Catholic Schools Week is upon us (Lutheran Schools Week is here as well) and I am SO excited to share a freebie with you today that fans of my classroom have been begging for – an adorable, personalized prayer to print, frame and place in your classroom prayer space. I originally created this simple little print as a quick prayer and decor item for my classroom in the fall of 2013. When I revealed my new classroom design on the blog, several fans caught sight of my little print and wondered if it was for sale. I am happy to a share a free editable version of the prayer with you today!
The Story Behind the Print
The best inspiration is drawn from our personal experiences and this little printable prayer has quite a story behind it! In the spring of 2013, my parish purchased a new building to house our beloved St. Mary School. We were in desperate need of a new building and this was the answer to our prayers! Unfortunately, while the building was functional at one time, it was not move-in ready and there seemed to be infinite hurdles standing in the way of us officially opening our doors by August of the same year. Dozens of contractors and countless volunteers were in our school round the clock that summer desperate to get everything ready for students.
Something you would only see in a Catholic School!
A photo posted by Maria Manore (@kindercraze) on
Behind the scenes, my parish pastor, principal and custodial engineer tirelessly worked their way through a seemlingly-endless bureaucratic maze of red tape and phone calls to school authorities in Lansing. I’m telling you, it was awful and incredibly stressful for the three of them. Especially when it was announced that we would not be able to open our doors in time for the first day of school. Instead, we held our first two days of school off-site at our former building (which had no furniture or supplies.) I think the day administration realized that it was simply not possible to open our school on time was one of the most heartbreaking moments in their careers. They had done everything right to create a safe environment for the students and followed all state protocols in a timely manner, but circumstances were simply beyond their control.
Needless to say, our three fearless leaders did not give up in the face of adversity. They just worked harder to get everything accomplished in a timely manner (and probably placed a few sternly worded phone calls as well). On our third day of school, the students finally stepped foot into their new school and classrooms.
That is why each morning when my students gather for prayer; we take a moment to pray for Father Mike, Mrs. Miscavish and Mr. Mario; in addition to our wonderful school.
You can download a FREE editable version of this prayer to print and frame for your own classroom from my TpT store. More photos of my kindergarten classroom can be found in this blog post and information about my picture frames can be found here. You can also download a FREE “Let the Children Come to Me” print in this blog post.
My students love gathering for prayer together in the morning and we never skip our little “God Bless” prayer. I have even heard stories from parents of some children reciting this little prayer chant before they go to bed at night. How precious is that?!?
Happy Catholic Schools Week, everyone!
9 Responses
This prayer is so sweet. I want to share a prayer a co-teacher wrote for recess: Dear Jesus, this we pray, keep us safe while we play. Let us be kind to one another, for we are all sisters and brothers. Amen. My peeps just love this prayer and if I forget they are sure to remind me we need to pray it before recess.
Aw, I love that sweet little prayer. What a great idea to pray before recess.
Beautiful! Thanks so much for sharing. 🙂
I love your “Let the Little Children Come to Me” sign too!
You are very welcome! I’m so happy that the signs are useful to you!
Hi! Where can I find the “Let the Little Children Come to Me” sign?
Thanks!!!!
Hi MaryAnn! You can find a free download of the “Let the Children Come to Me” print in this blog post: https://kindercraze.com/2013/09/2013-classroom-reveal-at-last/ Enjoy!
Where did you find the frames for you classroom rules? I clicked on the link on how you made them, but it is no longer a good link.
Thank you!
I also teach at a Catholic School-God Bless you, your faculty and staff, and your families for believing in Catholic Education.
Can you tell me more about your “God Bless Our Class” Booklet on the table? Thanks for the wonderful prayer idea.
Shelley
Hi Shelley,
I will TRY really hard to write a blog post about that book soon. Basically, each child got a blank page that says “God Bless____” They added their name and a photo and its a great easy book for kids to read at the beginning of the school year.