On the 22nd of June, Mrs Annette Tanner, one of St Patrick’s Grade 4 staff, will be leaving for Jerusalem and returning on the 10th of July.

Annette has spent many hours studying the Gospel of Mark in preparation for this journey and she will be staying in Jerusalem in a convent. Annette will have the opportunity to visit the many places where Jesus walked - Galilee, the Dead Sea, Bethlehem, The Garden of Gethsemane, place of the where Jesus’ crucifixion took place.

One of the highlights on her journey is when she will be visiting is the Western Wall - also known as the Wailing Wall.
The Western Wall is a part of the wall built by Herod over the place where the temples built by Solomon stood. This wall is, a very holy place where people believe that it is a place blessed by God.  People who visit - in addition to praying there - write their prayers on scraps of paper and
insert it into cracks in the wall. Twice a year, the prayers are removed and buried near the Mount of Olives.

Annette has spoken at length with our staff about this and she has invited the teachers to talk to their students about her trip and for them to write out a class prayer. This prayer does not need to be a prayer of petition, it could be an intercessory prayer, a prayer of praise, a prayer of sorrow - whatever the children want it to say. Annette is going to then place this prayer on the Western Wall2 Chronicles 15 - 16 set out what God said to Solomon:

Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

We wish Annette a safe and wonderful journey to Jerusalem. We look forward to welcoming
her home in July and hearing of her adventures.