Catholic elementary school prayer buddies find spiritual connection

Published: 2007-12-28

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- School officials at St. Matthew School in Nashville thought students would benefit from knowing someone else was always there to support them. That's why they instituted the prayer buddy program when the school opened in 2000. The original idea was to promote younger and older students getting together a few times a month to share prayer requests and words of encouragement. The initiative is still going strong, and in some cases, has even incorporated some much older buddies in the mix. "It gives you someone to connect to spiritually," said Kelly Cassidy, a sixth-grade teacher at the school. "For the older kids it's great because they can practice being in that role-model situation. And when the younger kids see their prayer buddies in the hall they get so excited," she told the Tennessee Register, diocesan newspaper of Nashville.

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