By Judith Kennedy
Family Prayer has become an important practice at Our Lady of Fatima Kingsgrove.
Each Wednesday morning a grade leads prayer for any families that are able to stay back after assembly.
As we have entered the season of Lent, the decision to pray the Stations of the Cross was made.
The dilemma was that the Church is down the road and the walk would have taken some of the limited time available away from praying.
So the call was put out to the community to create our very own Stations of the Cross – and the call was answered.
Families, classes, staff and even our out-of-hours care provider, Sydney Catholic Early Childhood Services Kingsgrove volunteered.
The result is fourteen beautiful canvases that can be utilised for years to come. The families created the artwork together, with the stimulus being time to talk as a family.
The stations were allocated randomly and a bible verse was sent home with a canvas to create a focal point for discussion.
The results are amazing and truly beautiful, the attention to detail and the creativity displayed by our families are truly inspiring.
We now have a set of Stations of the Cross that can be utilised, not only at Lent but for storytelling and prayer all throughout the liturgical year.
The children and their families now gather on Wednesday mornings to discover the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross.
The prayers are adapted to the understanding of each year level to enable the students to enjoy the journey and not be frightened by it.
Ultimately, we want the children to understand the immense love God has for them, He died for them, He forgives all their mistakes and He will always love them. There is no greater message for our children to learn as the basis of their faith.
A booklet has been created with the artwork and prayers so that families may continue this beautiful practice of praying the Stations of the Cross together at home.
Judith Kennedy is a Family Educator at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School Kingsgrove