Praying Together 2021

1 FOREWORD 2021 Praying Together With Young People is a daily prayer resource designed to help teachers, parents and catechists to lead prayer with a class or family. There is also an electronic flip-book version of this resource which can be accessed at the link below. The structure of the prayer for each weekday is the same so that prayer time may become a familiar routine with a predictable flow, gently leading children into a liturgical pattern of responses. Each daily prayer session begins with the instruction to light a candle and ring a bell or chime to signal the start of prayer. Over time, young people begin to associate the sound of the bell or chime with a quietness of mind and heart and can enter into the prayer experience more readily. Similarly, at the conclusion of the prayer, the bell or chime is again sounded to signal the end of the prayer and the candle is extinguished. After the opening prayer and short Scripture reading, there is then a response to the reading which takes a variety of formats in Praying Together. Three times a week, this response is a series of intercessions. The final intercession is always an invitation for those present to offer their own prayers. On the other two weekdays, the response may take the form of a song, a guided meditation, a time of silent prayer, or a short video to enhance understanding of the Scripture passage. In each of these cases, the electronic version of this book contains a hyperlink taking you directly to the online resource. Each prayer session concludes with a dismissal. In situations where a screen is available, it would be ideal to display the electronic flipbook version of Praying Together so that young people can follow along with the texts. Also, for those days where the response is a video, song or guided meditation, clicking on the hyperlink provided allows easy access to the reflection stimulus. Prayer sessions which include an electronic link to a resource are marked with this icon: The electronic version of 2021 Praying Together with Young People can be accessed at: https://www.liturgybrisbane.net.au/liturgybrisbane/LiturgyNews/PrayingTogether-2021PT23M4K/ Tips for Praying Together  Set up a simple prayer table with a candle, bible and perhaps some items from nature to suit the liturgical season. For example, in Easter, some yellow flowers might be placed on the table.  Treat this book with reverence and encourage the young people to do the same.  Begin and end each prayer session with the suggested words and ritual actions.  Spend time teaching young people to observe sacred silence.  Connect the prayers or readings to current events in your community or in the world.