K
kerkvliet
Guest
Any ideas for how to do a banquet as a way to teach about the Mass to around 30 kids ages 6-11? Thank you.
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P
peter26
Guest
I’m not sure if this is a good idea, it may give the kids the wrong idea about what Mass is.
For instance, St. Paul said “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.” 1 Corinthians 11:20-22, condemning the practice of making the Eucharist a part of an ordinary meal.
This is echoed in Redemptionis Sacramentum “77. The celebration of Holy Mass is not to be inserted in any way into the setting of a common meal, nor joined with this kind of banquet. Mass is not to be celebrated without grave necessity on a dinner table nor in a dining room or banquet hall, nor in a room where food is present, nor in a place where the participants during the celebration itself are seated at tables. If out of grave necessity Mass must be celebrated in the same place where eating will later take place, there is to be a clear interval of time between the conclusion of Mass and the beginning of the meal, and ordinary food is not to be set before the faithful during the celebration of Mass.”
Overall, I think it sends the wrong message.
For instance, St. Paul said “When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord’s supper. For in eating every one taketh before other his own supper: and one is hungry, and another is drunken. What? have ye not houses to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the church of God, and shame them that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you in this? I praise you not.” 1 Corinthians 11:20-22, condemning the practice of making the Eucharist a part of an ordinary meal.
This is echoed in Redemptionis Sacramentum “77. The celebration of Holy Mass is not to be inserted in any way into the setting of a common meal, nor joined with this kind of banquet. Mass is not to be celebrated without grave necessity on a dinner table nor in a dining room or banquet hall, nor in a room where food is present, nor in a place where the participants during the celebration itself are seated at tables. If out of grave necessity Mass must be celebrated in the same place where eating will later take place, there is to be a clear interval of time between the conclusion of Mass and the beginning of the meal, and ordinary food is not to be set before the faithful during the celebration of Mass.”
Overall, I think it sends the wrong message.
1
1ke
Guest
Agreed.Overall, I think it sends the wrong message.
D
Deo_Gratias42
Guest
Mass is a sacrifice, not a banquet. As one priest said, if he wanted to serve dinner, he’d have become a waiter. As part of the old Jewish sacrifices of the the Old Testament, there was the consuming of the victim, but it wasn’t portrayed as a banquet.
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Neofight
Guest
Point well taken, except is can, and it is both a sacrifice and a banquet.Mass is a sacrifice, not a banquet…
As many things in our faith, it is yet another of the beautiful and mystical paradoxes.
K
kerkvliet
Guest
The Mass is both a sacrifice and a banquet. This is from the Cathecism,
1382 The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord’s body and blood. But the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly directed toward the intimate union of the faithful with Christ through communion. To receive communion is to receive Christ himself who has offered himself for us. (950)
We would teach the children both aspects.
1382 The Mass is at the same time, and inseparably, the sacrificial memorial in which the sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated and the sacred banquet of communion with the Lord’s body and blood. But the celebration of the Eucharistic sacrifice is wholly directed toward the intimate union of the faithful with Christ through communion. To receive communion is to receive Christ himself who has offered himself for us. (950)
We would teach the children both aspects.
1
1ke
Guest
Children in that age range do not have abstract reasoning ability. In their stage of development it is better to be more straightforward.e would teach the children both aspects.
Teach about the Mass in a straightforward way: the prayers, the Eucharist, go to the church building and tour the sanctuary and altar area, get up close with the vessels and vestments, the Missal the priest uses, etc.
But don’t go off on a tangent with a banquet idea.
1
1ke
Guest
If you want to do some sort of meal, you could do a Seder with the older ones emphasizing the Jewish Passover, its connection to the flight from Egypt and its connection to the new Passover.
If you have Jews in your area, talk to them about doing a Seder for your youth group.
If you have Jews in your area, talk to them about doing a Seder for your youth group.
K
kerkvliet
Guest
Okay, thanks all. Our priest will be coming in to talk about the Mass so perhaps we’ll leave it at that.
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pianistclare
Guest
Agreed. Don’t de-rail their First Communion prep either by confusing them.Children in that age range do not have abstract reasoning ability. In their stage of development it is better to be more straightforward.
Teach about the Mass in a straightforward way: the prayers, the Eucharist, go to the church building and tour the sanctuary and altar area, get up close with the vessels and vestments, the Missal the priest uses, etc.
But don’t go off on a tangent with a banquet idea.
Better to teach along the lines of the Real Presence at a level they can comprehend.
A good, spiraling curriculum will help with this.
S
schoolteacher68
Guest
I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with the other answers…kids that age learn better by doing rather than listening…I have been teaching grade 2 for about 8 years now in a Catholic school in Canada and my teaching partners and I have done the last supper as a classroom “feast/celebration” around Easter time…we read the story in the Gospels…we talk about it…we discuss the meaning and importance of it and how it relates to the mass and we end it off with unleavened bread and grape juice…I see absolutely nothing wrong with doing this…
T
Todd977
Guest
By “banquet” do you mean “a public ceremonious dinner honoring a person”? If so, I can see how that might compare favorably to the Mass as long as the children understand that the banquet honoree is God the Father and that the honoree is present with them at the banquet, that the honoree’s accomplishments for which the children are thankful are recalled, and that the banquet food and drink are offered to the honoree first and then shared with the other banquet attendees.
S
Sunbreak
Guest
Having a kids’ banquet will not teach them about the Mass as a sacred banquet. Likely it will just confuse them.
D
Deo_Gratias42
Guest
I grew up and was taught according to Canadian Catholic schools. Your methods failed me as a child and I left the Church.I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with the other answers…kids that age learn better by doing rather than listening…I have been teaching grade 2 for about 8 years now in a Catholic school in Canada and my teaching partners and I have done the last supper as a classroom “feast/celebration” around Easter time…we read the story in the Gospels…we talk about it…we discuss the meaning and importance of it and how it relates to the mass and we end it off with unleavened bread and grape juice…I see absolutely nothing wrong with doing this…
H
Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
I think it is a bad idea and creates more work for faithful parents who want thier child to understand the Mass correctly. I spend a lot of time undoing the well meaning but ineffective or in some cases flat out wrong ideas of Religious Ed teachers.Any ideas for how to do a banquet as a way to teach about the Mass to around 30 kids ages 6-11? Thank you.
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