This High school graduation prayer asks that the graduates will continue to grow in their ability to live lives blessed with God’s presence and purpose.
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High School Graduation Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, We come to you with thankful hearts for all those near and dear to us who are graduating from high school. We thank you for giving each graduate the talents, abilities and self discipline required for this wonderful accomplishment. We are grateful to You for providing the teachers, mentors, coaches and youth counselors who have taught them, nurtured them and challenged them along the way.
Now that their minds have been well equipped with the basic knowledge of many different subjects, we pray that their hearts and spirits will also be well equipped for successful living. Add heavenly wisdom and discernment to their knowledge. Infuse their ambitions and dreams with Your love. Help them to desire Your good way for their future. Remind them that you are only a prayer away when they meet obstacles, heartbreaks and challenges. May they always be courageous enough to ask for help, advice and support when they need it. May they never needlessly suffer alone without reaching out to You and to others who care.
As they become independent adults, help them learn the secret of dependence on You. Give them a desire to know more about You. May they find you in the Scriptures, in the joy of new love, in the gathering of Your people, in the beauty of Your creation and in the strength of their youth.
And now may Your blessings be theirs as they begin a new life full of joy and promise. Amen.
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Copyright Karen Barber 2012. All rights reserved.
prayerideas.org
Share the following prayer service from Marriage and Holy Orders: Your Call to Love and Serve with your students. It is especially appropriate for juniors preparing to be seniors and seniors at the time of graduation.
The last semesters of high school are filled with planning for the next stage in life. Which college will you attend? Which career will you prepare for? What will it be like to leave family and friends at home? How will you grow in a personal and adult faith? These are only some of the questions to consider on a regular basis. Pray often for a smooth transition from high school. Keep Christ close to your heart as you make these important decisions. On several occasions, pray using the following format.
Call to Prayer for Seniors in High School
Pray the following words or choose some similar words of your own. Construct your prayer around some specific situations arising in your final months, weeks, and days as a senior in high school.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Be with me today in my studies.
Improve my work habits.
Help me to learn to relax when taking exams so that I am able to test to my potential.
When I apply to colleges, allow me the chance to show the “real me” to those who make decisions.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Allow me to appreciate my friends.
Give me a moment to see their goodness.
Help me to be always faithful to these dear people I have grown up with since childhood.
Always give me the opportunity to stay close to my friends,
whether we are physically near or far apart.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Continue to inspire my teachers, counselors, and coaches who have inspired me.
In these last days of high school, give me the courage to truly follow their lessons.
Allow me the inspiration to thank them for their gifts with sincere appreciation.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Bless my parents and family.
They are everything to me.
They have modeled for me your life and love.
Keep them healthy and happy for many more years.
Come, Holy Spirit.
Help me find my way to my loving Father through his Son.
Share with me a sign of my calling.
Give me good ears to listen to your voice.
Give me the strength to follow your lead.
Amen.
Scripture Reading
Slowly and prayerfully read the following Gospel passage from John 14:15-21. How is God with you now? How will you stay close to God after you graduate from high school? Listen carefully to Jesus’ words.
A reading from the Gospel of John.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you. Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me. And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Reflection Questions for High School Seniors
Read through the entire list of questions. Then go back and choose one question to spend time with in greater detail. Listen to what God is saying to you. Take notes in a notebook or prayer journal. Choose another question on a different occasion. Form your own questions having to do with your transition from high school. As your answers change, write your new answers.
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What are my goals for my senior year in high school?
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How can I better express my true self to my family and friends?
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To whom do I need to say I am sorry?
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Where do I see myself in five years?
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What are my God-given talents?
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How might I use my talents in a career?
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How can I show my family I appreciate their love and care?
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What do I need to do to learn to be more independent?
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How can I improve my faith-life?
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What can I do to be more active in the Church?
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What kind of Catholic will I be when I get out of high school?
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Who do I want to become?
Act of Hope
Pray an Act of Hope for your future life in college using these traditional words.
O God,
I hope with complete trust that you will give me,
through the merits of Jesus Christ, all necessary graces in this world
and everlasting life in the world to come,
for this is what you have promised
and you always keep your promises.
Amen.
www.avemariapress.com
Graduation is quickly approaching. Those who are about to receive their degrees are also about to move into a new phase of life. This experience is both exciting and terrifying, whether or not plans have officially been made. In response, I would like to offer a prayer for graduating seniors.
Our God in Heaven,
Thank You for blessing us with these people. Thank You for giving us time with some truly amazing humans. Thank You for the friends, acquaintances and peers that have influenced us in ways we may not even be aware of. Thank You for the conversations, meals, events, late nights, study sessions and weekends that we have been able to spend with these people. Thank You for creating these humans.
I pray that You continue to push them in the direction You want their life to go. And I pray that they follow without too much of a fight. I pray that the coming years would be full of new opportunities and that You show them parts of themselves they have yet to discover. I pray that in moments of stress, anxiety or fear, You would be there to comfort and guide them.
I pray that those who do not know what after-graduation holds for them don’t fear the coming months. I pray that You would open up doors for them and motivate them to try new things. I pray that they would take advantage of this time that they get to spend freely. I pray that they would get to spend more time with You and build a strong relationship with you that will last a lifetime.
I pray that those who do know what after-graduation holds for them are able to rejoice in You. I pray that they take time to reflect and that if they find that what they are doing isn’t their calling, they are able to walk away. I pray for ears to listen to Your voice and the ability to discern the right path for them.
I pray for strength, wisdom and discernment. I pray for grace, joy and peace. I pray that all of the graduating seniors know how much You love them and how much we love them. I pray that they will walk across the stage without fear of what’s on the other side. I pray that they are aware of Your presence on graduation day. I pray that they know how proud You are of them.
I pray that no matter where life takes them, they know You are with them. I pray that they know how much love and support surrounds them from family, friends and peers. I pray that they remember the people and places they are leaving behind and that they remember to come visit.
Most of all, I pray that regardless of all circumstances, they know that You are always on their side, and You have a plan for them.
Amen.
www.theodysseyonline.com
When the Clay-Chalkville High School graduation ceremony was interrupted by a medical emergency in the stands Thursday night, graduating senior Christian Crawford addressed the crowd and asked them to join him in prayer, according to a report from The Trussville Tribune and a video posted on YouTube.
“Everybody can I have your attention real quick?” Crawford said. “We don’t know what’s going on, but we will pray. We know that prayer is power, and that God is able. Let’s pray. Father God, we thank you for this day, Lord. We pray right now that whatever is going on, you will fix it, God. We pray that you will heal it, God. We pray that you will redeem it, God. We pray that you will deliver it, God. Because we know that you are a God who knows how to make a way. And in the name of Jesus we declare and decree in the name of Jesus that whatever is going on shall be fixed, because you are a God who is a fixer. You are a God who is a healer. Jehovah God, Jehovah-jireh, Jehovah-nissi, Jehovah-shalom. Fix it, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
After the spontaneous prayer, the crowd cheered and the ceremony continued.
Updated at 2 p.m. Friday to reflect the fact that the ceremony took place Thursday night.
www.al.com
