Oh God, this werl needs to be com

This moment from a 6-9 atrium was sent to us from a catechist whose school uses the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd:

One of my favorite moments came when I was in the atrium by myself, cleaning and straightening after a delightful and chaotic Sunday morning, in which the children had planned a lovely prayer service. Left on the prayer table was a small slip of paper, no bigger than 1 square inch. It read:
"O God, this werl needs to be com."

God, give peace to the people

Keith (age 8) wrote this prayer for an Epiphany celebration at his school. It was written a few months after September 11, during the war in Afghanistan.

"God, give peace to the people.
God, please give peace to the whole world.
God, please fill the hearts of people with joy and peace."

Do not be afraid for he is near

Another prayer from Julie, written in her missal when she was 8:

He is our place of rest.
His power is in us.
He is our shield.
He helps us in making peace.
The kingdom of God is all around.

Do not be afraid for he is near. (surrounded by crosses and lit candles)

A wonderful thing will happen

Julie, age 8, wrote this prayer and decorated the border:
Perhaps tomorrow
Perhaps in five years
Maybe thirteen centuries
A wonderful thing will happen
The people, men and women,
shall drink the water of Baptism
And God will be all in all.

The Plan of God

Jane, grade 5, drew this after the History of the Jewish People lesson to represent her understanding of Jewish/Christian relationships in Sacred History. It shows our common past, our separate paths at this time, and our common future - united in the kingdom of God.

Kristina's illustration of parousia. She wrote "World Peace" surrounded by the continents of the world.

Parousia

With today's offering, we introduce a series of responses from children about the time of parousia. Parousia is a Greek word that means "the coming." St. Paul used it in his letters to indicate the time of the fullness of the kingdom of God that Jesus and the prophets before him spoke of frequently. We pray for the parousia with the words, "thy kingdom come" in the Lord's Prayer. We hope for the parousia as a time of peace, healing, justice and abundance, a time when there will be no more war, sickness, injustice, or death. When introduced to children at about the age of six, they anticipate its coming with great joy, especially in the face of present wars, poverty, and injustice. -Catherine Maresca

In her public Montessori classroom at age 9, Lizzy's teacher drew a circle on the board around the words "more people." She then asked the class about the effects of more people in the world. As they answered she drew more circles, connected with lines to the first one, with their answers inside them. These answers included "more pollution", "more cars," "more wars." Finally Lizzy raised her hand and said, "There is a time of parousia when all that stuff will be gone."

Parousia

Tessa, age 13, drew the Earth, from the beginning until parousia. In parousia, the people are bathed in light.