Get to the heart of prayer with this prayer prompt.
SARA JONCKHEERE
Pope Francis gave us a simple way to pray for five different categories of people by using our five fingers as a reminder. (See CATmag.us/2DAk2gM) This craft helps to simplify it even more by creating gloves students can wear to remind them who they are supposed to pray for on each finger.
Supplies Needed
■ White gloves
■ Puffy paint*
*You could use fabric markers instead of paint, but they tend to bleed and make it hard to
write in a small space legibly.
Assemble
1. Lay the glove flat, with the thumb closest to you. Pick a color of puffy paint and write the word you on the pinky finger.
2. On the ring finger, select another color of paint and write the word sick. Next, write the word leaders on the third finger.
3. On the index finger, write the words teach & heal with the paint.
4. Finally, on the thumb, write the words close to you.
5. Let the gloves dry overnight.
Using the five-finger prayer gloves
■ Either make a class set of these gloves (if you plan to pray together as a class), or make a few of them so students can grab a glove if they choose to pray this prayer.
■ Have students slide the gloves on so they can still read the words. They will start with their thumb, read the reminder words, and silently start their prayer. The thumb is the closest finger to you, so it reminds us to pray for those who are closest to us.
■ On the index finger, they will see the reminder words teach & heal. Students will pray for
those who teach them (teachers at school and at church, coaches, etc.) and heal them (doctors and nurses).
■ As they move to the third finger, they will see the reminder word leaders. Students will pray for leaders, governors, and those who have authority. Don’t forget leaders of the Church!
■ Next, they will use the weakest finger, the ring finger, and see the reminder word sick. Students will use this time to pray for the weak, the sick, and those with problems who need our prayers.
■ Finally, students will see the word you on their pinky finger. This should remind them that they pray for the other four groups first and focus on themselves and their needs last.
Ideas for younger students
■ Pray this together as a class.
■ Create posters for the different categories to help remind students who they are praying
for. Pictures would be especially helpful for little ones.
Ideas for older students
■ Have students research specific leaders they will pray for — who are their local, national, and religious leaders?
■ Students will use the gloves as a reminder, but then write out the specific prayers in a prayer journal.
Let us pray
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for Pope Francis and his gift of simplifying prayer with the use of our hands. Amen.
Sara Jonckheere, MA, is an elementary school teacher turned work-at-home mom. Creating digital curriculum and resources, she shares teaching ideas at SaraJCreations.com.
This article was originally published in Catechist magazine, January 2019
PHOTOS: SARA JONCKHEERE
