The Challenge
To bring children to Mass every Sunday and have them grow up to continue the practice.
Fr. Nirala in his book Achieving Peace of Heart, reminds parents that a child needs to be more than physically present at Mass. He needs to internally engage in what is going on.
I don’t think these words are surprising to anyone, but is there anything parents can do? If so, what are these things?
I believe there are built in practices that we can tap into to help a child enter into the mystery of the Mass. Since man is a composite of body and soul, I believe that the physical aspects, the ways in which the liturgy incorporates the use of our bodies, is an excellent source for encouraging a young child to be spiritually present at Mass.
These posts are still a work in progress. I’m still taking notes and still trying out new ideas. I’m posting here to help organize my own mind and to receive input from others. If you have any suggestions to add, please feel free to use the comment section.
So far, I have this outline:
I. Foundations
a. What is in place already? What have we worked on?
b. What does the child need to know before going to Church?
II. Before Mass
a. Preparations
b. List of “activities” for child to go through in Church before Mass begins
III. During Mass
a. Tapping into the physical aspects
b. Key events (Gospel, Consecration, etc) reminders
IV. After Mass
a. Thanksgiving
V. Implementation
a. Outline new activities for the week
Labels:
Sunday Mass Preparation
3 comments:
I am very interested in hearing your ideas, Helen. I have three active young boys under 5 and so much of Mass is spent trying to keep them still and quiet. I know I need to try harder to teach them about the Mass so they will learn to love it and it won't be such a chore to get through it with them.
Some things that have worked for me: Go early in the a.m. The kids are usually a little sleepy and better behaved! Then they have the promise of breakfast when it's over!
If you bring things along for them to play with make sure they have to do with God! A couple of crayons and a saint's coloring book; a picture Bible to look through. That kind of thing.
Pray before you get out of the car to enter Mass. "Jesus, help us to have a good visit with you in your house!"
This one might not go over well with some, but I have a couple of kids who are ADHD. I don't take them to Sunday Mass until the are 5 years old. I tell them they have to earn it! Then I make a big deal about it when they are finally old enough. But I do take them to a shorter daily Mass once a week.
Sending a preschooler to a Catechisis of the Good Shepherd or Atrium is a wonderful way to teach reverence for the Holy Mass. Or have an altar set up at home where they can "play" Mass.
This is such a good topic! I think I'll write more on my blog about it. Thanks for raising this issue! I feel like my comments here are way too long already! Sorry!
I like this idea:
Pray before you get out of the car to enter Mass. "Jesus, help us to have a good visit with you in your house!"
I try to get to Mass early, find our seat, and then I walk him around---ostensibly to pray at the various little shrines, pick up our bulletin, light a candle, etc... but also to burn a little energy before Mass begins.
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