How to share the faith with my neice

[greenchelle]

My sister believes in the holy trinity however does not attend church and has not ever received the sacraments. Her partner is a lasped catholic. They want to have my necie baptised but due to family tragedy this has been put back, and back.

My little neice (3 yrs old) was asking me about a the sacred heart image. Rightly or wrongly, I told her that he is Jesus, and she can see his heart because he loves us all so much. I told her that Jesus watches over all of us and looks after her grandmother in heaven.

Her interest changed to something else after this. My sister commented that I should take her to church with me. I would be more than happy to, I would be delighted to in fact!

My question is, if she is not my daughter how do I start to share the faith with her at 3 years old?

I was thinking about speaking to the people who do the children’s liturgy at church and asking if we could come along. Do you think I need to start with something else first?

Any tips from anyone with little ones? Should I get a child’s bible? or activities? Am I best talking to her informally about God?

 

[MomaMary8]

Sounds like you are off to a great start! Faith is best learned at the knee of a loved one, normally a parent, but an aunt/uncle will do as well. I think your sister is right, take your niece to mass but try to couple it with a special event. Perhaps a nice breakfast after mass or some other special together time that will leave fond memories. God is love, and you should show your niece God by showering her with love. Take upon the roll of godparent, even if she is not baptized, and encourage her to learn about God in all sorts of ways. You can do formal or informal education. Her needs may change as she grows, so be ready to adapt to her changing interests.

Things you can do with a 3 yr old:
Pray a decade of the Rosary as you walk to the park to play.
Find coloring books with Bible stories
Read stories of the saints to her
Buy a picture of the sacred Heart of Jesus for her room, or other image she shows interest in
Take a trip to church just to say “hi” to God (a quick little prayer before the tabernacle will teach her that God is present in the Eucharist, and not just for Sundays)
Teach her to make the sign of the cross when passing a Catholic Church (again, teaching the true presence)
Teach her to say a prayer whenever she hears a siren (praying for those in need)

These are just some ideas. If your parish has things for kids as young as 3 and your niece is interested, by all means, enroll her.

 

[dee_burk]

Sounds like you are off to a great start! Faith is best learned at the knee of a loved one, normally a parent, but an aunt/uncle will do as well. I think your sister is right, take your niece to mass but try to couple it with a special event. Perhaps a nice breakfast after mass or some other special together time that will leave fond memories. God is love, and you should show your niece God by showering her with love. Take upon the roll of godparent, even if she is not baptized, and encourage her to learn about God in all sorts of ways. You can do formal or informal education. Her needs may change as she grows, so be ready to adapt to her changing interests.

Things you can do with a 3 yr old:
Pray a decade of the Rosary as you walk to the park to play.
Find coloring books with Bible stories
Read stories of the saints to her
Buy a picture of the sacred Heart of Jesus for her room, or other image she shows interest in
Take a trip to church just to say “hi” to God (a quick little prayer before the tabernacle will teach her that God is present in the Eucharist, and not just for Sundays)
Teach her to make the sign of the cross when passing a Catholic Church (again, teaching the true presence)
Teach her to say a prayer whenever she hears a siren (praying for those in need)

These are just some ideas. If your parish has things for kids as young as 3 and your niece is interested, by all means, enroll her.

Good Advice.