The Story of St. Agnes
Saint Agnes was a young girl who lived during the fourth century in Rome, about 300 years after Christ. At this time it was a crime to be a Christian, and those who were discovered to be Christians, but they tried to be so secretly.
The Governor of Rome’s son discovered that Agnes was a Christian, but he really liked her and wanted her to be his friend. The Governor told Agnes that if she were to join his household and stop being a Christian she would be saved from death.
Agnes loved God very much, she was also very brave and courageous. She refused to stop being a Christian, so she was killed. After she was buried, people used to come and pray for courage at her grave. Agnes’ parents visited her grave often and were given great strength and courage.
As a model for us, Agnes has shown us how to be a real follower of Jesus. She has shown us how she walked in love to God. Let us pray these words to her:
‘Teach us to walk in love. Lead us to God.’
Christian Meditation 
You may have noticed that our school music plays every Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9:05 and then again at 9:15am. This is to allow every class the opportunity to meditate. Christian Meditation is an ancient Christian prayer of stillness, silence and simplicity.
Meditation, in the Christian tradition, is often called the ‘Prayer of the Heart’, the pure prayer. The aim in Christian Meditation is to: allow God’s mysterious and silent presence within us, to become more and more a reality in our lives….
Elements of Christian Meditation:
- A still and silent prayer of the heart, a pure prayer which uses a mantra to focus attention.
- A contemplative prayer – one that involves prolonged thought and attention.
- A place to meet God rather than to understand Him. The encounter is a knowledge of the heart, not one to be evaluated or assessed by individuals.
During the meditation period we repeat in our minds, “MA 
RA NA THA”. This comes from the Aramaic language and is translated as: Come Lord
The repetition of the mantra creates a little narrow path of silence that leads you through all the noise, distraction, agitation and turbulence of the mind.
How long can children meditate in silence?
As a general rule we meditate for approximately the child’s age. 6 years = 6 minutes, 10 years = 10 minutes, adults : 20-30 minutes daily
Good posture is essential for meditation. We encourage, straight back, hands in lap comfortable position, feet flat on the floor (if sitting) or legs crossed.
Fr Laurence is the current Director of The World Community for Christian Meditation (WCCM) which is now present in more than a hundred and twenty countries.The WCCM has become known as a ‘monastery without walls’, in which he travels and teaches widely.
The WCCM App is available on Apple and Android.
Traditional Prayers
Traditional Prayers are taught from Kindergarten through to Year 6.
Prayer – Purpose & Principles Year 3 to 6
Prayer – Scope & Sequence Year 3 to 6
Traditional Prayers:
