A School Year Prayer We all know from personal experience that this COVID has ‘robbed us’ of many things. Our relationships, work, home life, social experiences, and so many other parts of our life have suffered and left us wondering how to live in this new world. At the beginning of this school year, we see in a particular way how the students, teachers, administrators, and parents, have been ‘robbed’ of the joy and excitement of what we usually associate with the start of school. We have been praying at Mass for several weeks for all those involved in this quite ‘messy’ new school year. This weekend I will give a special blessing to all of our students as well as their backpacks, laptops, and other items that will help them navigate how to learn in new ways this school year. I am inviting everyone to join me in offering one extra Hail Mary prayer each day for our students and teachers during this surreal school year. I might suggest you add the extra prayer to our Mother Mary at the end of your regular meal prayer. Or maybe you gather as parents and children at the end of each day and add a Hail Mary prayer to your bedtime prayers. I hope that this extra devotion to your regular prayer time becomes a new daily tradition in your family or personal prayer life. Mary is always at our side as our Blessed Mother and she will never stop helping us get close to Jesus and trust in His care and love for us. Hail Mary, Mother of God, pray for us… Fr. Jim Deiters