St. Teresa's Primary School

We always look forward to the time we spend with our neighbours from St. Teresa's P.S. The P7s are making their Confirmation on the 2nd of February, so we spent a lot of time talking and thinking about the challenge of living as a Confirmed Christian.

We need to let our light shine.

We need to let the Spirit work in us

In the words of the the saint after whom their school is named:

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours, no feet but yours,
yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion is to look out to the earth,
yours are the feet by which He is to go about doing good
and yours are the hands by which He is to bless us now.

St Teresa of Avila

These beautiful prayers show how caring and thoughtful the P7s in St. Teresa's already are:

Dear God
Please help everybody in the hospital and all the people who don't have a home.
Could you keep them safe?
Amen

Dear God
There are many people without homes.
Help them to be safe.
Help those who are sick and let them be well.
Amen

Dear God
Please help the people in Haiti because of the earthquake there.
Help the helpers to get food and water to them.
Please keep my family safe and healthy
Amen


Dear God
Please help the sick.
Help them to recover if You can, but if You can't, give them the strength and hope to carry on.
Amen

Dear God
Thank You for all the help that You have given me and all my family.
Please keep us all safe.
Look after my Grandfather in heaven.
But most of all, help the people in Haiti.
Amen

Dear God
There are many lonely people in the world.
Give them the strength to carry on and not to be in distress and despair.
Amen

Dear God
We pray for the people in Haiti who are in desperate need of food, water, shelter and clothing.
Please help us to help them.
Amen

Dear God
Help all the people who are ill and dying and watch over the people who have passed away.
May their bodies and souls be blessed bythe Holy Spirit and may they rest in peace.
Amen

Dear God
We pray for people who are going through a rough time because someone in their family has died. Give them the strength to carry on.
Amen

Dear God
Thank you for our friends and our families, that we have them and they will stand by us and that they will let us stand by them. Please be with us always and forever.
Amen

Dear God
We thank you for our families who feed us, water us and love us in every way.
Lord help us to always be grateful for our families.
Amen

Dear God
We pray fo the homeless on these cold winter nights.
Help them to get through the rough times.
Give them the strength and warmth to survive the nights.
Give shelter to those with nothing.
Amen

Good luck for your Confirmation P7s and keep shining!

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Our Team Visit to The IOSAS Centre, Co. Donegal

As a team we think it's very important to take time to develop our own spirituality - making time to nurture our own hearts so that we can give generously to the young people who come to our Centre. So on Tuesday, we took at trip up to the IOSAS Centre (Island Of Saints And Scholars) at Derryvane, Co. Donegal.

Our host for the day was our former team-mate and great friend Máire Carlin, who worked here on our team for six years and recently took up her post at the IOSAS centre, close to her native Derry.

The IOSAS Centre focuses on the great contribution Irish saints have made in spreading the Gospel message in Ireland, Scotland, Europe and beyond.

There is a beautifully designed prayer garden, with a specific focus for each saint. As we journeyed round the garden we reflected on the story of each saint.

One of the saints represented is St. Ciarán of Saigher, born on Cape Clear Island off the Cork Coast.

St. Ciarán was a great man for nature - with a particular love for birds. Looking at the beautiful birds in the aviary brought memories of Gerry, our centre's budgie who sadly died in early Winter of 2009. Maire said a few words in his memory.

It was a lovely day - restful and calm, surrounded by beautiful nature. In addition, the hospitality shown by the team at the IOSAS centre was as generous as their reputation - excellent!

The centre is only five miles from Derry city centre, so if you're ever in the direction of Derry or Donegal, and you're looking for a place to reflect in beautiful surroundings, look no further!

St. James' Whiteabbey

We had a great day with the P7 class from St. James' in Whiteabbey today... it was cold, grey and wet outside, but it was warm, colourful and lively inside - they are a great class.

Reflection Poem:

Choose for yourself

Offer your heart

New beginning

Follow God's will

Include Everyone

Respect Yourself

Make each other feel good

Always trust God

Think before you act

It's not easy

Only keep trying

Never give up.

We also had six prayers, written by six different pupils...

Dear God,

Thank you for creating me, thank you for creating us.

We pray for our friends that they will always be there for us, no matter what.

Lord hear us.


Dear God,

We thank you for our families that feed us, water us and love us in each and eery way.

Lord help us to be grateful for our families.

Lord help us.

Dear God,

We pray for the sick that they may get better and that the doctors and nurses can help them.

Lord hear us.

Dear Lord,

Please help the people who are starving and I hope that they gain strength and that all souls go to heaven and all the people help each other and me too.

Lord hear us.

Dear God,

Please help the people in Haiti who were harmed by the earthquake and we also ask that the aid may reach them.

Please protect the people that bring aid to them and also help us totry and help in one way.

Lord hear us.

Dear God,

I thank you for all my friends.

I would be very lonely without them.

I also pray for us the P7 pupils that we may be happy in our new schools.
Lord hear us.

And we at the Centre would like to thank this class for making their retreat day such a great success. God Bless all of you as you prepare for the big committment that is Confirmation.

St. Kieran's, Poleglass

We had our 1st groups of 2010 last week from St. Kieran's Primary School. It was a lovely beginning to the new decade. The P7s are preparing for Confirmation and so we talked about how the Holy Spirit can work in us if we allow Him.

We made kites to represent the wind, which is one of the symbols of the Holy Spirit.

We also thought of the ways that we show love in the world...

We thought they were a...

Here are some of the lovely prayers that were written for the prayer services:

Dear God,
In this prayer we think about the poor.
If you think about it, they have no home, no clothes and no food.
And I would like you to help me to be helpful to the poor.
And try raise money for clothes.
And food,
thank you.
Amen.

Dear God,
I am asking you to help homeless people.
They are very poor. They live on streets where it is very cold and wet.
I want you to help me to help them.
I want you to help the people that help the homeless people.
Amen.

Dear God,
Help the people who need friends.
The people whoneed friends are lonely and sometimes homeless.
St. Vincent de Paul could help the people who have no friends.
Amen.

Dear God,
Please bless all the people who got hit by the earthquake.
Lord help them to rebuild their lives.
Amen.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for this wonderful day which helped us with our confirmation.
Please guide us through our confirmation day
Lord hear us.

And we heard a prayer-poem too, written by one of the pupils for Christmas... (well done!)

I'd fill a box with all my love
and send it to Jesus up above
you died for us
to set us free
so this is a gift from me
I came today
just to say
happy birthday.
Amen.

Normally we end the day with a blessing, but P7s love singing, so they sang the blessing "May the Road Rise to Meet You." No better way to end the day...so may the Road Rise to Meet Us All!

St. Columbanus College, Bangor

In the week leading up to our Christmas holidays the weather was beginning to get cold and drab, but the atmosphere here in the Centre was warm and joyful thanks to the great spirit of the year 12s from St. Columbanus College, Bangor.

We talked a lot about Jesus being...

and how we can trust in Him in all the ups and downs of our lives...

We explored some of the big questions, like "Who are we?"

and who is God??

We took some time for...

So thank you to everyone who came and made it such a lovely week for us.