Children

Children’s Prayer

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1) Ahrens, Herman C. Jr. Prayers, Poems, and Celebrations by and for the Youth Keep in Touch. New York, New York: The Pilgrim Press, 1978.

Reference Number: A-00012

2) Berube, John and Darcy-Berube, Francoise. Someone’s There: Paths to Prayer for Young People. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 1986.

Reference Number: B-00045

3) Brusselmans, Christiane and Haggerty, Brian A. Celebramos la Reconciliacion (Guia para Padresa y Catequistas). Morristown, N.J.: Silver Burdett Company, 1980.

Reference Number: B-00046

4) Brusselmans, Christiane and Haggerty, Brian A. Celebramos la Reconciliacion (Manal del Director del Programa & Celebraciones). Morristown, N.J.: Silver Burdett Company, 1981.

Reference Number: B-00047

5) Collison, Lou. Abba, Father, Prayer Journal. Phoenix, Arizona: North American Liturgy Resources, 1977.

Reference Number: C-00043

6) Costello, Gwen. Praying with Children 28 Prayer Services for Various Occasions. Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 1990.

“Praying with Children is for teachers, catechists, parents, and all other adults who gather with children. The prayer services cover the seasons of the year, as well as the liturgical seasons and feasts, yet also celebrate many other expected and unexpected happenings in the lives of children. A helpful theme index at the end of Praying with Children lists all the services that relate to each theme. There is also an appendix containing the service prayer refrains."

Reference Number: C-00045

7) Doze, Mary Terese, A.S.C. In My Heart Room 21 Love Prayers for Children. Liguori, Missouri: Liguori Publication, 1998.

"This expanded edition of Sister Mary Terese Donze's bestselling book, In My Heart Room, offers readers 21 ready-to-use "love prayers of the heart." This beautiful book teaches children a special way to pray by "concentrating," "meditating," and "contemplating" on such common objects as a pencil, a flower, a penny, a balloon. Through each of these prayers, Sister Donze gently and lovingly invites children to enter into their "heart rooms" where Jesus will help them better understand his love for them. The prayers also explore topics such as penance, the Resurrection, and the Holy Trinity-which children often find difficult to understand."

Reference Number: D-00070

8) Donze, Mary Terese, A.S.C. I Can Pray About Anything!. Liguori, Missouri: Liguori Publication, 1994.

“Well-known children’s author Sister Mary Terese Donze is at it again! In this latest edition of her ever popular I Can Pray series, children will earn they can talk to God about anything at any time. Before meals and at bedtime, for Mommy and Daddy, Grandma and Grandpa, the new baby, even about the family pet…and much more.”

Reference Number: D-00019

9) Geddes, Joan Bel. Children Praying (Why and How to Pray with Your Children). Notre Dame, Indiana: Sorin Books, 1999.

“Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy a moment at the end of a hectic day when all the family fights would stop, all pandemonium would be stilled, all problems suspended, and all tensions relaxed? Wouldn’t your child—and you—profit at day’s end from having a sturdy bridge to carry you from activity to repose, from excitement to tranquil sleep and pleasant dreams? Joan Bel Geddes, an internationally recognized authority on children, believes that prayer can do all these things even for those families who are not sure that there is anyone our there to listen. With the practicality and insight of a mother who has been there, she tells you how—not just why—to teach your young children to pray: before sleep, in the morning, before and after meals, on their special days, and on festival days from around the world. In her ability to bring together the insights of spirituality and child development she has created a uniquely helpful book for all families.”

Reference Number: G-00014

10) Hakowski, Maryann. Growing with Jesus. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 1993.

“Offers religious educators a complete range of retreats for elementary and middle school age children. The 16 fully planned retreats offer half-day, full-day and overnight experiences that celebrate the self-worth and giftedness of each young person while encouraging them to engage in a personal relationship with Jesus through a variety of creative prayer experiences.”

Reference Number: H-00016

11) Halpin, Marlene, Dominican. At Home with God a Child’s Book of Prayer Volume II. Allen, Texas: Tabor Publishing, 1995.

Reference Number: H-00017

12) Huck, Gabe. Table Prayer Book. Chicago, Illinois: Liturgy Training Publications, 1980.

Reference Number: H-00020

13) Jeep, Elizabeth McMahon. Children’s Daily Prayer (For the School Year 1994-1995). Chicago, Illinois: Liturgy Training Publications, 1988.

Reference Number: 2-00002

14) Mathson, Patricia. Pray & Play 28 Prayer Services and Activities for Children in K Through Sixth Grade. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 1989.

“Offers 28 simple but complete prayer services, enhanced with special activities, that center on seasons and feasts, holidays and important school days. Each service focuses on a scripture reading that is developed through the use of prayers, responses, reflections and songs. In addition, each service features an enrichment activity that can be done prior to the service and used with it, or after the service as a means of reinforcing the theme.”

Reference Number: M-00046

15) Mathson, Patricia. Time to Prayer!: Seasonal Prayer Services for Middle Grades. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2004.

“One of the most important things we do for our students is to teach them how to pray. But our efforts are often hampered by the constraints of time and our own feelings of inadequacy. That's why Time to Pray! Is such a welcome resource for both volunteer catechists and Catholic school teachers. Time to Pray! Features thirty simple prayer services for use throughout the year, each focusing on a saint's day, a liturgical season, a time in the school year, or a particular need. Using the building blocks of the liturgy, each service includes scripture readings, prayers, petitions, litanies, responses, and much more. Each also contains an optional activity that students can complete beforehand and incorporate into the service. Designed especially with students in grades three to six in mind, these prayer services can be adapted for use with other ages as well. They are also perfect for lectionary-based programs, family formation sessions, sacramental preparation meetings, and vacation bible schools, there is even a service for reconciliation and for the new Mysteries of Light decades of the rosary. The services encourage everyone to participate, helping students become more comfortable praying together.”

Reference Number: M-00187

16) McNamara, Beth Branigan, and Wright McKeever, Gina. Welcoming Little Ones Your Guide to a Faith-Filled Parish Nursery. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., 1998.

“Is a valuable new resource that provides nuts-and-bolts strategies for organizing a welcoming and safe parish nursery ministry. Noted authors Beth Branigan McNamara and Gina Wright Mckeever have created a practical guide to establishing a faith-filled nursery for children ages 12-36 months and their parents. With 23 hands-on, hour-long sessions filled with age-appropriate activities centering on the theme of creation, Welcoming the Little Ones helps children explore the gifts of our world while letting them grow under the loving touch of the Holy Spirit.”

Reference Number: M-00047

17) Meegan, Mary, O.P. Climbing the Mountain a Journey in Prayer. Allen, Texas: Argus Communications a Division of DLM, Inc., 1984.

“Adolescence is a key time in life for an experience of prayer and of God. Because this is a time for testing limits and questioning values, religious educators often put adolescents “on hold.” Mary Meegan has taught prayer to high school students for ten years. This experience has convinced her not only that young people want to enter into a relationship with God but that they cannot do so without guidance. The Climbing the Mountain program, consisting of a student book, a teacher guide, and a poster kit, provides that guidance. It is the result of ten years of testing, student evaluations, and research on adolescent spirituality. By experiencing the different approaches to prayer offered in this program, students deepen their relationship with God and form a lifelong habit of prayer.”

Reference Number: M-00048

18) Meegan, Mary, O.P. Climbing the Mountain a Journey in Prayer Teacher Guide. Allen, Texas: Argus Communications a Division of DLM, Inc., 1984.

"Adolescence is a key time in life for an experience of prayer and of God. Because this is a time for testing limits and questioning values, religious educators often put adolescents "on hold." Mary Meegan has taught prayer to high school students for ten years. This experience has convinced her not only that young people want to enter into a relationship with God but that they cannot do so without guidance. The Climbing the Mountain program, consisting of a student book, a teacher guide, and a poster kit, provides that guidance. It is the result of ten years of testing, student evaluations, and research on adolescent spirituality. By experiencing the different approaches to prayer offered in this program, students deepen their relationship with God and form a lifelong habit of prayer."

Reference Number: M-00049

19) Prayers and Practices for Young Catholics. New York, New York: William H. Sadlier, Inc., 1991.

Reference Number: 00186

20) Reehorst, Jane, B.V.M. Guided Meditations for Children How to Teach Children to Pray Using Scripture. Dubuque, Iowa: Religious Education Division Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers, 1986.

“Sister Jane Reehorst has been active in teaching, story-telling, counseling, and every aspect of parish ministry throughout her years with the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her belief that children have the capacity for—indeed a talent for—meditative prayer has lead her to create Scripture meditations for children.”

Reference Number: R-00021

21) Reehorst, Jane. Guided Meditations Volume 2 How to Teach Youth to Pray Using Scripture. Dubuque, Iowa: Brown Roa Publishing Media, 1991.

Reference Number: R-00022

22) Reehorst, Jane. Guided Meditations Volume 3 How to Teach Youth to Pray Using Scripture. Dubuque, Iowa: Brown Roa Publishing Media, 1992.

Reference Number: R-00023

23) Ring, Rita. Rosary Meditations for Parents and Children. Madison, Indiana: Shepherds of Christ Publications, 1998.

Reference Number: R-00024

24) Schneider, M. Valerie, S.N.D. Confirmed in the Spirit Prayer Services for Confirmation Classes and Retreats. Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 1995.

"These comprehensive prayer services build toward a theology of the sacrament of confirmation even as students are participating in them. Most include ritual actions and Scripture readings as well as group prayers and reflections.”

Reference Number: S-00047

25) Schreiber, Gayle. Prayer Services for Young Children 30 Ten Minute Celebrations. Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 1993.

“A Collection of 30 brief prayer experiences, The topics cover a variety of concerns and situations easily understood by children. These are hands-on services, offering an active invitation for young children to participate in the celebrations. The simple lessons in faith allow children to grow spiritually, and to discover how much there is to be thankful for in God’s wonderful world.”

Reference Number: S-00048

26) Snyder, Bernadette McCarver. Good Night, God: Sleepytime Prayers for Children. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press, 2000.

“Mmm…nitey-night time…time to snooze and cruise into dreamland. But after you have that last drink of water and before you close your eyes and put out the light, it’s time to say some good-night prayers. Good Night, God: Sleepytime Prayers for Children is geared for the last moments of the day, when parents tuck their children into bed, when tender words are shared, the emotions of the day are expressed, and the fears of the night and hopes for tomorrow are spoken. Covering a wide range of feelings and events—softness of pillows, slumber parties, imagined monsters—this collection draws on the real parenting and grandparenting experience of the author, Bernadette McCarver Snyder, who helps children and parents alike imagine themselves beyond bedtime to the endless possibilities for them in God’s world.”

Reference Number: S-00049

27) Thomas, Fr. Antonie, F.J. Praying in the Presence of Our Lord for Children. Huntington, Indiana: Our Sunday Visitor Publishing, 2003.

“A detailed guide directly addressing boys and girls. Here is solid Catholic teaching that uses a powerful-and entertaining-combination of Scripture, writings of the Saints, and more. Here is why we pray and how to pray: Before Our Lord in the Eucharist, at Mass and during the Church's liturgical seasons, the prayer Jesus taught us, the Our Father, the Rosary, Using the psalms, for others, throughout the day-at home, at school, at church and at play!”

Reference Number: T-00047

28) Thomson, Clarence. The Little Pine Tree’s Christmas Dream. New York, New York: Paulist Press, 1993.

“Magic still lives in dreams, children and Christmas. This charming tale of hope lost and hope fulfilled will inspire children of all ages, as their spirits are raised and dashed with those of the Little Pine Tree who has a special Christmas dream.”

Reference Number: T-00009

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