Entertainment NOT in Mass

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My 11 year old son, (a former baptist) says he now wants to return to his former church because it was more FUN! :eek:

In a way that a kid can understand, How do I convince him and help him understand, that entertainment and worship are NOT the same thing.

I am a recent convert from Atheism, so as you might guess, there was not alot (none actully) of faith being practiced in my home.
My son turned to the Baptist church only 2 years ago after the death of his dad. The people at his former church were well meaning and loving people, but very very anti-Catholic and they took entertainment to the next level at there services. Which of course appealed to my son.

Now I am struggling with not only correcting the errors of their teachings, but trying to convince a hard headed kid that we go to Mass to WORSHIP God, NOT be entertained.

Advice greatly needed. As you will gather from some of my previous posts, I am always having issues concerning my son.

On a positive note though, He went to our parishes Reconciliation Service last night and loved it. Spent over 10 minutes talking to one of priests. 👍
 
Would it be possible to get him involved as an altar server?
Or as a lay reader?
Is there a Youth Choir?
A CYO? (Catholic Youth Organization) group?
Is there a school associated with your parish?
Does he go to CCD classes?
Are there youth services?

Maybe it’s not so much “entertainment” that he needs but a fuller involvement.

You’re both in my prayers.
 
I don’t think fuller involvement is the right reason. He has to understand the Mass and not expect to be entertainted in the usual sense.

Let him know that he “assists” in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass just by his presence.

8 reasons to go to Mass
 
Those are excellent reasons.
And of course I wouldn’t want to encourage a child to expect to be “entertained” every minute of his/ her life, as far too many seem to expect today, but from the OP’s post it seemed that her son, at a relatively early age (9) himself sought out spiritual consolation and involvement after the death of his father. . .so that’s why I wondered if it was actually involvement needed instead of “entertainment”. 11 year olds are at a development stage where they are usually starting to reject the “status quo”–you’ll find a lot of 11 year olds struggling about even attending Mass, let alone being “entertained”–but this child lost a beloved parent at a young age, and might want the security of the status quo along with a need to be more “personal” than the average. In many ways, he had to “grow up” much more quickly than the average child.

I’m speaking from the perspective of someone who lost her dad at age 12 and who found great comfort when my parish priest called on me to become a regular lay reader shortly thereafter. Would I have found the same comfort without the “extra”? Probably–there were many prayers going out for us kids, I’m sure–but it surely did not hurt.
 
Bless your heart…which of us DOESN’T Have issues because w e love our children?

Anyway, I suggest that you call your pastor & see if there is a youth Mass in your parrish. If he can be enrolled in one of the religious education programs it would also help. You may have to sit him down and frankly point out to him that the truth is that The Catholic Faith really is the New Testament Christianity, & that his old Baptist friends were dead wrong in what they said about the Church. I just came home about 3 years ago & to be honest, I think I was lied to about the Catholic Church by the churches I was in. consecration.com/
this site belongs to the Militia Immaculata and they have a great comic book about St. Maximillian Kolbe called “Soldier of God” he might really like.
 
Tantum. Yes my son is involved with the youth choir and enjoys it very much, sadly though, he is 1 year to young to be involved with the youth activity center our parish has. 😦

He goes “kicking and screaming” to CCD classes every Sunday, (I go to school all week, why do I have to go after church on Sundays also, His reasoning).

He can not be an altar server until he has received his sacraments, with alot of prayer and hard work, we are hoping this will happen in February. Maybe this might be just the incentive to get him to take the faith more seriously.

Thanks for the link buffalo, I printed it out. I will sit down with my son and read it with him. He might even ask me some questions, (I pray he does).
 
MKW,
Pray and take your son to Adoration to sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

In this past year, I have undergone a powerful reversion. I am a single mom of an 11 yr old and an 8 yr old - both boys. In with process we switched churches at the urging of the Holy Spirit.

The one I went to was very liberal. I prayed hard for direction about this.

My 11 yr old liked the orthodox structure and teachings of our new parish which surprised me to no end! The younger one would cry every Sunday to go back to our old church for mass.

After several months of praying and taking my kids to Adoration, family rosary, etc. we had an unexpected occasion where we went to mass at our old parish on a vacation day.

After mass, my 8 yr old looked at me and said, “I like our new church better. It feels more like Home”. I nearly wept! The Holy Spirit had enlightened him.

My suggestion? Pray as a family - and Adoration is key. The Holy Spirit will guide this young person’s heart. Talk to your son frequently about church and God and Mary.

May the Holy Spirit grant you many graces.
 
Tantum ergo:
Those are excellent reasons.
And of course I wouldn’t want to encourage a child to expect to be “entertained” every minute of his/ her life, as far too many seem to expect today,

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In my opinion this sort of thing loses its effectiveness as they are constantly exposed to these higher expectations ie. movies, video games, etc…- Instant gratification

I believe they need to be constantly rooted to an unchanging truth. If Catholicism is just another relativistic experience they will leave it.
 
I think we lead by example for our children too. My daughter seems less eager when going to church then she used to be. She actually told me that she wanted to go to her friends church because it sounds fun… When i started to question her about what she was told that was fun she said “she didn’t mean to say it.” It broke my heart a bit, but, I always keep those conversation lines open with her. Her friends mom was raised Baptist and has made some rude comments to me about my faith. I just wonder what they say when I am not around. Anyways, I feel your pain, for the most part though my daughter is there in mind and soul… she knows what it is all about. I try to reflect my enthusiasm on her too, and, I keep educating her. Her favorite part of the mass is the “body and blood.” Keep him focused.
 
I guess this is one of those things that i will never understand…

I don’t go to church to be entertained… I go to commune with the spirit, fellow parishioners, and specifically for the Eucharist…and if it weren’t for the Eucharist, i see little reason to go at all…

I had a friend/neighbor leave the Catholic Church with a remark that he dosen’t get much out of it…

I had to ask him, how much he put into it…

nope, i guess i will never understand the entertain me world…

Peace… 👍
 
space ghost:
I guess this is one of those things that i will never understand…

I don’t go to church to be entertained… I go to commune with the spirit, fellow parishioners, and specifically for the Eucharist…

I had a friend/neighbor leave the Catholic Church with a remark that he dosen’t get much out of it…

I had to ask him, how much he put into it…

nope, i guess i will never understand the entertain me world…

Peace… 👍
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ahhh but you are not the spirit of an 11yr old. You are a bit older spirit.
 
Is your son a reader? If so there are so many wonderful books geared to children that could enhance his understanding of the faith and mass that might make him feel more like a participant than bystander. Check out the local Catholic bookstore. Also check into books on the lives of the saints–better drama and intrigue than any Harry Potter book!
 
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jrabs:
ahhh but you are not the spirit of an 11yr old. You are a bit older spirit.
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ah, you are sooooo right… i remember being 11 yrs old… yep, not to spiritual then… and not even at 12 believe it or not… :eek: guess the nuns kept me focused along with parents… but i truly can’t say the thought of every attending a church of a different faith was ever considered… much less mentioned to my parents… :eek: but at 11, i thought the whole world was catholic… boy is the world different today… shew… :confused:

thanks for the wake-up… 👍
 
Help him focus on the Eucharist at Mass. That is the only place, the only “service” at which he will find Christ physically present! If you can help him grasp the power of that reality he will never again consider the Mass just another Christian church service option. Moreover, he may eventually, and quite naturally, intuit that worship and adoration is the most perfect response to that Presence; celebration and entertainment is great, but at other moments.

At the same time, it seems he found the Baptist Church a great source of comfort after his dad died. That comfort was real, and of God. Try to affirm as much as possible the good he recieved through his Baptist church while showing him that at the Mass, the source of all that good is right there in front of him, and that he may one day receive Christ physically.
 
These are all good suggestions, thanks to all. My son also has ADHD (unmedicated) so keeping him focused is always a challenge. Due to his ADHD, he has a reading disability, (long story as to why) so reading at Mass is out of the question.

I e-mailed the youth director about this also. He had great ideas and plans as to what he is going to do concerning the kids, but as of yet, none has been implamented. 😦

Does not help that he is still very angry about his dad passing away on his 9th birthday. As always,I never stop praying for him
 
You might also be able to frame the Mass in a way which will be more readily relatable to him. For instance, does he like sports? One could say that Mass is like a football game. We go every Sunday. The players wear uniforms just like the priest and servers do. These Church uniforms even change (sort of like home and away jerseys). Just like there is a ritual to the game (four quarters, set plays, a certain number of players), there is a ritual to the Mass (certain players, liturgy of the Word - 1st half - followed by Liturgy of the Eucharist - 2nd half). Much of it is the same (just like a sporting event), but there are some differences. Just like there are different teams playing every week, there may be a different priest saying Mass every week. The plays in a game change like some of the prayers and the readings change. The homily may be different and catered to the particular needs of the week, just like a coach gives a pep talk or certain advice on how his players should try to win the game. Then there are the fans who are cheering on the team. At Mass, we are united with the communion of saints (the fans) who are cheering us on.

If a kid can approach Mass from a perspective like this, he just might love going and bring his game face.
 
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