone. At bedtime one family member can lead a short prayer with each child and give a nighttime blessing. Sometimes children like to talk about their problems and concerns; the family can also ask for God’s assistance and for the strength to live as God wants us to.

Prayer is a way of connecting our lives with God’s life and God’s will for us. Here are several help suggestions for guiding your children in their prayer life:

Pray as you can in the midst of your busy day.
Call the child’s name in prayer so they know they are important to you and to God.
Establish patterns of prayer in family life that nurture the practices of prayer in your child from the earliest ages.
Help children learn to pray by imitation—by watching you pray and imitating you.
Remember that the repetition of prayers nurtures familiarity and security in children.
Teach children to use their own words in prayer.
Encourage children to pray anytime, anywhere, under any circumstance, and to say anything to God they want to say.
Guide children in experiencing a variety of prayer forms—praise, thanksgiving, spontaneous, petition, and contrition.
Create a Prayer Package for someone who is experiencing loss, grief, trauma, or illness.

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