Salesian College Daily Prayer Summer Term 2018
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To all Form and Group Tutors: This booklet offers some ideas for Daily Prayer during registration periods. It is based on materials produced by Fr David O’Malley SDB when he was chaplain in Bolton, and by Miss Enright. Form periods can be very busy so it is important to reserve a few minutes for prayer and reflection, preferably at the beginning, before general announcements. A regular routine is helpful, but within the framework there is room for variation and for your own creativity in responding to current concerns. It is good to involve the students in reading or leading the prayers and quotes. Always try to include a short period of silence. For further suggestions see the articles by Fr O’Malley on http://www.donbosco.co.uk/chap/prayers.html and feel free to discuss with Miss Enright or myself. Thank you for your help in supporting the Ethos of our Salesian College. Please let me know if you would like anything added to this booklet. Fr Patrick Sherlock SDB (chaplain) 3
Daily Prayers Begin and end the prayer session with the sign of the cross, said together: IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER AND OF THE SON AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN After any other prayers, including requests from form members, add one or more of the following said together: 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 Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. AMEN Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN 4
St John Bosco, help us to love God and to bring that love into the lives of others. Teach us to love and practise our faith so that we may be worthy of God’s love and concern. Following your example, may we have hearts full of compassion for those who are in need, especially other young people and those who are poor. Pray for our families and all those whom we love that we may be united with them in this life and forever. AMEN I adore you, O my God, and I love you with all my heart. I thank you for having created me, called me into your Church, and preserved me during the night past. I offer you all my actions of this day: grant that they may be done according to your holy will and for your greater glory. Keep me from sin and from every evil. May your grace be always with me and with all those who are dear to me. AMEN Lord, be the beginning and end of all that we do and say. Prompt our actions with your grace and complete them with your all powerful help. AMEN Before the final sign of the cross, use one or both of the following: Saint John Bosco, PRAY FOR US. Mary, Help of Christians, PRAY FOR US 5
Week beginning Monday 16 Apr 2018 Start of Summer Term We begin the summer term in the joy of Easter, refreshed and ready for the lead up to examinations. Or perhaps we face the future with a few doubts and anxieties. When we seem to be having little success, like the disciples by the lakeside, the Lord can restore our morale. Lord, help us to return to serious study after the Easter break. Help us to plan the use of our time and work diligently to achieve our goals, for your glory. AMEN Lord, we pray for anyone in our form who is sad or discouraged. Help us to be aware of how people are feeling and give them the support they need. AMEN Lord, over the past few weeks we have spent more time with our families. We thank you for the love and care we receive from them. Enfold us in your protection and help us to face all difficulties together. AMEN “Instruction does much, but encouragement everything.” Goethe “Good advice is not so plentiful, and we should consider ourselves lucky to get it.” Don Bosco Sunday Gospel Lk 24:35-48 “Peace be with you!” Aim high and give your best!
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Week beginning Monday 23 Apr 2018 St George. Prayer for Vocations Some people think of their career only as a way to earn money. Others feel that they are called to use their gifts to serve others. This sense of being called to a way of life, religious or lay, married or single, is what we mean by Vocation. We should spend time listening, to know if we are being called. Lord, we thank you for our parents and teachers and all who walk beside us on our journey through life. As we grow in confidence, may we never lose the humility to learn from others. AMEN. All through this day, O Lord, by the power of your Spirit, let me touch the lives of others for good, through the words I speak, the silence I keep, the things I do or the life I live. AMEN. Lord Jesus, you invited your disciples to follow you. Call others to serve you in the priesthood and religious life with the same spirit of dedication. AMEN. “Any dead thing can go with the stream; it takes something alive to swim against it!” G K Chesterton “God will amply reward any sacrifices made to follow a vocation.” Don Bosco Sunday Gospel Jn 10:11-18 “I am the good shepherd.” Take time to listen instead of replying immediately.
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Week beginning Monday 30 Apr 2018 Farnborough Music Festival. Diocesan Day of Faith On the cricket field the umpires work to ensure fairness and keep actions flowing effectively. Parents and teachers, friends and peers often prompt us to consider how our behaviour affects others. Do we accept criticism graciously or do we get angry and deny that we have done anything wrong? Lord, sometimes our actions bring consequences which affect others as well as ourselves. Help us be more aware when what we do will have a negative impact on those with whom we work or live alongside. AMEN. Lord, we pray that in our judgements we may be impartial and make allowances for how people react under pressure and in important situations. We ask that we may value honesty and fairness when forming and sharing opinions. AMEN. Lord, help us to admit our faults and to be ready to ask forgiveness when our actions cause harm to others. AMEN. “A broken friendship that is mended through forgiveness can be even stronger than it once was.” Stephen Richards “Always tend to think well of other people. Give them credit, at least, for their good intentions.” Don Bosco Sunday Gospel Jn 15:1-8 “I am the true vine.” Be grateful when someone helps you to see your faults.
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Week beginning Monday 7 May 2018 Bank Holiday. Summer Music Concert. Ascension Thursday. Open Morning Taking care of the form group means supporting each other when times are tough, talking positively to each other with forgiveness and encouragement. Above all it means celebrating the small successes that are scattered through every day with a word of praise, a pat on the back or a full blown party. Lord, help us to learn from our differences in the way we work, talk, socialise and argue. May we encourage each other in doing good and not be jealous of each others’ gifts. AMEN Lord, my tutor group is the team with whom I meet life in college. May I learn as much from them as from the staff who teach us. Make this group a school of friendship, a home where we belong and a safe place to try out new ways to beourselves. AMEN Lord, thank you for my family, the people who surround me every day. May I not take them for granted but give them strength through honest praise and appreciation. Help me to be more grateful for their presence and more forgiving of their faults. AMEN “The love of God knows no limits and excludes nobody, no matter what they do or what they believe.” Sunday Gospel Jn 15:9-17 “Love one another as I have loved you.” Take time to think of someone else for 30 seconds today. 9
Week beginning Monday 14 May 2018 Written Public Exams begin. Being the best we can be is a good objective to aim for in life. We should remember that whilst success in exams is important - it helps to shape our future - people will remember us for other other qualities, including our cheerfulness, compassion, respect and understanding. Lord, we seem constantly under pressure to achieve and improve and sometimes we get knocked down by a sense of failure. Help us to recognise that we are valued for who we are, and that mistakes can help us grow as much as success. AMEN. Dear Lord, examinations are starting soon. I’ve studied hard but haven’t learned enough. I’m not even sure what I need to know. Help me not to worry, to keep calm and do my best. Then if I fail, I need not be ashamed, and if I pass I will not boast, but rather thank you for your help. AMEN. “Men may doubt what you say, but they will believe what you do.” Robert Quillen “Do you want your companions to respect you? Always think well of everyone, and be ready to help others. Do this and you will be happy.” Don Bosco Sunday Gospel Mk 16:15-20 “Proclaim the Good News to all creation.” Respect the efforts of others, even when they fail.
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Week beginning Monday 21 May 2018 Pentecost. Yr 7-9 Exams. Yr 10 Retreat. Half Term. Year 7 Lake District trip. This week our minds are focussed on our studies, but with the half term holiday to look forward to. The hope of joys to come can help us through difficult stages on our life’s journey. Jesus lived through hardship and suffering to show us the way to true happiness. Lord, we pray for all those taking exams at this time. May they have the calm, the dedication and the wisdom to achieve success. AMEN. Lord, we thank you for our education and we pray for young people in other parts of the world who long to have the opportunity to study and the teachers and resources we take for granted. AMEN. Lord, as we draw near to the half term holiday, we ask you to help us to relax and spend our time well, so that we can return refreshed and ready for the challenges ahead. AMEN. “To expect God to do everything while we do nothing is not faith, but superstition.” Martin Luther King “Run, jump, have all the fun you want at the right time, but, for heaven’s sake, do not commit sin!” Don Bosco Sunday Gospel Jn 20:19-23 “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Make a list of three good things you want to do in the half term holiday.
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Week beginning Monday 4 Jun 2018 Last lap! There are only five weeks of term before the summer holidays, but they are going to be full of challenges and opportunities to use our gifts and skills. Lord, it is easy to forget your promise to be with us always. Help us to recognise you in those who are kind to us, and in those who need our kindness and encouragement. AMEN. Lord, we know we all have different gifts and no one can do everything. Help us to meet challenges that stretch our skills and help us to acknowledge, without resentment, when others have an ability from which we can learn. AMEN. Lord, I offer you today the power I have to love others. With you beside me, may I be generous, fair and honest and bring joy to others through my kindness and willingness to help. AMEN. “During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.” (Footprints) “Learn to flee from bad companions and bad books. Instread, look for good ones.” Don Bosco Sunday Gospel Mk 14:12-26 “Take it: this is my body.” Build on the new talents you have discovered in yourself this year.
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Week beginning Monday 11 Jun 2018 Year 8 Paris Trip In these final weeks of our school year we take time to look back and reflect on the lessons we have learned, both in and outside the classroom. May we have the confidence to thank those who have helped us and to apologise to anyone we have offended before we leave. Lord, we thank you for all we have learned this year with the help of our teachers. We thank you for the trips, the sport, the music, the drama, the clubs and the time we have spent relaxing with our friends. AMEN. Lord, the year is almost finished. For most it is a mixture of successes and failures, progress and setbacks, expectations being fulfilled and disappointments being felt. Our experiences have changed us. However we feel, help us to recognise that you have been with us each moment. AMEN. “All journeys eventually end in the same place: home.” Chris Geiger “Shun bad companions, associate with good ones.” Don Bosco Sunday Gospel Mk 3:20-35 “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Keep going to the end of term!
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Week beginning Monday 18 Jun 2018 Induction Days for new pupils. Seeing new pupils in the College reminds us of how we have grown and developed in the past year. Have we allowed our faith to develop as much as the other dimensions of our life? Lord, you look upon us as your beloved children. You want none of us to be lost, and all of us to enjoy the happiness of eternal life. Open our hearts to your grace and mercy. May we live in your presence and fulfill your will in serving those in need. AMEN. Lord, help us to welcome our new pupils and share with them the Salesian family spirit which flows through the life of our College. AMEN. Lord, we pray for anyone we know who is ill, or suffering in any way… Inspire us to know how best to help them and make up for our weakness with your divine power. AMEN. “Faith in God is a mixture of hope and doubt. Faith without doubt is not faith, but certainty.” P Purnell “It is enough for a young person to enter a Salesian house for Our Lady to take him under her special care.” Don Bosco Sunday Gospel Mk 4:26-34 “A man throws seed on the land.” Welcome visitors with a smile.
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Week beginning Monday 25 Jun 2018 Sports Day. Zambia group depart. Ss Peter and Paul. Walk for Sean Competition is not all about winning but also about taking part. In the game of life between the passive and aggressive attitudes there is a middle stance where knowing you have done your best is its own reward. Lord, be with us as we prepare to test our physical skills. May we be competitive but never hostile. Help us to do our best for our House but above all to rejoice in the health and strength you have given us. AMEN. Lord, we pray for those who train, support and encourage us as we try to be the best we can. May we respond with gratitude and give that same encouragement to others. AMEN. Lord, we thank you for the opportunity to take part in sports and games. We think of other young people throughout the world who share our enthusiasm and remember how much we have in common with them. AMEN. “It is in experiencing and accepting the pain of defeat, that we may truly acknowledge the joy of victory.” Andre Bramble “When one is convinced that his cause is just, he will fear nothing.” Don Bosco Sunday Gospel Lk 1:57-66 “What will this child turn out to be?” Cheer on the weaker as well as the winner. 15
Week beginning Monday 2 Jul 2018 Sports Awards. Mass of Thanksgiving. End of Term The school year draws to a close and we pause to thank God for all we have enjoyed, all we have learned, all the ways in which we have developed in mind, body and spirit. Lord, we thank you for the year that has passed and all the opportunities you have given us to change for the better. We thank you for those who have taught and guided us. May we end our term at peace with each other and ourselves. AMEN Lord, as we go our separate ways during the summer, we ask you to keep us safe. Show us how to use our time well and give us the qualities we need to be helpful and bring joy to our families and friends. AMEN. “A little nonsense now and then, is cherished by the wisest men.” Roald Dahl “Let us always be joyful and then time will pass quickly.” Don Bosco Sunday Gospel Mk 5:21-43 “Little girl, I tell you to get up!” Have a safe and happy summer!
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Prayers for Various Situations For Peace (from CAFOD) God of all, as we walk together, Open our hearts to your tenderness. Open our minds to your understanding. Open our lives to your challenge. We are one people, many nations, Building hope through steps for peace. One world with many barriers, Breaking chains so we dance free. One voice that shouts for justice Shatters hatred, calls for change. One God, one world, one people, Turning tables, share the feast. For Serenity God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to know the difference. AMEN Someone Died Lord, someone I love died today. My heart feels as though it will never recover. To carry on seems too big an effort. Yet continue I must – but I’m going to need your help. Give me friends to comfort me in the sad times, to smile with me as we recall the joys, and to love me through the pain, towards life and hope. AMEN
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When Things Go Wrong Lord Jesus, things are a bit of a mess at the moment. Give me strength to get through this difficult time, and courage to learn from it that I may grow in love. AMEN Lord, I did something stupid: I messed up. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone but people got upset and angry. Help me to accept the consequences of my moment of madness, and use the experience to grow into a better person. AMEN Lord, help me to remember that there is nothing going to happen today that you and I cannot get through together. AMEN During Exam Time Heavenly Father, we pray for all those taking exams at this time. May they have the calm, the dedication and the wisdom to achieve success. AMEN Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6) Dear Lord of All, bless me and help me to be calm during this examination. Give me confidence in myself and in you, so that I may understand what is asked of me and use the time well. Be with me and fill me with your Spirit. AMEN 18
For wisdom and growth O gracious and holy Father, give us wisdom to perceive you, intelligence to understand you, diligence to seek you, patience to wait for you, eyes to behold you, hearts to meditate upon you, and lives that proclaim you through the power of the Spirit of Jesus who is Christ, our Lord. AMEN (St Benedict) Teach me, dear Lord, frequently and diligently to consider this truth: that if I gain the whole world and lose Thee, in the end I have lost everything; whereas if I lose the world and gain Thee, in the end I have lost nothing. AMEN (Blessed John Henry Newman) Thou, who art the light of the minds that know thee; the life of the souls that love thee; and the strength of the wills that serve thee; help us to know thee that we may truly love thee; so to love thee that we may fully serve thee, whom to serve is perfect freedom. AMEN (St Augustine) Lord, make me a better person: more considerate towards others, more honest with myself, more faithful and loving to you. 19
Make me generous enough to seek your will above my own. Help me to find my true vocation in life and through it, to find happiness for myself and bring happiness to others. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. AMEN A Litany of Remembrance During each silent pause let us remember before God those who have been mentioned. At the end of the litany, please join in the Lord’s Prayer. Now, dear Lord, we want to forget ourselves and to remember others: those who are ill and in pain; those waiting for an operation; those waiting for a doctor’s verdict and fearing the worst; (silence) those who are nervous, worried, anxious or afraid of life; those on the verge of a nervous breakdown; those who feel they cannot cope with life; (silence) those who are hungry and cold; those who are refugees with no home; those who are unemployed and those in prison. (silence) Out of your great riches, dear Lord, supply the need of those distressed in body, mind or heart. Our Father…
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