Children's mass on sundays

[rochejaune]

Our little catholic school has mass on Fridays. But, about once a month there is also a school mass on Sunday. We only have the one Sunday mass. The children (sometimes as young as first grade) do the readings, singing, etc. There are mostly adults at this mass. I find it inappropriate to have school masses on Sunday where the children do the readings. I don’t mind the singing, saying the petitions, greeting people, etc.

But, shouldn’t adults do the readings on Sundays?

 

[Phemie]

Our little catholic school has mass on Fridays. But, about once a month there is also a school mass on Sunday. We only have the one Sunday mass. The children (sometimes as young as first grade) do the readings, singing, etc. There are mostly adults at this mass. I find it inappropriate to have school masses on Sunday where the children do the readings. I don’t mind the singing, saying the petitions, greeting people, etc.

But, shouldn’t adults do the readings on Sundays?

We had that in our parish for a while and it was an unmitigated disaster. Any child who wanted to read was allowed to, even if they couldn’t read and needed an adult by the ambo to whisper the words to them – “We need to train them to be readers” don’t you know. Yes, we do, at school, at home, during religious education classes, NOT at Sunday Mass.

Now, I would never say that a child can’t read at Sunday Mass. We had 3 of those kids who were excellent readers, far better than some of the adult readers. You could tell from the way they proclaimed that someone had prepared them very well and explained the reading and they completely grasped the sense and could make it clear. I don’t think it was a coincidence that the 3 were sisters.

 

[Claire_from_DE]

Our little catholic school has mass on Fridays. But, about once a month there is also a school mass on Sunday. We only have the one Sunday mass. The children (sometimes as young as first grade) do the readings, singing, etc. There are mostly adults at this mass. I find it inappropriate to have school masses on Sunday where the children do the readings. I don’t mind the singing, saying the petitions, greeting people, etc.

But, shouldn’t adults do the readings on Sundays?

Those reading or singing should be capable of doing so and be very well prepared. Readers should understand the readings, have a clear speaking voice, and speak loudly, slowly, and with expression. The same with those reading the petitions. Some young people are able to do so and some cannot.

 

[Phemie]

Those reading or singing should be capable of doing so and be very well prepared. Readers should understand the readings, have a clear speaking voice, and speak loudly, slowly, and with expression. The same with those reading the petitions. Some young people are able to do so and some cannot.

I agree. OTOH, a “Children’s Mass” as the only Mass on Sunday flies in the face of the Directory on Masses with Children.

 

[idrum677]

I’m going to disagree on this one.

I don’t understand that the Church can lament that young people are not engaged or active in the parish, but in the next breath complain about them being involved in a Mass.

I’m not saying that those who can’t read should be lectoring, but if the child is capable, let them do it. The only way they are going to feel part of the parish is if they play an active role.

I’ve stated this before, children are not the future Church, they are the Church now, just as any adult is.

Obviously you have a small parish if it has only 1 Sunday Mass. But it appears that your parish is blessed with a school and young people who want to be part of things. They should be embraced and encouraged.

 

[FrDavid96]

First of all, catechesis of young people is an extremely important role of the parish community; that means not only instructing them in the “facts” of the faith, but into the community as well. They should always feel welcomed and important, and “needed.”

But having said that, the role of the reader is to proclaim the Word of God so that the congregation can hear this with clarity and faith. That is always the role of the reader, and there is no other legitimate reason to have anyone proclaim the readings. It is never the role of the reader to “be seen” whether we’re talking about adults or children. Unfortunately, those who “plan” Masses often forget the very reason why these liturgical roles exist, and replace the legitimate reasons with other values not in harmony with liturigcal practice,

There are ways of involving children in the Mass (I won’t get into those) but proclaiming the Sacred Scriptures is just not one of them; because when we do that, we neglect the very purpose of the Scripture readings (depriving the people of God of a necessary experience within the Mass), and replace that important purpose with the non-value of having people exercise a public function in the Mass for no reason other than to “be seen” by the congregation; or an action that merely “looks cute.”

In Masses with Children, there are some exceptions (in fact, specific provision is made for the children to do the readings), but that’s not the same thing as what parishes usually call the “Children’s Mass” Two very different things indeed.

 

[FrDavid96]

I’m going to disagree on this one.

I don’t understand that the Church can lament that young people are not engaged or active in the parish, but in the next breath complain about them being involved in a Mass.

I’m not saying that those who can’t read should be lectoring, but if the child is capable, let them do it. The only way they are going to feel part of the parish is if they play an active role.

I’ve stated this before, children are not the future Church, they are the Church now, just as any adult is.

Obviously you have a small parish if it has only 1 Sunday Mass. But it appears that your parish is blessed with a school and young people who want to be part of things. They should be embraced and encouraged.

Yes,children should have an active role at the Mass, by doing, saying, and singing those parts of the Mass which are the congregation’s parts. We cannot confuse “active participation” with “public roles” This is the worst form of clericalism because it implies that only the clergy are in fact “active” and reduces the real value of the parts proper to the congregation.

Is the congregation not a “part of the parish?” Is the only way to be part of the parish to be involved in a public role at the Mass?

 

[benedictgal]

Yes,children should have an active role at the Mass, by doing, saying, and singing those parts of the Mass which are the congregation’s parts. We cannot confuse “active participation” with “public roles” This is the worst form of clericalism because it implies that only the clergy are in fact “active” and reduces the real value of the parts proper to the congregation.

Is the congregation not a “part of the parish?” Is the only way to be part of the parish to be involved in a public role at the Mass?

When I was much younger, I used to think that I had to be “doing something” at Mass, either proclaiming the readings or serving as an EMHC. An older priest told me that I was participating by simply being.

This reminds me of a line that John Malkovich uttered in the movie “Shadow of the Vampire.” He played Frederich Murneau, the German director of “Nosferatu”. He saw some peasants walking around the village and he ordered his camera man to shoot footage of them. The script writer was aghast and shouted, “These people are not actors.” Murneau replied, “They don’t have to act, they simpy have to be and they are doing just that.”

When my father served as altar server coordinator at his previous parish, he was upset with the pastor because he wanted the altar servers to start proclaiming the readings (and be vested to serve Mass at the same time). The pastor thought that this should be some rite of passage for the kids. My father vehemently objected. He said that the kids were not ready to read (the parents couldn’t practice with them because of language issues). The kids didn’t want to read. He still had them do it anyway.

It was poorly done. Proclamation of the Word of God is an important task. The readers have to have proper formation and preparation. They also need to have a clear speaking voice and have some notion of grammar and pauses.

The kids dropped out of being altar servers because they did not want to read. My father resigned from his post for this and other reasons. Occasionally, he goes back to his old parish. The pastor only has two servers left.

Something else that the OP should consider. Children’s Masses apply only when the children outnumber the adults. But, for a Sunday Mass, the celebrant cannot use the EPs for Children nor the Lectionary for Children, not that the OP mentioned this, but, one needs to know this.

St. Paul observed that there are many gifts, but one Spirit. We are not called to do everything. We are simply called to be.

 

[idrum677]

But having said that, the role of the reader is to proclaim the Word of God so that the congregation can hear this with clarity and faith. That is always the role of the reader, and there is no other legitimate reason to have anyone proclaim the readings. It is never the role of the reader to “be seen” whether we’re talking about adults or children. Unfortunately, those who “plan” Masses often forget the very reason why these liturgical roles exist, and replace the legitimate reasons with other values not in harmony with liturigcal practice,

There are ways of involving children in the Mass (I won’t get into those) but proclaiming the Sacred Scriptures is just not one of them; because when we do that, we neglect the very purpose of the Scripture readings (depriving the people of God of a necessary experience within the Mass), and replace that important purpose with the non-value of having people exercise a public function in the Mass for no reason other than to “be seen” by the congregation; or an action that merely “looks cute.”

As I stated in my previous post, the children who read or are involved in any way need to have the ability to do so. I’m not advocating kids up there to “be cute.” Is it not possible for a child to proclaim the Word of God so that the congregation can hear this with clarity and faith? I wouldn’t ask a 6 year old to do it but by age 9-10, some are very capable of reading at a high level.

 

[benedictgal]

As I stated in my previous post, the children who read or are involved in any way need to have the ability to do so. I’m not advocating kids up there to “be cute.” Is it not possible for a child to proclaim the Word of God so that the congregation can hear this with clarity and faith? I wouldn’t ask a 6 year old to do it but by age 9-10, some are very capable of reading at a high level.

Have you, by any chance, read Sacramentum Caritatis? The Holy Father makes a strong case that the proclamation of the Word of God needs to be done in a careful manner:

“The liturgy of the word
45. Together with the Synod, I*** ask that the liturgy of the word always be carefully prepared and celebrated. Consequently I urge that every effort be made to ensure that the liturgical proclamation of the word of God is entrusted to well-prepared readers***. Let us never forget that “when the Sacred Scriptures are read in the Church, God Himself speaks to His people, and Christ, present in His own word, proclaims the Gospel”(135).”

For a Mass where chlidren comprise a majority of the faithful, you could very well have a student proclaim the readings, provided that the youngster is properly prepared and disposed.

But, in a parish setting? I am afraid that it doesn’t work, as referenced in my initial post in this thread. We don’t have to exercise some sort of activity in order to have active participation in the Mass. Children learn best by example and they learn by observing. At this point, the role appropriate to them would be to function as altar servers, if they so choose. If not, then the primary role for all of us should be to allow ourselves to be assimilated into Christ by having these sacred mysteries “eucharistify” us (as the Secretary to the Congregation for Divine Worship said in St. Louis last week).