Praying means talking to God.
Praying means giving your heart to God.
Praying means becoming quiet.
Praying means listening to God.
Praying means thanking Him.
Praying means asking Him, telling Him everything:
all your worries, all your fears,
everything you are pleased about.
Praying also means accepting sadness
and asking God to come also into our difficulties.

('Youcat for Kids' 139)

Deep inside, people have a longing for God.
And God longs for them.
That's why people of all cultures and religions of the earth pray.

As Christians we pray to our Father, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
The Holy Spirit is the inner teacher of Christian prayer.

('Youcat for Kids' 138)

God does not miss a single prayer.
He often fulfils our wishes.
Sometimes however, he does not fulfil our wishes.
Sometimes he does not fulfil them immediately.
Sometimes he gives us something else, which is even better for us, which we only see in hindsight.

Jesus himself encouraged people in the Sermon on the Mount to ask God for everything they need:
"Ask, and it will be given to you; search and you will find;
knock, and the door will be opened to you.
Is there a man among you who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread?" (Mt 7:7.9)

('Youcat for Kids' 143)

Father in heaven, you love me,
You’re with me night and day.
I want to love you always
In all, I do and say.
I’ll try to please you, Father,
Bless me through the day. Amen

God, our Father,
I come to say Thank you for your love today.
Thank you for my family,
And all the friends you give to me.
Guard me through the dark of night,
And in the morning, send you light. Amen

Bless us, O Lord, as we sit together.
Bless the food we eat today.
Bless the hands that made this food.
Bless us, O lord. Amen

God, my Creator,
just as you once placed me into my parent's arms,
so today I place my parents and their ways into your arms.
I thank you for their lives.
I thank you for their love.
I ask you to bless them forever and always.

Amen

Dear God,
I bring before you my friends.
Protect them from all evil
and guide them safely on their journey.

Strengthen our hearts,
bless our friendship,
guide our steps,
and let us remain in your love.

Amen

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name;
Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.

Ár n-Athair Ár n-Athair atá ar neamh,
Go naofar d'ainim,
Go dtagfadh do ríocht,
Go ndéantar do thoil ar an talamh mar a dhéantar ar neamh.
Ár n-arán laethúil tabhair dúinn inniu,
agus maith dúinn ár bhfiacha mar a mhaithimidne dár bhféichiúna féin
Ach ná lig sinn i gcathú, ach saor sinn ó olc.

Amen

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now, and at the hour of death.
Amen.

Sé do bheath' a Mhuire,
atá lán de ghrásta, tá an Tiarna leat.
Is beannaithe thú idir mná
agus is beannaithe toradh do bhruinne losa.
A Naomh Mhuire, a mháthair Dé,
guí orainn na peacaithe, anois is ar uair ar mbás.

Amen.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning,
is now,
and ever shall be,
World without end.

Amen

Glóir don Athair,
agus don Mhac,
agus don Spiorad Naomh.

Mar a bhí ar dtús,
mar atá fós,
agus mar a bheidh go brách,
le saol na saol.

Amen

The Pope is the successor of St Peter.
To him Jesus said:
"You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church...I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth, shall be considered loosed in heaven." (Mt 16:18-19)

That is why he is the first among all bishops and the representative of Christ on earth."

('Youcat for Kids' 94)

Saints are people who are aflame with the Holy Spirit; they keep God's fire burning in the Church.
God calls us all to be Saints. The purpose of our life is to be united with God in love and to correspond entirely to God's wishes.
We can pray to the saints in heaven to intercede for us, or pray on our behalf to God.

('Youcat' 342,497)

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of God.
The Gospel of Luke tells us that the Angel Gabriel appeared to her to tell her she would give birth to a son.   The angel told Mary that she should call her son Jesus. The angel also said that Jesus would save people from their sins.

Watch a video on St Mary here:

St Joseph was the husband of Mary, mother of Jesus. He worked as a carpenter and was known as a good man. He is known as the patron saint of workers and of fathers.

Watch a video on St Joseph here:

St Peter the fisherman is both a Saint and a Pope.
He was the first Pope of the Church appointed by Jesus Himself.

Watch a video on St Peter here:

Pope Francis is the leader of the Catholic Church today. He was elected as the 266th Pope by the Cardinals in 2013. He visited Ireland for the World Meeting of Families in 2018.

Pope Francis says: "An 8-year-old boy from Canada once asked me the question: 'What did God do before he created the world?'
I thought about it then replied:
Before God created anything he loved. That's what he did, he loved.
God always loves. When he created the world, then, he didn't do anything else except love."

('Youcat for Kids')

Here's how you can also pray Pope Francis' 5 finger prayer:

Pope John Paul II was the Pope from 1978 until 2005.
He was the first ever Pope to visit Ireland in 1979.
Pope Francis declared him a Saint in 2014.

You can watch a video about Pope Saint John Paul II here:

Mother Theresa was a holy woman to devoted her life to helping the poor in  Kolkata India.

She says: "My secret is a very simple one: I pray. I love prayer. The urge to pray is always present in me. Prayer enlarges the heart until it is capable of containing God's gift of Himself. If you want to pray better, pray more."

Saint Therese of Lisieux was a French Catholic who wanted to devote her life to praying to God, she was the youngest of nine children. Her parents are Saints Louis and Zelie Martin. She became a Carmelite nun at an early age and became famous for her “Little Way.”  She spoke not of doing great things, but of small things with great love.

Here's what she said about prayer:
"For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy."

('Youcat for Kids' 147)

St Don Bosco is the Patron Saint of young people.
From the time he was a young boy, he dreamed of being a priest. He came from a very poor family and he helped work on the farm growing up. When he got older, he earned doing various jobs and so he was able to finish school and enter the seminary.
Don Bosco spent his life in service to poor young people in Italy.

St Patrick  is the patron Saint of Ireland, he was a 5th century missionary who brought Christianity to the Irish.
He used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.

Watch a video on the story of St Patrick here:

St Bernadette was a young girl when the Virgin Mary appeared to her in her hometown of Lourdes, France. She later became a nun with the Sisters of Charity in Nevers.
Today, millions of people go to Lourdes to visit the site where the Virgin Mary appeared to Bernadette.

Watch a video about the story of St Bernadette here:

Saint Francis of Assisi is the founder of the Franciscan order of friars. He is the patron saint of animals & the environment. Although he grew up in a wealthy family, he gave up his wealth for God and lived in poverty.

Watch a video on St Francis here:

St Thomas Aquinas was a priest in Italy in the 13th century. He is remembered as one of the greatest philosophers and theologians of the church and was declared a 'doctor' of the church by Pope Pius V in 1567. He is the patron saint of students & universities.

Watch a video on St Thomas Aquinas here:

St Ignatius of Loyola was a soldier in Spain in the 16th Century.   He spent the early part of his life as a worldly man.  After becoming injured in battle he had only books on the lives of Jesus and the saints to read. This reading moved him deeply and filled him with the desire to serve God.

Watch a video on St Ignatius here:

Vincent de Paul was born on April 24, 1581, in  France. He established hospitals and associations of laywomen who fed and nursed the sick and poor.

Watch the story of St Vincent de Paul here:

St Anthony of Padua was a Francian Priest from Portugal.  He is the Patron Saint of lost or stolen things.

Watch the Story of St Anthony here:

Communion is a Latin word and means 'community'.
When we receive the body of the Lord,
a Holy Communion is established between Him and us.

('Youcat for Kids' 78)

The Holy Eucharist is a sacrament, in which Jesus Christ gives Himself to us. The word Eucharist means 'Thanksgiving'.
In the Eucharist we receive His body and blood.
By eating and drinking Him, we become the Body of Christ,
that is, the Church.

Because Jesus is in all those who receive Him, we belong together:
Like siblings or best friends,
like a big family.

('Youcat for kids' 74)

Watch a video on the Eucharist here:

We Gather - We gather together as God's family just as Jesus taught us - "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them." (Mat 18:20)

We Listen - We listen to readings from the scriptures proclaimed by ministers of the word. The priest then reads the Gospel and gives a homily, explaining God's word to us.

We Celebrate - The gifts of bread and wine are brought to the altar and we celebrate the liturgy of the Eucharist. We receive the Eucharist after praying the words of the Centurion from the Gospel: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

We Go Forth - At the end of mass the priest offers us a blessing and we go in peace.

Watch a video on the mass here:

The evening before He died for us all,
Jesus held a last supper with his disciples.
He offered them bread and wine and spoke these words:
'This is my body...This is my blood.'

In the Mass the priest repeats exactly those words over the bread and wine.
Through the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine become Jesus's body and blood.

('Youcat for Kids' 75)

Watch a video on the real presence here:

We know this won't always be easy. There's always some reason for not going to mass: a football game, training, shopping, rehearsal, a trip to the seaside.
But can you promise to try and keep part of your Sunday for God and His family by going to mass and sharing in the Bread of Life?
You will need Mammy and Daddy's help here.

('Thumb book' 29)

At school you will continue to learn more about Jesus and about what it means to be a member of God's family. Take time to talk to your parents about what you have learned at home.

You can also learn more about Jesus by listening at mass.

Why not watch some of the videos on this page to learn more too!

('Thumb book' 29)

Jesus will always be your friend, but like all our friends we need to stay in touch with Him.

How? - We can do this by continuing to spend time with Him in prayer at home.

('Thumb book' 29)

We all do things that we need to say sorry for.
When you celebrate the Sacrament of Penance (confession), you ask God to forgive you for the times when you were not as good as you might have been.
This helps you get ready to share in the Bread of Life.

('Thumb book' 29)

A Kid's Guide To The Sacrament Of Penance

Oh My God,
I thank you for loving me.
I'm sorry for all my sins.
For not loving others and not loving you.
Help me to live like Jesus and not sin again.

Amen

Why not make your own Altar at home!

Use a white sheet, towel or pillow case to cover the tabletop.
Find a statue of your favorite saint and a cross or crucifix.
With your parents help maybe you could also light a candle.

A 'Home Altar' can be the place you go to pray when you are at home.

We use Rosary beads to follow the Rosary prayers.
Why not draw you own Rosary and then use them to pray!

Learn how to use your Rosary to pray here:

Click on the Image to open the Holy Communion Crossword Puzzle:

Click on the images to download the picture:

In order to understand Confirmation, we have to speak about the Holy Spirit.
Confirmation is the Sacrament that completes Baptism; in it the gift of the Holy Spirit is bestowed upon us.  At Pentecost, the great birth of the Church, the Holy Spirit came down in wind and flame to transform the Apostles and disciples into great missionaries of the Gospel. We mightn't see wind and flame today but the full power of the Holy Spirit is with us nonetheless and that power will reveal itself over the course of your entire life.

Watch this video to find out more about the Sacrament of Confirmation:

When a coach sends a soccer player onto the playing field, he puts his hand on his shoulder and gives him final instructions.
We can understand Confirmation in a similar way. A hand is placed upon us. We step out onto the field of life.
Through the Holy Spirit, we know what we have to do and we have been given the power to do it. He has motivated us. His mission resounds in our ears. We sense his help. We will not betray his trust or disappoint him; we will win the game for him. We just have to want to do it and listen to him.

('Youcat' 203)

Watch more on Confirmation here:

In Confirmation we are imprinted with a permanent seal that can be received only once and marks us forever as a Christian. The gift of the Holy Spirit is the strength from above in which we put the grace our baptism into practice through our life to act as a 'witness' for Christ.

To be confirmed means to make a 'covenant' with God. You say, 'Yes, I believe in you, my God; give me your Holy Spirit, so that I might belong entirely to you and never be separated from you.'
And God says, 'Yes, I believe in you, too, my child and I will give you my Spirit, my very self. I will belong entirely to you. I will never separate myself from you.  I will be in your body and your soul, in your words and deeds. Even if you forget me, I will still be there - on good days and bad.'

('Youcat' 205)

Find out more here:

Confirmation is administered by the Bishop as a successor of the Apostles.

The Bishop can however, also delegate a priest to administer confirmation.

('Youcat for Kids' 72)

The first requirement for Confirmation is to have been Baptised in the Catholic faith. The candidate is normally a young adult who desires in their heart to not only deepen their faith but also to deepen their understanding of the faith. This is a crucial stepping stone in the journey of faith for any person. When a young adult presents themselves for the Sacrament of Confirmation, they are expressing a heartfelt desire to grow into a deeper personal  relationship with Jesus Christ

Find out why we're confirmed here:

A sponsor is a believing, confirmed Catholic, who helps you grow in faith.

A godparent promises the same at baptism, they therefore could also be the confirmation sponsor. But you can also choose a new sponsor if you wish.

It has been a long standing tradition that a confirmation name is normally chosen from the saints. This is a golden opportunity for young adults to take a look at the lives of the saints which span from early Christianity to modern-day people who are considered to be saints.
A saint is an ordinary  person who lives an extraordinary life in giving witness to the Gospel in the world in which they live. Why not have a look though the section on saints above!

Sometimes young adults choose names for family reasons, like a grandfather or a grandmother whom you looked up to, this is a noble reason but we encourage you to still research the lives of the saints, particularly the one with the name which you choose.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are:

• Wisdom
• Understanding
• Right Judgement
• Courage
• Knowledge
• Reverence
• Wonder and Awe in God's presence

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit are:

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Patience
• Kindness
• Goodness
• Trustfulness
• Gentleness
• Self-Control

Strength for the Journey

Gifted by the Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful.
And kindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you will renew the face of the earth.

Lord, by the light of the Holy Spirit you have taught the hearts of your faithful. In the same Spirit, help us to relish what is right and always rejoice in your consolation. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.