Dear Parents and Friends,
Throughout the Season of Lent
we ask all families to show their children the special importance of prayer in
their daily lives. Prayer is a core value of religion. Particularly when things
are difficult we call upon God for help. But, what is prayer? What do I hope to
achieve when I pray?
Prayer has been described as
“Keeping company with our God.” Through prayer, we acknowledge, contemplate,
listen to, thank and communicate with God. Prayer, whether done in adoration,
as an appeal to God for mercy, or for a change in circumstance, fosters
internal formation. Prayer for mercy forms mercy within us; prayer for strength
forms strength within us. When we call these virtues to mind and make them a
central focus of our being, we begin to live that virtue. It is born within us
and is God’s internal work.
As parents there are many ways
that you can help to deepen this relationship with God through prayer for your
children. I will share some of these suggestions with you:
Remember
the power of example: Children’s first lessons in formal prayer occur when they
see their parents pray.
In
simple ways, and from the earliest age, draw the children’s attention to the
presence of God in the lives of all of us.
In
the beauty of nature, in the closeness we feel for each other, and in the many
acts of kindness we see and experience, we see God.
Share
a prayer at the family mealtime.
Introduce
the children to scripture. Take turns in reading a parable or some event in the
life of Jesus from the Bible.
The
great prayer of course is the Mass. Do everything you can to help the children
see themselves as part of a family and a community which gather together to
listen to God’s word.
“In the face of so many wounds
that hurt us and could lead to a hardness of heart, we are called to dive into
the sea of prayer, which is the sea of the boundless love of God, in order to
experience his tenderness.”
Pope Francis
It has been a very exciting
week for all staff and students as we finally moved into our wonderful new
learning spaces. I hope that you have all had the chance to tour through the
beautiful classrooms. We are very thankful to have this opportunity to teach in
such contemporary spaces and offer our students a learning culture that is
collaborative and creative. There will be an opportunity to celebrate the
completion of our building project later in the year with a Blessing and
Opening Ceremony. In the meantime, if you have not walked through the spaces we
will offer some opportunities for parents to visit next week.
Wednesday
March 21 at 8.15am.
Friday
March 23 at 8.15am.
Please look on the school blogsite
to see the fly through of the school classrooms as photographed by Markus
Powling. Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWA6E75TJAs
Best wishes for a happy St
Patrick’s Day.
God bless
Beverly