We somewhat recently adjusted our prayer that we say as a school after daily Mass. I had a teacher ask if we could end it with the sign of the cross. I looked at her confused because that is how we ended it. We realized that no one could hear me say it because the students start putting up their kneelers and getting their coats on before I have a chance to finish saying it (and my voice doesn’t carry much). We came up with a plan to have a moment of silence after Father processes out, say our normal prayers, and then have one more moment of silence before we end with the sign of the cross. These moments are only 15-30 seconds, but it can feel lengthy for our younger students. During these two moments of silence today, I reflected on how absolutely quiet the church was. I didn’t hear a sneeze, a cough, a kneeler fall, a giggle…nothing! It was beautiful! I encourage you to include a moment of silence in your nightly prayer routine before your kids go to bed—in a world full of constant noises and distractions, it’s good for our kids to practice being silent for God. I’ll let you know how my two and four-year-old do!