Prayer and Worship with Adolescents

Course Summary

This course will provide an introduction to the theology of prayer and worship, and will explore practical methods and techniques for leading prayer and worship with young people. There will be a special emphasis on the value of a multi-cultural perspective in all opportunities for engaging young people in prayer.

Successful completion of this course earns 2.5 CEU's.

General Course Objectives

• Identified their prayer “starting points” – their assumptions, strengths, predispositions and growing edges
• Grown in knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Church’s teaching on prayer and worship
• A working knowledge of the Catholic Church’s lexicon of prayer and worship, so as to be conversant with the varieties of prayer available to us
• Become familiar with the varieties of Catholic Christian prayer and developed the capacity to select pathways to prayer appropriate to different age groups and settings
• Working knowledge of some of the best practices relative to teaching young people to pray, and to help them fall in love with prayer
• Identified next steps in their own personal growth in prayer, as well as next steps in the development of their ministerial skills relative to prayer and worship with adolescents

Course Materials

• Required Book: Laure Krupp The Catholic Youth Prayer Book St. Mary’s Press, 2012 ISBN: 978-1599822136
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• Required Book: Kathleen Glavich SND The Catholic Way to Pray – An Essential Guide for Adults Twenty-Third Publications, 2009 ISBN: 1585957550; ISBN-13: 978-1585957552
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Course Structure and Highlights

• Week 1: My Prayer and the Prayer of the Church
  • Identify characteristics of our own prayer
  • Develop a working familiarity with Church teaching on prayer
  • In dialogue with Church teaching, assess our own assumptions, predispositions, and gifts for prayer, as well as areas to expand our gifts, knowledge, understanding, experiences and skills
• Week 2: Understanding Worship and Prayer in Comprehensive Youth Ministry
  • Develop a working familiarity with the prayer and worship component of the U.S. Bishops’ document Renewing the Vision – A Framework for Catholic Youth Ministry (USCCB, 1997)
  • Understand “The Pyramid of Catholic Prayer” and its implications for planning and implementing comprehensive youth ministry
  • Identify practical implications for a faith community’s pastoral ministry with adolescents
• Week 3: Personal Prayer in Comprehensive Youth Ministry
  • Develop a working familiarity with a variety of personal prayer forms so as to share them with young people
  • Develop specific skills for teaching young people to pray, and for nurturing the personal prayer lives of teens
• Week 4: Group Prayer and Ritual Prayer in Comprehensive Youth Ministry
  • Understand principles, methodologies and methods of fruitful group and ritual prayer
  • Develop a working familiarity with a variety of group prayer forms and ritual elements
  • Explore some of the fundamental skills of leading group and ritual prayer with adolescents
• Week 5: Introduction to Liturgical Prayer in Comprehensive Youth Ministry
  • Identify strategies and practical steps towards enhancing the liturgical prayer of young people, their families and the faith community
  • Develop a basic working knowledge of the principles of liturgical prayer and liturgical celebrations
  • Know how to prepare Eucharistic liturgy (Mass)

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