Six%20Ways%20for%20Prayer%20Days

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Six Ways for Prayer Days

• Praying with your class or homeroom group.

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Why Pray?

• Psychological and physiological benefits.
• Self-discipline/resilience/self knowledge
• Happiness/contentment
• Brain development
• Whole person/ stillness, balance
• Spiritual benefits
• Connectedness to humanity/universe (spirituality)
• Search for the Other
• Takes us beyond ourselves

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Everyday Spirituality

• Spirituality
• is the gift of me to the world each day.
• is a frame or lens through which I view, create
• and interpret my everyday reality.
• needs to be nourished by stillness, reflection,
• relationships, gratitude, joy, pain,
  challenge and the struggle of the journey.
• enables us to begin with the ordinariness of
• life and make it an extra-ordinary life-
• journey that is wonder-ful and awe-some and
• meaning-ful even when it hurts.

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What is Prayer?

• Prayer is the opening of the heart and mind to
  God. (Green Catechism, Catechism of the Catholic
  Church)
• Prayer is a communication or petition addressed
  to a deity, especially in the form of
  supplication, adoration, praise, contrition or
  thanksgiving (Collins Dictionary Harrington
  2002).

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What is Prayer?

• Any connection made between creation and the
  spiritual force/s underpinning and sustaining
  creation- be it through verbal, mental, corporal,
  reflective, written, ritualised or other symbolic
  and artistic means, is prayer.
• Being with or resting in, or attentive to, the
  presence of the creator force/s through literal
  and symbolic means and practices known and yet to
  be devised.

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Day 1 Shared Prayers

• Start with prayers from a few good prayer books-
  e.g. Prayers for Teens I and II available from
  the teachers desk.
• Invite students to write their own, and/or
  compile a class prayer book.
• Students place their own intentions/
  people/requests before God each time.
• Prayer without words.

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Day 2 Centered Reflection

• Start with short bursts of centered breathing.
  Add phrases, thoughts- e.g. I am loved by God
  God walks with me I can approach God at any
  time.
• Relaxation from toes to head. Gratitude for who I
  am.
• Guided meditation. (Books, tapes)
• Guided Movement- e.g. Tai Chi

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Day 3 Reflection on Religious and Secular
Wisdom

• Selection of some Scripture passages with meaning
  for students.
• Invite students to bring their own meaningful
  scripture passages.
• Use Benedictine, Augustinian, or Ignatian
  techniques.
• Use readings from other traditions, inspiring
  people.

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Day 4Music to Lift the Soul

• Use emotive and stirring music (no lyrics)to
  assist reflective listening.
• Make words available while song is sung, or
  musical accompaniment played.
• Use PowerPoint presentations of music, words and
  images.

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Day 5 Getting It Down

• Allow students time to journal, compose prayers,
  write letters to God and saints.
• Encourage doodling/drawing while music is played.
• Diary writing/prayer lists.
• Prayers for the prayer jar.

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Day 6 Prayer with Symbols

• Small rituals which employ use of water,shells,
  stones, sand, flowers, oils etc.
• Used with longer amounts of time
• Small or whole group
• Assists prayer with or without words
• Good for people who dont/cant pray.

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Portable Sacred Space Maker Kit

• Small Prayer Table (Breakfast Tray)
• Cloth/s of various colours/textures/types
• Lamp/candle/s
• Symbol/s- wood/stone/glass/flowers
• Scriptures
• Cross
• Prayer Jar

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Prayer with/for Larger Groups

• Before you start planning
• Whats the purpose of the prayer?
• Whats the context/s of the prayer?
• Stand alone or appendage?
• Participants?
• Time limits?
• Celebrants?
• What is the setting of the prayer?
• What are the advantages of the setting?
• What are the constraints of the setting?
• Is there a better, alternative setting?

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• What time, resources and help do you reasonably
• have/need to prepare this prayer experience?
• People
• Technology- PowerPoint OHT Lighting AV CD
  Player
• Resources- Music Readings Symbols

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Which Prayer Form?

• Which of the forms are appropriate for a larger
  group?
• Centering
• Listening and Reflecting
• Journaling and Doodling
• Conversing with God
• Ritualising and Symbolising
• Songs and Music
• Artistic expression
• Without Words

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A Formula for prayer with groups e.g.
Assembly Prayer

• Gather and Prepare
• Listen/View and Respond
• Share and Give Thanks
• Go and Tell

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Group Prayer Formula

• Gather and Prepare
• As the group enters the sacred space, they leave
  the ordinary.
• Ritual action at door/entrance
• Sacred Setting has special effects light/sound,
  decoration.
• Key leader of prayer welcomes/ calls them to
  prayer, sets them at ease.
• Call to Prayer using procession, drama, music,
  voice, symbol, ritual action- e.g. lighting a
  flame ringing a bell.

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Following the Formula

• Listen/View and Respond
• This involves listening, watching, engaging,
  observing, experiencing, receiving, joining.
• Stimulus from Scripture, Song, Movement, ritual,
  symbol, visual, touch, silence.
• Share and Give Thanks
• Participants respond in prayer, song, shared
  reflection, movement, action.

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Following the Formula

• Go and Tell
• Having experienced God in and through a number of
  forms, participants return to the ordinary world
  from the sacred space and have been changed by
  the experience.

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Prayer with Smaller Groups

• Homeroom Prayer
• Prayer with your KLA Classes
• Rituals and Prayers in Sacred Spaces
• Prayer in Response to a Crisis

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Homeroom Prayer

• Be practical, based on time available
• Create a Portable Sacred Space Maker kit
• Roster students
• Gather a collection of books, or make your own
  book of prayers for young people.
• Homeroom creates its own folder of prayers
• Prayer Jar
• Simple Movement such as Tai Chi centred
  breathing.
• Schedule time/s for longer prayer/rituals- e.g.
  for welcome, farewell, healing.

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Prayer with your KLA Class

• Restore the tradition of praying with your class
  before lessons begin.
• Simple prayer- used for a week.
• Small reflection- appropriate to KLA
• Blessing to end the class.
• Ritual action- peace/reconciliation/encouragement/
  support