Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board

Passion for Prayer Day at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Elementary School

Posted on 06/12/2024

If students learn differently, then maybe they pray differently.

That’s the takeaway from Elementary Religion and Family Life Consultant Carmelina Biundo’s Passion for Prayer Day at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Elementary School.

Biundo came up with the idea for a Passion for Prayer Day several years ago at St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Elementary School after a discussion with her students on personal prayer. She said while the students were familiar with traditional Catholic prayers, they didn’t have much experience with personal prayer.

“I wanted to help my students find a way to make their prayers more meaningful and with intention, in addition to praying our traditional Catholic prayers. It was my hope that exposing them to new forms of personal prayer, that they connect with God on a deeper level,” said Biundo.

As a class, they looked up different ways to pray and shared it with the rest of the school and it was very well received by staff and students. From that day Passion for Prayer Day was born.

This year, Our Lady of Lourdes was able to experience Passion for Prayer Day for the first time, as Biundo introduced the school to the idea as requested by principal Linda Fama and Religion Representative Tanya Flammini-Jones.

The day began with a Liturgy, celebration The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Feast Day and continued with student workshops that included six categories of prayer, designed to meet the individual needs of our students, explained Biundo:

When Faith Meets Technology (Technology and Prayer),
Transformation through Tunes (Musical Prayer),
Prayers in Motion (Active Prayer),
Drawn to Faith (Artistic Prayer),
Touched by Faith (Tactile Prayer), and
Prayers of the Heart (Contemplative Prayer).

Depending on the category of prayer and grade, Biundo created different activities for students to explore. There were 24 different workshops presented throughout the day with each class having the opportunity to explore six workshops that focused on each category of prayer.

Some of those activities on rotation included Classroom Prayeraoke, Don’t forget the Liturgical Lyrics, Bible Origami, “Pray” Dough, Christian Meditation, InstaGod Prayers, and Praise Prayers.

A favourite among the primary students was the workshop “Building Faith Brick by Brick,” which included using Lego to recreate Bible scenes.

Another highlight, Lip-sync Liturgical, invited junior students to create a prayer to the tune of a familiar song, by changing the lyrics.

Regardless of the workshop or prayer category, the purpose of Passion for Prayer is to find new ways to experience God’s loving and powerful presence. “We can use these ways over and over again to bring us closer to God.”

Tifanie Spencer, Designated Early Childhood Educator at Our Lady of Lourdes shared her experience of the day stating:

"I can confidently say our Kindergarten class really enjoyed each of the activities. It was lovely to hear how they connected and who they sent their intentions off too and why. It was also a learning opportunity for us educators to find new and innovative ways to bring prayer/reflection into the classroom. Especially for our youngest learners "pray dough" was amazing and so well received. Thank you again... we definitely felt God's blessings throughout the day!"

The day ended with the entire school gathered in the gym for a celebration of learning, sharing their new prayers through photos and videos. As staff and students watched, it was evident that the prayers of one, became the prayers of all gathered, and together we witnessed the power of prayer.