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Sharing a Prayer With My Family

Activity Objective:

To explain how All Saints Day and All Souls Day celebrate the Communion of Saints

Lesson Outcome:

The children will share a prayerful celebration of All Saints Day and All Souls Day with their families.

Materials

Leader	Praise be to God, who fills our lives with joy.
All	Praise be to God.
Leader	As we observe All Saints Day and All Souls Day, let us remember that God unites all his followers, living and dead, in the communion of saints.
Reader 1	A reading from the First Letter of John. [1 John 3:1-3]
All	Thanks be to God.
Leader	Let’s spend a few minutes talking to God. On All Saints Day wer remember those who are living with God. On All Soul's Day we pray for those who are in purgatory.
Reader 2	God, help us to lvie our faith in service to others so that we may grow closer to you.
Reader 3	God, help us to follow in the footsteps of the saints, who have shown us how to serve the Kingdom of God right here on earth.
Reader 4	God, help us to remember those who are already with you in heaven and help us to pray for those who are still waiting to be with you.
All	God, thank you for the sacraments, especially the sacrament of the Eucharist, which unites us, your followers, in the communion of saints.

Directions:

Invite the children to review the prayer service.
Say to the children: Celebrating All Saints Day and All Souls Day nourishes us and keeps us in contact with God and with those who have died.
Invite the children to discuss what they have learned about living as the saints did and how we stay connected to God through the sacraments.
Offer the children the chance to work with a partner or on their own to prepare a special prayer service to use with their families at home. Allow the children to use the prayer service as a guide.
Encourage the children to create prayer notes for their families and to think of saints to whom they can pray and offer thanks.
Invite the children to share their ideas with one another. Offer suggestions at any time.
When the children are finished, encourage them to share their prayer services with their families. Suggest they set aside time when the entire family will be together.

Learning Styles:

Logic/Math Smart,People Smart,Self Smart

Approximate Time:

20 minutes

Hints:

Remind the children of the various ways in which we can pray. Encourage the children to be creative in their planning.