Our Lady of Mercy Year 8

This week we've had the year 8 classes from Our Lady of Mercy School here for their end of year retreat. The girls have made so many new friends in their new school it's hard to believe that this time last year many of them had never even met!

We were talking about the qualities we look for in a friend and the qualities we have within ourselves.

We were thinking about whether the love that we give to and receive from our friends gives us even a glimpse of the love that God has for each one of us.

One group wrote the word Love for their focus, above. This was the reason why...

We did love because in meditatation we were learning about the qualities of love.
We made a heart to represent love.

They used their friendship chain to make the letter "O" to show that we are in God's love.

Another group did a focus of the sea and sky. The candles represent the stars. Above that you can see flowers made from cloths and the friendship chain. The whole focus represents nature and all of God's creation, including us.

One of the songs they chose to play during their prayer service was "Hero."

Here are some of the very heartfelt prayers that were written over the last few days.

Dear God,

Help all the people in my family and help people

out on the streets that have no homes and no food.

Thank You God,

Amen

Dear God,

May you help the others in the world.

Help the children in Haiti and all the others that need help.

Help everyone doing exams.

I thank You for my family and friends.

May they be with me always.

Amen

Dear God,

Pray for the people who are doing exams.

Help them to do well and get the marks that they want.

Thank You God,

Amen

Dear God,

Bless all the dead.

Bless all the sick people in the world.

Bless the homeless people in the world.

And people who need help.

Amen

Dear God

Thank you for guiding me through my first year in Our Lady of Mercy.

I have met new friends and new teachers.

I am going into my 2nd year.

Could you please guide me through it.

Amen

Dear God,

Thank you for helping me through my first year of Our Lady of Mercy.

I have met so many new teachers and friends.

Thank You,

Amen

Dear God,

I am sorry I have sinned.

Look after my Granda in hospital and give my mum and dad strength.

Look after my sister and help her to pass her exams.

Thank You for a good life.

Amen

Dear God,

Thank you for giving us family and friends.

Help us to stay healthy and to follow your footprints.

Thank You for giving us a good life.

We are grateful for everything.

Amen

Dear God,

Could you help the people who are dying at this time.

Give them a happy death and help their families through it.

Please bless my friend who is dying of cancer and doesn't have long to live.

Thank You,

Amen

Dear God,

Please help the people in hospitals that are suffering or sick at the moment,

and please could we take a moment of silence to think of anyone in

our family or anyone we know that is sick or suffering at the moment.
Lord hear us.

Dear God,

Thank you for our teachers, dinner ladies and helpers in the classroom.

Thank you God.

Lord hear us.

Dear God,

We thank you that you always forgive us when we make mistakes.

Thank you for all the forgiveness that you give us.

Lord hear us.

Dear God,

Please help the people in Africa -

they need all the help they can get.

Can you please try your best to help them

and any other people in the world that need the help as well.

Thank you for your love and caring for us.

Amen.

Dear God,

Thank you very much for bringing me to this world

and giving me food, drinks, hospitals, education and a roof over my head

and could you help the people who don't have anything like that.

So just to say thank you very much.

Amen.

Dear God,

Could you please help the children and people who have

lost their parents and are very sad and can't handle it.

Lord hear us.

This time last year the girls were looking forward to starting their new school and wondering who they would meet and become friendly with. Now many of them have become close friends. What a difference a year makes. We wish them well as they continue on their journey through post-primary school.

St. Ciaran's, Cushendun

Last week the P7 pupils from St. Ciaran's Cushendun came to Kilmore House in Glenariff for their retreat.  On the day we talked about following Jesus.  In order to follow Him we need to know what He is like.

We can look to the Gospels for details on the life of Jesus.  The pupils were thinking of as many stories about Jesus as they could from memory.  They were looking to see what attitudes Jesus had.

Follow Jesus
Own his flock
Love of God
Love of each other
Only God can help you through the difficult times in our lives.
We will be with Jesus wherever we go.

Jesus will always be with us.

Eat his bread and drink his wine
Send down the holy spirit on the disciples
Use his gifts of bread and wine
Side by side Jesus our God is there.

The group wrote some lovely prayers for their prayer service.

Dear God

I am thanking you for all that you have done for us.

Thank you for making us good people.

Lord hear us.

Dear God,

I thank you for helping the people in 3rd world countries.

I also want to thank you for helping the people who lost family members.

Lord hear us.

Dear God,

I am asking you to help the families who are going through a rough time

and those who have lost family members of friends.

Lord hear us.

Dear God,

I am asking you to help people who live in third world countries.

I also want you to help people who have lost family members.

Lord hear us.

It was a lovely day where we looked to see if there is any way we can follow Jesus more closely by how we treat others.  We wish the P7s the best of luck as the journey along the path of life to their new schools in September.

St. John the Baptist Boys' Primary School - Transition Retreat

Last week we had the boys from St. John the Baptist Primary School here for their transition retreat.  They had loads of memories of their time at primary school and shared many of them with us.  They decorated footprints to represent their journey in life so far and took time to meditate on the people they have met and been friendly with during their time at primary school.

On the top of everyone's list of hopes for the new school was the desire to make new friends.  Friendships are so important to human beings.  We reflected that some of the people we meet for the first time at our new schools will turn out to be friends for life.  That's an amazing thought and really exciting.

The boys wrote some lovely prayers and reflections for their prayer services and they decorated the chapel with beautiful focuses on both days.  One was a path with footprints on it and the other had paths going in many different directions to represent all the different schools that the boys will be going to.

You can read some of the prayers and reflections in print and in the photos below and see the beautiful art work that was done to accompany the scripture reading.

Dear God,

We pray for the people doing exams this year.

Give them your strength and courage to guide them

to do their best and to be pleased with the marks they get.

Lord hear us.

 

Dear God,

Let us pray for the poor and give us courage to help them to get all what they need.

Lord hear us.

Dear God,

Please help all the dead people.

Take care of them in heaven. 

Help keep their families strong so they won't

be as hurt as they were when they died.

Lord hear us.

Dear God,

Please help the homeless.

Keep the homeless well fed and safe.

Please do your best to help them get a home.

Lord hear us.

Dear God,

Help the poor and give them strength, and encourage others to help them.

Please let them have a better life and friends.

Amen.

We wish the boys from St. John the Baptist the best of luck in their new schools in September.  Each of them will be an asset to their new school. A great bunch of lads.

St. Finian's and St. Mary's

We had a lovely day today with pupils from St. Mary's and from St. Finian's - both schools sent pupils from their P7 classes who were with us all day.

We spoke about friendship - trusting our friends, enjoying their company, and even, understanding our friends if we have a falling out.

The group who made the focus for the prayer service put a rainbow in to remind us of God's promises to us.

They also made a sun out of pillows, and made rays of light coming from the sun. The rays of light were made out of the cards and footprints created by the pupils - with their names, the signatures of their classmates and with qualities of each pupil written on each card.

The colours of the focus were all specifically chosen - pink for promise, orange for friendship, red for love, and yellow for happiness.

In our prayers, we remembered people who are sick...

....and we remembered everyone doing exams... the P7 pupils found out what schools they will be going to last week, so we were giving thanks for that.

One group of lads put together a short reflection on the day.

We ended the day also with a reading about not worrying - the birds don't worry, the flowers don't worry - and we are more important than the birds and flowers.

It was our first time having these schools with us, and we look forward to having more pupils from these schools with us next year - a lovely chatty and enjoyable group of people. And, of course, we wish them every good thing as they go to new schools - new friends, new challenges, new hobbies and new experiences.