World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation
01/09/2024
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In 2015, Pope Francis wrote a letter to everyone in the world! Here's a 5 minute summary of it!
This is a prayer for today (1 mins 51 secs):
01/09/2024
In 2015, Pope Francis wrote a letter to everyone in the world! Here's a 5 minute summary of it!
This is a prayer for today (1 mins 51 secs):
05/09/2024
Here's a short clip (1:00) about this particular day!
As you'll have seen from the clip above. this day coincides with the anniversary of the death of Mother Teresa, now St. Teresa of Calcutta (Kolkata).
CLICK HERE TO SEE just a few of her sayings (2:17) which we offer this day as an invitation to prayerful reflection and challenge!
It may be very early in the term but it's good to reflect on how we might be able to act compassionately to support charities which matter to us.
So, you are invited to pray for:
08/09/2024
This is such an important day. Here's a 2 minute video from UNESCO explaining why!
This next video (1:27) focuses on the challenges of living through the coronavirus pandemic if you are unable to read.
Click here for a PRAYER FOR TODAY
08/09/2024
This is the day the Catholic Church marks the birth of Mary, the mother of Jesus - Our Lady. St. Julie had such a devotion to Our Lady that she named the order of nuns she founded the Sisters of Notre Dame! Notre Dame is, of course, French for Our Lady.
It's a perfect day to sing Happy Birthday - and also to say the Hail Mary! CLICK HERE to join in with the video doing just that!
10/09/2024
This is a very sensitive issue and one we often shy away from talking about.
Here's a really special 1 minute video produced by the Samaritans which empowers all of us:
A PRAYER FOR TODAY (available here as a 1:25 video)
On this day especially, we celebrate the life of each person.
We acknowledge that for some, life is a heavy load of suffering and anguish.
Help us all to talk about our fears, anger, and despair.
Help us find people we can trust – among those we know, or among those who are trained to help.
Help us all to find meaning and purpose in our lives – even in the darkest, most sorrowful moments.
May we all be kind, gentle and listen without judging.
We place before you this day all who have been affected by suicide – that they be comforted in their grief, be set free from any sense of guilt and know peace once more, confident that their loved one is no longer suffering.
We pray this in your holy name. AMEN
12/09/2024
United Nations Day for South-South Cooperation
In decades gone by, there was a stereotype that developing countries largely in the Southern Hemisphere could only develop through help given by richer countries from the Northern Hemisphere - many of whom had invaded and governed southern countries in colonial days gone by.
While southern countries had become politically independent of their former Imperial governors throughout the second half of the 20th century, for many years there was an assumption that they had to rely on handouts or loans from the very countries that had occupied them. There was also an attitude that the North knew best when it came to what developing countries needed in order to become richer or more stable.
This day was instituted to bust those myths and to enhance co-operation between developing countries so that expertise in a whole host of areas could be shared effectively. South–South cooperation has been successful in decreasing dependence on the aid programs of developed countries and a shift in the international balance of power.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Loving God,
we pray for wisdom and an ever increasing sense of solidarity between nations.
Help leaders to be generous in sharing knowledge, expertise and resources
as we seek to build a world where no-one goes hungry
and where the vulnerable are not exploited or abandoned.
We ask for all to work towards that day
when everyone will have the dignity of being able
to support themselves sustainably.
We ask this in your Holy Name. AMEN
14/09/2024
Here's a video (2:57) offering both information and the chance to reflect on the cross!
If you want to find out more about St. Helen(a) who reputedly found the true cross of Jesus, check out our SAINTS page!
This day, we simply close with the sign of the cross:
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
15/09/2024
International Day of Democracy
This video (1:20) charts how people in the U.K got the vote!
This is a video (1:34) from 2015 about the importance of democracy.
Spend a few moments now thinking about why democracy is important?
Just imagine living somewhere where you are treated like you don't matter, where you're not allowed to express your views and not allowed to vote for leaders! Such a situation in South Africa many years ago inspired this song (5:35) to be written. (Why not try signing (that's not a spelling mistake) along?)
A PRAYER FOR TODAY (available here as a 30 second video clip)
God of justice, we pray for those who are denied a voice.
Help those of us who can speak up
to find ways to use our voice for the greater good.
We ask this in your Holy Name. AMEN
15/09/2024
16/09/2024
International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer
Here's a little good news (1:47) regarding the capacity of human beings to solve a problem.
So, we've done something about the ozone layer - which demonstrates that we can heal the world. Let's be resolute in finding ways we can contribute to solving the ongoing problem of climate change.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Creator God,
help us appreciate the wonders of this planet;
on this day when we can celebrate a success,
help us to seek a greater understanding of the causes of climate change which threatens the world;
give us wisdom and resolve to act in such a way that we contribute to solutions.
We ask this in your Holy Name. AMEN
16/09/2024
Behind every great teacher is a great teaching assistant!!!!!!
Let's celebrate the unsung heroes of learning - our teaching assistants and other learning support staff!
Make their day by saying thank you and giving them a smile!
A PRAYER FOR TODAY (available here as a 1:24 video)
Let's spend a few moments thinking about those who walk alongside us as we learn.
Let's give thanks for their patience,
for their consistency,
for their compassion,
for not giving up on us,
for believing in us,
for recognising our potential,
for the time they put in,
for the efforts they make,
for their encouragement,
for their advice,
for their sheer humanity which models for us
how wonderful every human being is.
Loving God, we place our Teaching Assistants
and all who support us in your hands.
Help us to show we appreciate them
by what we say and what we do.
St. Julie: pray for us, protect us and bless us.
21/09/2024
So, we'd all agree that peace is desirable but what is it?
Here are a few quotes about peace (2:30) for you to consider.
This is a beautiful prayer for peace in Syria from Rachel at CAFOD:
God of light,
We pray for our neighbours in Syria
walking in the shadow of darkness.
In you, Lord, may we see a flicker of hope,
a warm ray of light to heal our hearts.
Pour upon us all your glorious light,
your radiance brings us to fullness of life.
We pray as one the fighting may cease,
and all may be blessed by the dawn of your peace.
We ask this through your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.
Rachel McCarthy/CAFOD
21/09/2024
Here's a quite beautiful performance piece! (Video 4:42)
A one minute reflection from the point of view of someone affected by dementia - Do not ask me to remember.
This is a one minute PRAYER for today.
23/09/2024
23/09/2024
International Day of Sign Languages
Did you know that there are an estimated 72 million deaf people worldwide, 80% of them in developing nations.
Deafness can be very isolating but Sign Language can be a real liberation.
Below is a 2 minute video demonstrating some basic greetings in BSL (British Sign Language).
A PRAYER FOR THIS DAY
Let's pray for all who are deaf or hearing impaired in any way and reflect on how it might feel to be aware of conversations but be unable to decipher them or contribute to them.
Loving God, we ask for your help in being more sensitive to the needs of those who struggle to hear. AMEN
26/09/2024
Bonjour!
On European Day of Languages, enjoy some of the richness of different tongues in this 1:02 video:
A PRAYER FOR TODAY (available here as a 1:00 video)
26/09/2024
International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
This is a harrowing eye-witness account (3:36) of the dropping of the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima on 6th August, 1945:
Here's a report (2:13) about the Holy Father, Pope Francis, visiting Japan in 2019:
Christian CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) ask those who seek peace to pray in the following ways:
28/09/2024
28/09/2024
It is celebrated annually to raise awareness about rabies prevention and to highlight progress in defeating this horrifying disease. Here's a quick (3:41) 'what you need to know' video!
World Rabies Day is an opportunity to reflect on human's efforts to control this deadly disease and remind ourselves that the fight is not yet over.
28 September also marks the anniversary of Louis Pasteur's death, the French chemist and microbiologist, who developed the first rabies vaccine. See how the vaccine came about below:
Today, safe and efficacious animal and human vaccines are among the important tools that exist to eliminate human deaths from rabies while awareness is the key driver for success of communities to engage in effective rabies prevention.
In 2020, it is good to remember the huge successes that vaccines have brought about over the years. This thought gives us hope for a CoronaVirus vaccine which we so need.
A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Loving God,
we pray for all affected by the scourge of rabies
and for those who work to eradicate it through providing resources and education.
We give thanks for those involved in medical research,
particularly in developing vaccines.
We pray for decision makers to ensure they are funded well;
that researchers are tenacious and wise;
and that they have those moments of inspiration
that bring about positive developments.
We ask this in your Holy Name. AMEN
29/09/2024
The Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael!