Catholic mother markets 'prayers in a bag' for kids

NEWARK, Del. - Debbie Schmucker was looking for a creative way to keep her 11-year-old son from watching too much television. She found one, and she has turned her idea into a product that promotes prayer among children.

Schmucker, of St. John the Baptist-Holy Angels Parish here, designed the "Prayer Bag," an 8-by-8-inch yellow nylon bag that holds 14 plastic, 2-inch disks with a different prayer or intention on both sides. She offers five versions of the bag - prayers for ages 5-7, ages 8-11, bedtime, first Communion and mealtime. A child reaches into the bag to pull out a disk and then decides which of the two prayers or intentions to use. A few of the disks are blank; if a child picks one of them he can choose his own prayer topic. Schmucker said the bag has proved to be a good educational tool for her two children, 11-year-old Michael and 5-year-old Lauren, students at Holy Angels School here. "It's made my children more aware of what prayer can do and what prayer is. They hear different ways of praying, different words you can use," she said. "It has raised the awareness that as a Catholic this is something you do not do because you are told to, but because you want to develop a relationship with the Lord." The Schmuckers have used the mealtime version of the bag to expand their prayers beyond the traditional blessing. "It has heightened awareness of not just going through the routine of saying a prayer," Schmucker told The Dialog, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Wilmington, Del. "The Prayer Bag also develops family relationships," she said. "Mealtime and bedtime are supposed to be times when the family is together. It gives the parents a chance to interact with the child." Schmucker began selling the Prayer Bag on the Internet and at two retail locations before Thanksgiving. The bag is a sister product of the "Boredom Bag," which Schmucker also designed. The Boredom Bag, which comes in 11 versions, includes ideas for children's activities. The roots of the Prayer Bag and the Boredom Bag were planted six years ago when Schmucker used to fill an empty tissue box with pictures of activities for Michael. "The thought is to keep kids involved in something, so that they do not turn to the television or their little Game Boys all the time," she said. The box was filled with pictures of activities like soccer and other things to do. Now Schmucker wants to help children in other families develop their own fun memories as well as a strong prayer life. "Praying and developing a relationship with God," she said, "is one of the best gifts you can foster in life." - - - Editor's Note: The Prayer Bag is available online at: www.prayerbag.com, or by phone at: (302) 563-9669. Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops