Sending all the kids out during mass

[MarcoPolo]

I was at a church near St. Louis over the weekend and during the mass, they called all the little kids up to the altar and shuffled them off to their own room during the Liturgy of the Word. I have not been a big fan of this to begin with, but in this mass, they sent the kids out right before the Penitential Rite (i.e. I confess to almighty God…) Is this normal? Isn’t the Penitential Rite something the kids should be there for?? Certainly some of them were beyond the age of reason.

 

[theistgal]

What age were these kids? Perhaps they were being prepared for their first reception of the Sacraments, and thus were being treated as Catechumens (who traditionally leave before the Creed is professed).

 

[Paul2274]

We have this type of program at our parish, but they are gathered just before the first reading. They go and have lessons on the readings and they return just after the prayer of the faithful before the collection.

Paul

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

…but in this mass, they sent the kids out right before the Penitential Rite (i.e. I confess to almighty God…) Is this normal? Isn’t the Penitential Rite something the kids should be there for?? Certainly some of them were beyond the age of reason.

The normal time to dismiss the children is before the first reading. I have no idea why this parish did it so early.

What age were these kids? Perhaps they were being prepared for their first reception of the Sacraments, and thus were being treated as Catechumens (who traditionally leave before the Creed is professed).

Catechumens stay in Mass through all the readings and are dismissed AFTER the homily. When a parish has a Children’s Liturgy of the Word they are dismissed BEFORE the readings and homily.

 

[MarcoPolo]

What age were these kids?

They were probably 4-10 and it was all of them in the church…I don’t think they were catechumens. Reading these responses, it would seem that the mass I attended did not dismiss them at an appropriate time.