Whether you are doing child catechesis or adult catechesis, it is crucial to establish a climate of prayer and one of the most effective ways of doing this is by setting up a prayer table. People ask me where they can get the objects they need for a prayer table and I thought I had posted on that sometime ago but I guess I was dreaming! So here are some suggestions for purchasing objects for your prayer table without breaking the bank. (Check first with your catechetical leader; he or she may have some of these materials or can find them locally cheaper). By all means, shop around for best prices! If you have recommendations of your own, please DO send them along with a link (use the Leave a Reply box below!) so that we can share.
Bible for Enthronement (there are cheaper Bibles but this is nice for display – enthronement)
prayer cloths (I recommend green, purple, and white)
P
yrex bowl with tight seal lid for holy water
Lightweight 15 quart storage container
(in which you can store all of the above!)
All of the above would cost a total of less than $75 which is not a bad investment (or act of stewardship) if you plan to serve as a catechist for a while. Again, check with your catechetical leader: he or she may reimburse you. Of course, if you purchase them yourself, you can use these objects to arrange a prayer table in your home when they’re not needed for catechesis!
I have great luck at thrift shops and garage sales for prayer items! Especially cloths and statues.
You can also ask older parishioners. I get a lot of people wanting to donate extra stuff they have gathered over the years.
Good idea, Kellie!
In addition to the items Joe mentioned, we also used a coffee can usually decorated for the liturgical season (last year we started with “Open the Door of Faith” theme) and matching prayer slips – the students wrote their intentions/prayer requests on the slips and put them in the can (we called it our “God Can”) before we started the all-class Prayer Service.
Nice idea, Mary!
Joe, you mentioned (in a session I attended) a gospel bookmark with the responses for readers (e.g. “The word of the Lord,” etc.). Where did you find this? I haven’t had any luck. By the way, I tried your procession idea this week. It was a huge success. Thanks, Ned.
That’s great Ned! Glad to hear it. What grade level?
I made the bookmark myself. I’ll see if I can find the file and email it to you.
Ned, you can find that bookmark in this post:
https://catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com/2012/09/getting-ready-for-my-first-session-with-sixth-graders/
It’s called Proclaiming God’s Word bookmark