Go-to book for busy school chaplains

'I need to find just the right prayer for this school ceremony-and quickly!'

The new school year is underway and with it, for the busy Chaplain of schools with a religious ethos, a plethora of liturgies, masses and services for the numerous events that punctuate and often define the academic year. Some are anticipated and planned for well in advance; however, many teachers will recall the impromptu and unexpected school or class gathering that calls for a particular or specific reflection or prayer at short notice. Wouldn't it be helpful to have a single source of material for these diverse occasions when all eyes turn to the presider for a ceremony suitable for the moment?

So thought Gráinne Delaney, chaplain in a Jesuit school for over 20 years, where school gatherings are common and always prefaced with prayer. She set about collating a selection of different prayers she has written over the years to suit certain moments in the school year, or a particular moment in time. Occasional Prayers for the School Year is the result: a "go to" for people who lead prayer, who provide calm and stillness for others but may have felt frantic in 'finding the right piece.'

An ideal resource for busy teachers, chaplains or anyone who often reaches for a prayer or service, but finds themselves grabbing material from many different sources, the author has also included a couple of poems from young people as an example of how they continue to inspire her.

Grainne Delaney received a Bachelor of Religious Science with History from Mater Dei Institute of Education. Her role as Chaplain in Crescent College Comprehensive SJ has fostered her interest in Faith Formation.

Occasional Prayers for the School Year by Gráinne Delaney is published in Ireland and the UK by Messenger Publications. Priced at €12.95/£11.95

LINK

Occasional Prayers for the School Year - www.messenger.ie/product/occasional-prayers-for-the-school-year/