“Helping Hands” Prayer Service
Preparation:
Every Christian is a missionary. We are all called by God to make a
difference, no matter how small. Ask each child to cut out and colour the
“helping hand” in the resource book. Older children might like to draw an
image of a good deed they did for somebody else!
Globe or Map of the World, display of all the helping hands, five coloured
candles – one red, one green, one yellow, one white and one blue, Mission
Rosary Beads, and a Bible opened at Luke 21:1-4 or Mark 12:41-44
Focal Point:
Entrance Hymn:
Connected (Alive 06 & Grow in Love)
Gathering Together
Leader:
All:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen
Leader:
We are gathered together today to celebrate the National Day of Prayer for
Children all over the world. Today we celebrate in a special way all the different
ways we can lend each other a helping hand at home here in Ireland and all
around the world. In our prayers today we remember:
Child
Child
Child
Child
Child
The
The
The
The
The
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
children of Africa (place green candle beside globe)
children of Asia (place yellow candle beside globe)
children of Europe (place white candle beside globe)
children of Oceania (place blue candle beside globe)
children of the Americas (place red candle beside globe)
Hymn:
Circle of Friends (Alive 08 & Grow in Love)
Reading:
The Widow Gave All She Had
Luke 21:1-4 and Mark 21:41-44 (taken from Grow in Love, First Class, p.72)
One day, Jesus and his friends went to visit the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus had
been there many times before. Once, when he was a little boy, he spent three
days in the temple talking to the teachers. Mary and his Joseph did not know
where he was and they were very worried about him. Every time Jesus came to
the temple, he remembered the day that Mary and Joseph found him there. As
Jesus walked into the temple on this particular day, he looked around. He could
see many people who were very rich. They were wearing expensive clothes and
they were followed by servants. Jesus watched as these people dropped money
into a box. The money was to help people who were poor. Then, an old widow
came along. She was small and stooped over, leaning on a wooden stick. Jesus
could tell by looking at her that she didn’t have very much. She looked tired and
hungry. He watched as the woman walked slowly up to the box. He saw her drop
in two little brown coins, which were worth a few cents or pennies. Jesus called
his friends together and told them what had happened. “This poor widow,” he
said, “put more in the box than all the others.” Jesus’ friends were confused.
They did not know what he meant. Jesus explained: “The other people put in
what they had to spare but she, poor as she is, put in all she had.”
Our Prayers
Child 1:
All:
Child 2:
All:
Child 3:
All:
Child 4:
All:
Leader:
Lord, help us to help others, like the poor widow in our reading today. She used
her helping hands to share all that she had with someone who needed it more.
Lord, help us to help others
Lord, help us to help others by using our hands in prayer. We pray for children
who live in countries where there is war, dangerous weather, famine, or poverty.
Lord, help us to help others
Lord, help us to help others who are sick. We pray for those who use their
hands to help children in the world that are sick; the missionaries who bring
medicines, bring healing, bring love and care.
Lord, help us to help others
Lord, help us to help others who come to our country. May our hands reach out
in friendship and love to children who are being bullied or lonely and miss their
own homes.
Lord, help us to help others
Let us use our helping hands to share a sign of peace with each other and as a
sign of friendship with children everywhere!
Closing Prayer
Leader:
As we finish our prayer service today, let us say together our Mission Prayer for
all children everywhere:
May all children
In the world
Share love
Share friendship and live
In the peace
Of God’s love
Now and forever, Amen
Closing Hymn:
Go Tell Everyone!
Mass to Celebrate
The National Day of Prayer for Children
“Helping Children in Need”
Today we are thinking about helping those just like Jesus helped others. We show our love
for Jesus and for others when we help each other. We try to help by our prayers and by
being generous enough to share what we have.
First Prayer
God our Father, you have given us many good gifts. Help us to show concern for children in
need; help us to do all we can and to share our good things with them. We ask this through
Jesus, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in unity with the Holy Spirit, one God forever
and ever. Amen.
First Reading (Isaiah 58:3-4,7-8)
This reading comes from the book of a wise man call Isaiah. He tells us that God wants us to
help the poor and the hungry, so that the world can be full of his goodness and love.
God says:
Remember,
You must share things.
You must feed the hungry and get houses for the poor people, and buy clothes for people
who haven’t got enough.
If you do this, you will make the whole world bright.
You will be like the sun that fills the sky with light each morning.
The Word of the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm (Ps 71:12-14,18-19)
God our Father wants us to know that he doesn’t forget the poor. He will take care of those
who cannot help themselves.
Response: Never forget what the Lord has done.
God will remember the poor when they cry.
He will never forget them.
He will take care of the weak.
He will take care of the helpless.
Response: Never forget what the Lord has done.
God is loving and he is kind.
He will remember them.
He will not forget them when they are in danger.
Response: Never forget what the Lord has done.
God will not leave them to die of starvation, for he loves them too much.
Blessed be God.
He can work wonders.
Let the whole world be full of his goodness and love!
Response: Never forget what the Lord has done.
Second Reading (Romans 8:16-20)
In this reading St Paul tells us that God wants us to work with him and to help each other.
The world is a place where God works for all that is worthwhile, alongside those who love.
We are workers for God. This is what he is calling us to be. The earth itself is being spoilt
by the way people live. It is waiting for the time when the people who live on it will live, not
as they do now, but as members of God’s family, with mercy and gentleness, sharing it
together.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, Alleluia,
“Go help everyone, everywhere, to follow me,” says the Lord.
Alleluia.
Gospel Reading The Widow Gave All She Had
Luke 21:1-4 and Mark 21:41-44 (see Grow in Love, First Class, p.72)
One day, Jesus and his friends went to visit the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus had been there
many times before. Once, when he was a little boy, he spent three days in the temple talking
to the teachers. Mary and Joseph did not know where he was and they were very worried
about him. Every time Jesus came to the temple, he remembered the day that Mary and
Joseph found him there.
As Jesus walked into the temple on this particular day, he looked around. He could see many
people who were very rich. They were wearing expensive clothes and they were followed by
servants. Jesus watched as these people dropped money into a box. The money was to help
people who were poor. Then, an old widow came along. She was small and stooped over,
leaning on a wooden stick. Jesus could tell by looking at her that she didn’t have very much.
She looked tired and hungry. He watched as the woman walked slowly up to the box. He saw
her drop in two little brown coins, where were worth a few cents or pennies.
Jesus called his friends together and told them what had happened. “This poor widow,” he
said, “put more in the box than all the others.” Jesus’ friends were confused. They did not
know what he meant. Jesus explained: “The other people put in what they had to spare but
she, poor as she is, put in all she had.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Prayer of the Faithful
God our Father, we come to you today with our own needs and the needs of children
everywhere.
1. We pray for children who are hungry. Give them the food and drink they need today.
Lord hear us. Lord graciously hear us.
2. We pray for children who are cold. Give them clothes and warmth today.
Lord hear us. Lord graciously hear us.
3. We pray for children who are sick. Give them comfort and healing today.
Lord hear us. Lord graciously hear us.
4. We pray for children who are frightened. Give them love and peace today.
Lord hear us. Lord graciously hear us.
5. We pray for children who are lonely. Give them happiness and friendship today.
Lord hear us. Lord graciously hear us.
6. We pray for people everywhere, at home and all over the world, who work with
children and who lovingly care for them. Give them the help and strength they need.
Lord hear us. Lord graciously hear us.
Preparation of the Gifts
1. We bring a globe (map of the world). Today we remember the children of Africa, the
children of Asia, the children of Europe, the children of Oceania, and the children of
the Americas.
2. We bring our mission box. We do without things we like, so that we can give to others.
3. We bring some of our helping hands. These represent all the different ways we can
help children in need.
Second Prayer
God our Father, we bring ourselves to you with our gifts of bread and wine. May we grow in
your love by sharing, and by helping children in need. We ask this through Jesus, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
Prayer After Communion
Let us finish by saying the prayer of Missionary Children together.
May all children
In the world
Share love
Share friendship and live
In the peace
Of God’s love
Now and forever, Amen
Final Blessing
Go in peace, to love God and to help children in need.
Suggested Hymns for Mass:
Connected, Circle of Friends, We Come to You Lord Jesus, and Go Tell Everyone
Adapted from the book Fifty Masses with Children by Sr. Francesca Kelly, Columba Press
is especially important as it reminds us to pray for children
all around the world
Follow the beads to say the rosary.
We start with the first bead and say the Our Father.
On the next three beads we say the Hail Mary.
On the fourth bead we say a Glory Be.
We then follow this pattern:
Our Father, ten Hail Marys, and a Glory Be, all the way around the rosary until we
get back to the yellow bead.
At the beginning of each decade say the corresponding prayer below first.
Our first colour is GREEN which stands for the children in AFRICA:
Let us pray for all the children of Africa and all the missionaries working there. Let their work
be helpful to all. Let us pray for an end to all fighting and for the Church to grow.
Our second colour is RED for the children in THE AMERICAS:
Let us pray for the children of the Americas and all the missionaries working there. Let us try
each day to find a new way to help others and show that we love all people.
Our third colour is WHITE which is for the children in EUROPE:
Let us pray for the children of Europe and all the missionaries working there. We pray that
Christians in Europe remain true to Jesus and continue to spread His word.
Our fourth colour is BLUE which is for the children in OCEANIA:
Let us pray for the children of Oceania and all the missionaries working there. Let us also
remember all the Christians in the world, especially those that live in remote areas.
Our fifth colour is YELLOW which is for the children in ASIA:
Let us pray for the children of Asia and all the missionaries working there. Let us also pray for
peace and that we may never forget the poor.
For more information or to order any materials, please contact the
Society of Missionary Children at World Missions Ireland
64 Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6
T: +353 (1) 497 2035 E: [email protected] W: www.wmi.ie
F: missionarychildren.ireland T: @missiochildren
Registered Charity Number: CHY2318