Overheard in the Sacristy

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Phemie

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Yesterday I was in the sacristy after Mass to get marriage prep stuff and overheard this conversation between servers.

“mumble, mumble consecration”
“What’s consecration?”
“You don’t know what the consecration is?? Did you make your First Communion?”
“Yes, but I don’t know what consecration is.”
“How could you not know what the Consecration is?!? It’s the most important moment of the Mass! You shouldn’t have received your First Communion if you don’t know what the Consecration is!”

Knowing the shocked girl’s parents I know she knew what the Consecration was before she ever started religious ed. The fact that the other child didn’t know also tells me how our religious education is lacking.
 
Irishmom2 said:
So did anyone step in and explain it to this poor child?
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I don’t think so. Someone talked to me and when I looked up he was gone. To be perfectly honest I don’t usually go talk to kids I don’t know…
 
How old were the servers?
Consecration can be a big word for children.
The other server was more wrong in their “explanation” imo.
I feel sorry for the server with the question. If someone asks a question, it’s usually because they want to know, not to be made to feel stupid and even moreso, unworthy of taking communion.
 
Hah, I remember a roomful of Catholic college students arguing with their (atheist) teacher that NO, they didn’t believe that the bread and wine actually turned into flesh and blood, EW, that’s gross.

(Context: They’d been making fun of some goofy-sounding Greek or Roman religious ritual, and he pointed out that some people might consider transubstantiation pretty ridiculous and off-putting. They had to ask him what transubstantiation was.)
 
The kid probably knows the general concept and just didn’t understand or remember the big word “Consecration”. I hope someone explains it to them.

I realize a kid will usually take every opportunity to lord his or her superior knowledge over a peer; it’s an immature behavior that they often grow out of. However, the shocked girl was pretty rude and I hope she matures before she grows older so she doesn’t drive people away from the Church by making them feel stupid. Somebody ought to lecture her on the sin of pride.
 
Big words that are not used often in conversation can throw some adults, let alone kids.

We ought always think the best of our brothers and sisters in Christ. Instead of criticizing, maybe volunteer to help with RE next year.
 
To be perfectly honest, I’ve done my time at RE and it didn’t take me long to realize that teaching kids is not my forte. I’ll stick to baptismal prep.
 
When I was in high school I had a history teacher, who knew I was catholic, ask me in class if I was familiar with the Catechism. It had something to do with what we were discussing I am sure. I proudly said that of course I was familiar with it, it was when the Church split into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox spheres in the Middle Ages, duh!
 
While yes, they can be big words, they should be big words that “servers” should definitely know and be trained on. It’s a pretty big part of a job description
 
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