Missionary Children National Day of Prayer Celebrations

Archbishop Diarmuid Martin helped to celebrate the Missionary Children National Day of Prayer with the children of Scoil Mhuire na Toirbhirte (Presentation Girls Primary School) in Maynooth in November 2009. It was a momentous event as this was the first year that a prayer service was held for the National Day. Jackie Pallas, the national secretary of Missionary Children said the Presentation school was chosen as the location as a thank you to the girls for their outstanding work.

''Children helping children runs in one-third of schools in Ireland and it raised €100,000 for mission projects last year. It is not just about raising money, we also share an ethos of sharing prayer and learning how other children live.''

Archbishop Martin was moved by the the large picture on the wall which showed all the children's hands reaching out to others. He stated that:

''Reaching out your hand is saying something to somebody. It is saying 'you're welcome - I like you'. You are holding out your hands to children in different parts of the world and saying 'I am concerned about you"..."You are not just saying that we want a better world, a more caring world, a more just world, but you are doing something about it and I congratulate you,''

Fr. Liam Rigney who is the school Chaplain was also present at the prayer service and spoke about the 40 years tradition of having the Children Helping Children mission boxes in the school. 

''The mission boxes are in all the classrooms as part of mission awareness in the school which encourages and supports the children, and makes them more aware of the society 'Children Helping Children'. This is a value that has been passed down by both parents and teachers.

All of the children played a significant role in making the service a success and we would like to thank the school principal Ms. Maria Ni Gearilat for allowing us to run the event in her school.