intercession Archives - Catechist's Journey

Pop-Up Catechesis: A Walk Through the Mass—The Prayer of the Faithful

We continue our Pop-Up Catechesis series, A Walk Through the Mass, as we explore the Prayer of the Faithful. When my kids were little, one of their favorite movies was Ghostbusters. Of course, the movie spawned a hit song of the same name with the famous line: “Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!” The question implies that there is one and only one answer; of course you’re gonna call the Ghostbusters “if there’s something weird and it don’t look […]

Pop-Up Catechesis: “I’ll Light a Candle for You”

Joe Paprocki

In today’s episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we look at the notion of intercessory prayer (praying for the needs of others) and how, for Catholics, it often involves the outward sign of lighting a candle for the person for whom we are praying. For more information about intercessory prayer, check out the following: Forming Children and Youth for Mass: Intercessory Prayer Drafting Prayers of Intercession Helping Young People Write Intercessions Faithful Uphold the Quiet Tradition of […]

Share Prayer: Breaking the Culture of Silence

Julianne Stanz

Pope Francis has spoken many times of the value and power of intercessory prayer in Christian life. “When evangelizers rise from prayer, their hearts are more open; freed of self-absorption, they are desirous of doing good and sharing their lives with others.” (The Joy of the Gospel #28) Have you ever run into someone who asked you to pray for him or her? Did you take the time at that moment to stop what you […]

Forming Children and Youth for the Mass, Part 4: Intercessory Prayer

Joyce Donahue

This is the fourth article in a series about forming children for active participation in the Mass. In the Universal Prayer or Prayer of the Faithful at Mass (formerly called the General Intercessions), the people claim their baptismal priesthood “by offering prayers for the salvation of all.” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 69) How can we help children and youth growing up in a culture that focuses on “me first” to understand and join […]

Year of Faith Retreat – Week 4, Day 3: In the Mood (Forms of Prayer, Part II)

Joe Paprocki

WEEK FOUR: Prayer DAY 3: In the Mood (Forms of Prayer, Part II) During the “Big Band” era of the 1940s, bandleader Glenn Miller topped the charts with his #1 hit “In the Mood.” While appearing well before the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the title of the song is, of course, highly suggestive. In the mood for WHAT? Intimacy, of course. That should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the history of the […]