Q: Eleven kids from church also attend my high school. We are thinking of starting a daily prayer meeting. We’re not sure what we should be doing. Any words of wisdom?
A: Man, that is so cool! From what I have seen at schools where prayer groups of Bible studies have been formed there is always a growth in the presence of the Holy Spirit that flows all over the school campus. If you and your friends truly feel called to do this…go for it!
There are a couple of steps I would do first though. You need to get it cleared with someone in your school’s administration, like the principle or somebody and find out what guidelines they would like you to follow. This is kind of important because most public schools are nervous about the whole “separation of Church and State” stuff, but I have found that if they know you will follow there rules they tend to let this kind of prayer stuff fly a bit easier.
I think you also need to leave it open to anybody who want to join you, but don’t lose your identity as a Catholic at prayer. If you ever attended a prayer service held by another religion you can always tell that they are praying the way their tradition has taught them…y’all (pardon my Southern speak) need to let everybody know that you’re Catholic and proud of it. Also, if you can, get a teacher and maybe your youth minister to kind of sponsor your prayer…it looks good to adults if other adults are involved.
I’ll be praying for you.
