Attending Mass as a Family

[SMHW]

Is the idea that attending Mass as a family is of greater value than having family members attend individually a Vatican II introduction?

Obviously families have been attending Mass together for years, especially in places where there is only one Mass practically available. And I think some cultures place more value on family togetherness than do others. But today there seems to be the idea that even when practical concerns would dictate otherwise, it is of higher spiritual value to attend as a family.

I ask because it seems to me that my Irish/German heritage did not place a big emphasis on attending as a family so long as each family member did attend.

 

[zab]

Is the idea that attending Mass as a family is of greater value than having family members attend individually a Vatican II introduction?

Obviously families have been attending Mass together for years, especially in places where there is only one Mass practically available. And I think some cultures place more value on family togetherness than do others. But today there seems to be the idea that even when practical concerns would dictate otherwise, it is of higher spiritual value to attend as a family.

I ask because it seems to me that my Irish/German heritage did not place a big emphasis on attending as a family so long as each family member did attend.

I don’t think it is of higher spiritual value to attend as a family. But as a parent who children are all grown and most have moved away, I do think that there is some value of support in keeping your children in the Catholic Faith. I’m struggling with the right words to say what I mean.

 

[SMHW]

I don’t think it is of higher spiritual value to attend as a family. But as a parent who children are all grown and most have moved away, I do think that there is some value of support in keeping your children in the Catholic Faith. I’m struggling with the right words to say what I mean.

I actually believe that family attendance together is (usually) a good idea.

I’m am mostly wondering if this has always long been a “Catholic value” or if it is something of a post-Vatican II idea.

 

[zab]

I actually believe that family attendance together is (usually) a good idea.

I’m am mostly wondering if this has always long been a “Catholic value” or if it is something of a post-Vatican II idea.

I don’t know if it was a Catholic value or more of a matter of convenience because of having fewer means of transportation to the church. But it was probably recognized as a “Catholic value” seeing how good it was to be together as a family. That is just my thoughts on it.

 

[ChadS]

I think it’s definitely beneficial for a family to attend Mass together. It sets an example that your children can learn and grow from. They see you attending mass and realize that it’s not something parents force children to do while they stay home.

In this day and age when everybody is so busy with meetings and after school activities some of the only true family time can be attending mass together on Sunday morning.

Your children will learn from your examples – both right and wrong – so try to give them more good examples for them to emulate.

ChadS

 

[SMHW]

I think it’s definitely beneficial for a family to attend Mass together. It sets an example that your children can learn and grow from. They see you attending mass and realize that it’s not something parents force children to do while they stay home.

I agree.

But I repeat my question. Is this a long standing Catholic idea or is it more recent (since VC II)?

 

[Joe_5859]

This post is going to be total conjecture and speculation, but I know I am right.

I would imagine that the concept of a parish with tons of different Mass times that a family member can shoot on over to via car without much inconvenience is a relatively new phenomenon. Attending Mass separately was probably not much of an option prior to the mass production of the automobile. So it probably wouldn’t have been talked about much one way or the other before Vatican II.

Now I’m curious if the Holy See has ever said anything explicitly about this or if it is juct a cultural value that has arisen naturally…

 

[laszlo]

In the good old times (at least in Hungary) young children (before school age) did not attended the Sunday Masses (there was no cry area in the churches). Consequently the two parents attended different Masses. When the kids grew up so they were able to go to the Church on their own, they attended the children’s Mass, the parents the adult’s Mass, again the family separately.

Since I live in the US in any place families together attend the Mass as usual.

 

[zab]

In the good old times (at least in Hungary) young children (before school age) did not attended the Sunday Masses (there was no cry area in the churches). Consequently the two parents attended different Masses. When the kids grew up so they were able to go to the Church on their own, they attended the children’s Mass, the parents the adult’s Mass, again the family separately.

Since I live in the US in any place families together attend the Mass as usual.

Now that you mentioned it, our small church didn’t have a cry room either and I remember a time when my parents attended different Masses at times, too, because of the small children. Also we only had one vehicle and eventually there were 12 of us children.

 

[SMHW]

I would imagine that the concept of a parish with tons of different Mass times that a family member can shoot on over to via car without much inconvenience is a relatively new phenomenon. Attending Mass separately was probably not much of an option prior to the mass production of the automobile. So it probably wouldn’t have been talked about much one way or the other before Vatican II.

Well, actually the idea of cars is fairly new, when you get down to it.

In cities parishes were often withing walking distance. My father lived across the street from his parish. My mother who lived on a farm a couple miles from the town likely arrived by horse drawn wagon when she was very little.

 

[ConstantineTG]

Is the idea that attending Mass as a family is of greater value than having family members attend individually a Vatican II introduction?

Obviously families have been attending Mass together for years, especially in places where there is only one Mass practically available. And I think some cultures place more value on family togetherness than do others. But today there seems to be the idea that even when practical concerns would dictate otherwise, it is of higher spiritual value to attend as a family.

I ask because it seems to me that my Irish/German heritage did not place a big emphasis on attending as a family so long as each family member did attend.

There’s more emphasis on the family today because as a culture we’re moving away from that. The family is under attack, and I guess the Church wants us to start valuing that again by encouraging us to go to Liturgy as a family. Divorce, contraception, abortion, premarital sex, extramarital sex, same-sex marriage, polygamy, all those are trying to destroy the image of the family. Being in Liturgy as a family strengthens the family bond in the faith.

 

[daeve]

I grew up in the 50s and 60s, and the nuns pretty much coerced the children to attend the 10:30 Mass. We sat together, not with our families anyway. That was fine for us because Mom was in the choir up in the loft anyway, and we didn’t like the scary curvy staircase. There were no cry rooms in any church I’d ever been in until the mid 1960s, and there were plenty of babies screaming at Mass.

I’ve always felt like I missed out on Family Mass together. My parish has several families we see together every single Sunday in the same pew. I really love that. One of my sisters goes to a UCC now, and my other sister just doesn’t go anymore. My ex-husband wasn’t Catholic or even Baptised at all, and getting the kids to Mass was miserable. They’re both adults now and neither one has any connection with religion at all. I really think if Mass attendance by the family had been a regular Sunday tradition, we’d have all been better off for it. But I don’t remember anything from Vatican II directly influenced it one way or the other.

 

[SMHW]

Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut.

But I don’t remember anything from Vatican II directly influenced it one way or the other.

I don’t know that anything specific from Vatican II influenced the move to attend Mass together. But I wonder if the emphasis on the liturgical role of the laity may have had an influence.

 

[dconklin]

For me, attending Mass with my family is not much different than our Sunday Dinner. Sure we could all eat dinner in our rooms but when eat together we all get more out of it. In our parish, we currently offer Faith Formation classes at the same time as two of our Masses. Many parents drop their child/ren at class and head over Mass. We plan to rearrange our class schedule and emphasize having the kids going to Mass.