A pop-up prayer space at Immaculate Heart of Mary School at Brompton has helped children to pray in creative and reflective ways.
The prayer space was created for Catholic Education Week and was based on ideas from www.prayerspacesinschools.com
All children from Reception to Year 7 at Immaculate Heart of Mary were invited to enter the space and make their way around the reflective stations. Each station had a different theme. Students were invited to make:
A strength of the pop-up prayer spaces was the way they encouraged children to create their own personal prayers.
“They supported our Catholic tradition and at the same time gave an invitation to children of all faith traditions to engage with an open heart,” said Lisa McCormick, Assistant Principal.
“The children came in a class at a time and were free to wander and explore each prayer space.”
Some prayers were outward looking - one space invited children to write prayers for the world on post it notes.
In contrast, another space invited children to look into a mirror and reflect on their own self-image. Students were invited to consider the possibility that they have been made by a God who loves them just the way they are.
Meanwhile, outside in a courtyard, a trampoline invited children to be thankful and literally “jump for joy.”
It was great to see the way students connected with the space. The experiential nature of the prayer spaces saw children engaged and thoughtful.
Reception students who join a 2024 mid-year intake at a Diocesan Catholic school will get free tuition in Terms 3 and 4.
