Monday, August 15, 2016

Making a Fresh Spiritual Start

A new school year is a time to start fresh, not only in our scholarly endeavors but also in our spiritual lives.

We could look at this new beginning as a time to develop routines that we've been meaning to start, such as praying the rosary together as a family after dinner or praying the Divine Mercy chaplet on the ride home from school.

We could begin devotions that specifically span nine months, the length of a school year, like the First Friday devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which St.Columbkille students participated in last year, led by Father Vogel. Information on this devotion can be found at a number of Catholic websites. Another nine-month prayer is the spiritual adoption of a baby, as promoted by the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

Below are two prayers of blessing for the start of the school year from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' "Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers."


Prayers to Begin a School Year
God of wisdom and might,
we praise You for the wonder of our being,
for mind, body and spirit.
Be with our children as they begin
a new school year.
Bless them and their teachers and staff.
Give the strength and grace as their bodies grow;
wisdom and knowledge to their minds
as they search for understanding;
and peace and zeal to their hearts.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Prayer for Students
Lord our God,
in Your wisdom and love
You surround us with the mysteries of the universe.
Send Your Spirit upon these students
and fill them with Your wisdom and blessings.
Grant that they may devote themselves to their studies
and draw ever closer to You,
the source of all knowledge.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Let's take advantage of this fresh start, beginning and maintaining the school year with prayer!


Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.

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