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A prayer of blessing is one that calls on God’s power to care for a person, place, thing, or undertaking. In praying a prayer of blessing, we ask for God’s presence, goodness, and protection in the lives of those for whom the prayer is intended. When we pray, “Blessed be God forever,” we declare that God is the source of all blessings. Every blessing acknowledges and praises God's presence and prays for God's gifts for self and others. The start of the school year is a perfect opportunity to teach about and experience prayers of blessing.
Examples of Blessing. Discuss with students about times that they bless themselves e.g. making the sign of the Cross, using holy water, tracing the cross on their foreheads, lips and hearts before listening to the gospel.
Explore blessings from Scripture. Leaders often bless people, especially when getting ready to leave them, e.g., Moses (Deut. 33) and Jesus (Luke:24:50). The First Letter from Peter (1:3-9) has several elements of a blessing prayer beginning with giving thanks and praise to God.
Compose a Blessing Prayer. Invite students to write their own blessing prayers for someone or something, using these elements.
- YOU - begin by addressing God or naming God. For example, “God of new beginnings.”
- WHO - name ‘WHO’ God is for us. For example, “You are our strength and hope.”
- DO - we ask God to bless, to ‘DO’ something, as in “Be with us and bless our studies.”
- THROUGH - We pray to God in and THROUGH Christ, so our prayer concludes with a simple, “Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Bless Your Classroom. Begin with the Sign of the Cross. Lord God, we welcome you to this place and ask you to fill it with your glory. You are our Good Shepherd. We ask your blessings on our studies. We pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Response: Amen.
Students’ tables or desks: Lord Jesus, bless all who work here. Open their minds and hearts to receive the Gospel, and fill their hearts with your Holy Spirit.
Response: Blessed be God forever.
Teacher’s desk: Divine Teacher, bless our teacher with wisdom and patience. We thank you for her/his knowledge and care for us.
Response: Blessed be God forever.
Classroom prayer table: Heavenly Father, we dedicate our prayer table to you. Inspire us to pray always.
Response: Blessed be God forever.
Books and computers: Loving God, bless all of our books and study materials. May they be a source of light for our minds and hearts.
Response: Blessed be God forever.
Back to School Blessing Resources. Look for more prayers and guidance at https://store.rclbenziger.com/content/back-school.
Explore More Prayer Forms. Your Blest Are We Faith in Action Teacher Edition includes a section dedicated to Catholic prayer practices, following the Table of Contents.
About the AuthorDr. Lauri Przybysz specializes in equipping families to live their vocation to be domestic churches and signs of God’s love. Lauri received the Doctor of Ministry from the Catholic University of America, and she has been both a Catholic middle school religion teacher and a faith formation coordinator at the archdiocesan and parish levels. She is the mother of six children and grandmother of 21.
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Catholic Prayers and Practices
This small book, Catholic Prayers and Practices including The Order of Mass, contains traditional practices and prayers that unite us as Catholics. It is designed to support you in your faith life, and it can assist you in helping the younger members of our Church learn, grow and live as active members of the Catholic community.
This resource can be used for private, family, or communal prayer. The Order of Mass section incorporates the language of the revised Roman Missal. Share the faith by giving copies of this book to others. In this way, you are sharing in the ministry of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who called us to be his disciples and to share the Good News with all people.