St. John Bosco Church, Mattawan at 23830 Front Ave., Mattawan, MI 49071 US - Prayer Passports

One of the ways that we sustain the “memory” of the church is through the memorization, or “taking to heart,” of traditional prayers.  Traditional prayers are like family heirlooms – they have been passed on from generation to generation.  These prayers link the participants to basic truths of our faith by supporting personal prayer and allowing groups of people to unite their minds, hearts, and voices in prayer. 

The Catechist’s Toolbox by Joe Paprocki p. 59

Why Should We Teach Our Children To Pray?

Prayer is more than simply talking with God. In Saint Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, he advises us to “pray constantly” (1Thessalonians 5:17). If prayer were simply understood as “talking to God,” then it might seem as though Saint Paul gave us the impossible task of talking constantly to God. If we understand prayer as the time we spend aware of God’s presence, however, it is indeed possible to pray constantly because God is with us at all times.

As a parent you want your child to know he or she can always come to you to talk or to ask for help. In the same way, we want to teach our children that God invites us to come to Him with their thoughts and needs. Prayer nourishes your personal relationship with God and does the same for your child. Through prayer we invite a personal, affective relationship with God. If we do not help our children to foster this relationship, all the doctrine that we can teach them in religious education will seem meaningless.

For our catechists, prayer is not just the frosting on the cake.  It’s not just a set of bookends to open and close the class.  Prayer is the “yeast” that makes the “dough” of our lessons come to life.  Prayer is the extension cord we need in order to reach out to and plug into our source of energy: our creator, God.  Prayer is part of the content and doctrine of our lessons.  To teach prayer is to teach a way of life.
Click here to see a schedule of prayers that our students learn per grade level.