Mass for children?

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What does Mass for children refer to?
I have seen what is called an Ordinarium for Children’s Mass (in the Swedish hymnal). The text to both the Kyrie, Gloria and Sanctus are changed. So Mass for children is a Mass with certain things simplified?
But are you really allowed to change the text to Gloria?
And is kyriale and Ordinarium synonyms?
 
It refers to a shorter Mass often including a shorter homily more suited to pre-school aged children and their parents.

If you look in Cecilia there are several different Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus, Agnus Dei in both Swedish and Greek/Latin. #544-547 seems to fit the average 3-4 year old child. Cecilia has been approved by the bishop as well as the persons responsible for the liturgy in the Vatican. I have heard it was sent back and forth several times as the translation for the Mass into Swedish was also under revision.

Kyriale is a collection of Gregorian chant settings for the Ordinary of the Mass. “Ordinarium” is a Kyrie, Gloria (except Advent and Lent), Sanctus and Agnus Dei sung during Mass.
 
So kyriale and ordinarium are synonyms?
And you are allowed to shorten the Gloria for children?
 
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Kyriale are all. Ordinarium is just the one Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus Dei sung at one of the Masses. Example: We are singing Ordinarium XI Orbis factor #586-589 since it is ordinary time now and it is not suited to sing Ordinarium 1 (Lux et origo) #570-573 since those tunes are for Easter. All of them and many more are in the Kyriale.

Since the bishop (could even be Nordic bishop conference as the Finnish Swedish speaking in Finland use Cecilia as well) and the Liturgy committee in the Vatican approved, then it must be OK to sing a “shorter/simplified” Gloria.
 
The 1973 Directory for Masses with Children includes in chapter 3, entitled “Masses with Children in Which Only a Few Adults Participate”:

“31. To facilitate the children’s participation in singing the Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, it is permissible to use with the melodies appropriate vernacular texts, accepted by competent authority, even if these do not correspond exactly to the liturgical texts. [27]”

The footnote 27 is: “See Sacred Congregation of Rites, Instr. Musicam Sacram , 5 March 1967, no. 55.”

The text of this footnote is:

“55. It will be for the competent territorial authority to decide whether certain vernacular texts set to music which have been handed down from former times, can in fact be used, even though they may not conform in all details with the legitimately approved versions of the liturgical texts.”

At the end of chapter 2 of Directory for Masses with Children it has in n. 19:

“Wherever the bishop permits, in addition to the adaptations already provided in the Order of the Mass, one or other of the particular adaptations described later in the Directory may be employed in a Mass celebrated with adults in which children also participate.”

On the question of what is meant by “children” the Directory has:

“6. The Directory is concerned with children who have not yet entered the period of preadolescence. It does not speak directly of children who are physically or mentally handicapped, because a broader adaptation is sometimes necessary for them. [7] Nevertheless, the following norms may also be applied to the handicapped, with the necessary changes.”

On the Gloria the General Instruction of the Roman Missal has in n. 53: “The text of this hymn may not be replaced by any other.” But it also has in n. 21, footnote 31: “Special celebrations of Mass should observe the guidelines established for them”. It lists the Directory for Masses with Children among these guidelines.

The full Directory for Masses with Children is at http://jesuitinstitute.org/Resources/Directory for Masses With Children.pdf

[Excerpts from the English translation of the The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.]
 
What then is a family Mass (familjemässa)?
How is that different from a Children’s Mass?
 
Please help me understand this:
Some say that there is no need for Children’s Mass as children like the EF. Only in the OF is Mass for children needed. I guess there is some truth to this but I am no expert.
In the older days the songs children sang at school here in Sweden were really “classical” and very beautiful. I guess these songs ain’t easy for them. People could have wrote easy songs but rather gave them harder melodies to sing. Something to strive for.
But here I am refering to a 7 year old kid.
Nowadays the tunes for children are often more “childish” and not really performed with a classical technique (but of course, we still have the older tunes).
I guess pedagogy has change.
What do the experts say?

I also add that participating at Mass can be hard for an untrained adult. I feel that weekly Masses are easier than long Sunday Masses with music. It takes time too learn all of this. I have no problem studying for 1h but the Mass has too much going on at once. Mass is a performance.
Not that the bloody Crucifixion that Mary attended was free from too much going on? But I guess she had a lot of experience with such rituals.
Any tips?
 
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