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May 16, 2008: Prayer Before School Day, 10 Yr Old to Use ‘Make-A-Wish’ on Others, Pope Prayer for Chinese Catholics

May 16th, 2008 · No Comments

Christian news articles for the day include: a school prayer club whose members pray before the first bell rings, a 10 year old in remission from leukemia who would like like to use her Make-A-Wish Foundation “wish” to help others, and a prayer for Chinese Catholics from the Pope. On to the links…

Students at Ballou Senior High School have joined a club to pray before school starts.

“When you wake in the morning and are mad and you are upset, you can come in and have some Gospel and some prayer, and have a happy day,” said LaShell Frye, 17, an honors student who took part in the first gathering of the group last month.

The prayer club is completely in the hands of students — they organize and run it.

Ballou Principal Karen Smith said,

“My hope is that the students will think that this is an opportunity to come together and focus on something positive as the beginning of their school day,”

She does, however, ensure it ends before the first school bell rings. This must read article is found at Bible, Breakfast Start the School Day at D.C.’s Ballou.

10 year old Marisa Monbrod, whose leukemia is in remission, plans to use her wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation to help others. She and her family plan to pack up a rented RV and journey to the Appalachian region of West Virginia. Why? To share supplies and their faith with those less fortunate.

Find out more about Marisa and how you can help by visiting Marisa’s wish.

Pope Benedict XVI had a special prayer released for Catholics in China and asked that they “continue to believe, to hope, to love,” despite their hardships. The Catholic News Service has provided the prayer in English.

Prayer to Our Lady of Sheshan

Virgin Most Holy, mother of the Incarnate Word and our mother,

venerated in the shrine of Sheshan under the title “Help of Christians,”

the entire church in China looks to you with devout affection.

We come before you today to implore your protection.

Look upon the people of God and, with a mother’s care, guide them

along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be

a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.

When you obediently said “Yes” in the house of Nazareth,

you allowed God’s eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb

and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption.

You willingly and generously cooperated in that work,

allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul,

until the supreme hour of the cross, when you kept watch on Calvary,

standing beside your Son, who died that we might live.

From that moment, you became, in a new way,

the mother of all those who receive your son Jesus in faith

and choose to follow in his footsteps by taking up his cross.

Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed

with unfailing trust toward the dawn of Easter.

Grant that your children may discern at all times,

even those that are darkest, the signs of God’s loving presence.

Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China,

who, amid their daily trials, continue to believe, to hope, to love.

May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world,

and of the world to Jesus.

In the statue overlooking the shrine you lift your son on high,

offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love.

Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love,

ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the church is built.

Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and forever. Amen!

That’s it for this week. Have a safe and blessed weekend, and see you Monday!

Tags: Christian News Summaries · Featured · Pope Benedict