Embracing creation and praying for peace

Sr Susan with local pupils

By Sr Susan Richert:

Living next to a Catholic Primary is a never ending source of awe and wonder.  St. Joseph’s Primary school, Shirebrook, in Nottinghamshire, is a busy, exciting place to learn with so many happenings.  During the season of Creation, the pupils came over to our garden to do some ‘capacitar’ wellness exercises – based on care for creation. They had time to get close to nature and the chance to see tomatoes on the vine, cucumbers growing huge, bees having lunch on the lavender, what happens when a plant is not watered and to watch helicopter seeds falling off the trees.

They also decorated the window sills in the church – showing what God created on each day. They have now created a huge rosary on the sanctuary carpet. They gather there also for Exposition and time with the Lord in their own hearts.

Going into school and leading ‘stillness’ sessions with them and different ways of praying is a humbling experience.

Breakfast club is a chance to catch up with the children’s gossip and what they did over the weekend. Conversations range from a five year old explaining to me the importance of caring for our common home by picking up rubbish, to mummy’s baby seeming to take a long time coming. When asked when did Mummy say it would come, I was assured it was after Christmas and anyway it’s a boy!! They have their breakfast and wash up after themselves. They show me the various pictures they have drawn or what they are playing with and why.

On Monday, October 7th, the school responded to the request of Pope Francis to pray for peace on this Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. The pupils gathered in the hall sitting in circles around a focus.

The older children wrote a prayer on a dove and the little ones decorated a dove.

Having thought about the meaning of peace, some of the older  children led everyone else in prayer. We prayed some of the rosary in the hall and then they waved their doves while chanting peace.  The doves were then taken to St. Philip Neri Church in Mansfield where there was Exposition, Rosary and Mass for Peace.

On the doves were written prayers such as  –

God, please help us to create more peace with each other.

Can we have peace? How could it be? Let’s stop the wars and shooting for Our Father

God please help other people to stop wars

Please help me to use kind words

Peace means to be calm, quiet or maybe be still and feel living in harmony with others and supporting others who need it

God please help me to create world peace