Taking Kids Out of Mass for "Children's Homily"

[OutinChgoburbs]

In the 1960s, we had a children’s Mass at one of the five or six Masses celebrated on Sunday. Anybody with half a brain cell attended any other time, even if it meant the all-time-consuming 9:30 AM High Mass. The sisters were on patrol for this one, after having been to the convent’s Mass. They were ready to rock on miscreants, let me tell you. And it was generally celebrated by the old monsignor, who had no trouble stopping what he was doing and pulling the troublemaker by the ear to kneel at the altar rail for the rest of the Mass.

Whether this Liturgy of the Word for youngsters works or not, here’s the questions: 1.) When do they become old enough to start going to the regular Litrugy of the Word? 2.) How do they behave when they come back from this?

 

[NeelyAnn]

I’ll stick with keeping my children in Mass with me. Mass is a family affair, especially Sunday Mass. As for understanding, I have not seen a problem yet. I think many underestimate their children.

 

[Veritas41]

NeelyAnn:

I’ll stick with keeping my children in Mass with me. Mass is a family affair, especially Sunday Mass. As for understanding, I have not seen a problem yet. I think many underestimate their children.

That’s the direction I’m leaning. I can’t find any historical precedent for removing children from Mass, and it seems like if it were such a good thing we would have been doing it in the Church a long time before now. We’ve managed to pass on the faith for 2000 years with our kids in Mass with us, so I do question the value of removing children to a separate liturgy.

 

[jmb100]

in my parish we have the children’s liturgy of the word, the teacher leads the children out before the readings and then back again before the gifts are brought up…my kids love it (4 and 6)…they are back in time for the concecration, and of course, we love the offetory and communion hymns (we are a music family)…the kids refer to it as ‘bible school’ (my DH was raised prespyterian)…they come back with a pamphlet of the gospel, some questions to answer and a picture from the bible to color. the other night, i was saying prayers w/ my 4 year old and she took her thumb and touched my forehead, mouth, then heart…then said, jesus’s words are on my mind, i speak them, and they are in my heart…i said, where did you learn that? she said bible school! she is FOUR…wow…yep, i think it is great.

 

[Nana_Rose]

We also do this in my parish, it is only once a month, and as SMHW posted we do it that way, which I believe is the approved way to handle it. The children in that age bracket love it and get a lot out of it. My grand daughter goes and gets so much more out of the readings. She is a smart child and does well in school, but has a hard time understanding the readings and homily at Mass. This way we share after Mass what we both heard and learned. She has a much higher comprehension level doing it this way.

We still attend Mass together, and we share afterwards too. We also have other opportunities. Tonight we had the Stations of the Cross for families. It was beautiful. Families signed up to read the Stations and we had a pamphlet that led us through each one. The readings they had reflected how the Station applies to family life and how we can have Jesus teach us through his suffering and death to die to ourselves and help us do better in our families. It was appropriate for all age levels and the kids seemed to relate so well. It was one of the most beautiful Stations I’ve ever been too. I kept the book to read with my grand daughter in the future. I do think there is an age at which the kids need to be in Mass, when you know they are old enough to understand the homily. I think the Church puts that age at about 8? I’m not sure, but parents can tell that. Anything that helps and is Church approved is ok by me.

 

[Yearning]

We’ve done this in the past, as our parish has Children’s Liturgy of the Word. But, we’ve recently stopped allowing them (5 and 7)to participate, because they were not learning proper Church behaviour.

One thing that we’ve done a couple of times (not nearly so often as we should ) is read the readings and gospels in the car on the way over. Once, DH read them at breakfast. The time that he read them at breakfast, we split up for mass so that we didn’t have to take the baby. So, when DH went with the older kids, they sat in the front pew so everyone could see and participate.

DH recounted to me that during the homily, Father asked a question regarding the gospel (I think it was supposed to be rhetorical). But, our 5 year old DD raised her hand. Incredulous, and curious, he called on her. And she answered the question correctly. Of course Father didn’t have the benefit of knowing that DH had given his own “mini-homily” at the breakfast table on that very gospel, that very morning. So, Father (dumbfounded) asked her “How old are you?” “5” she replied. He was pretty impressed

So, my point is that we could do a lot more to help our children out in this department (and I’m very much including myself in this) by simply going over the readings in advance. I know it would help me a lot, since I frequently am not paying as much attention as I would like during the readings/homily (4 kids to wrangle).

And thank you to the original poster who brought this topic up… this thread is renewing my resolve to go over the readings on Sunday morning BEFORE Mass

 

[Veritas41]

Yearning:

We’ve done this in the past, as our parish has Children’s Liturgy of the Word. But, we’ve recently stopped allowing them (5 and 7)to participate, because they were not learning proper Church behaviour.

This has been my concern as well (and by, the way, you’re welcome – I’m the original poster ). I experienced this in our Presbyterian church, where we had “children’s church.” My oldest son always went to nursery and then to children’s church as he got older, and when our younger son was still a toddler we started attending the Catholic Church, and my younger son behaved better than our older one, who had never had to learn how to behave in church. I think it’s a great idea to talk at home to the children about the readings or explain the homily on the way home. I admit we’re not consistent about that and need to do that ourselves. This just seems like one more thing where it’s easier for parents to let someone else do what they should be doing themselves at home.

 

[Walking_Home]

Veritas41:

This has been my concern as well (and by, the way, you’re welcome – I’m the original poster ). I experienced this in our Presbyterian church, where we had “children’s church.” My oldest son always went to nursery and then to children’s church as he got older, and when our younger son was still a toddler we started attending the Catholic Church, and my younger son behaved better than our older one, who had never had to learn how to behave in church. I think it’s a great idea to talk at home to the children about the readings or explain the homily on the way home. I admit we’re not consistent about that and need to do that ourselves. This just seems like one more thing where it’s easier for parents to let someone else do what they should be doing themselves at home./QUOTE]​

Excellent point.
Who better than the parents.

 

[CarolAnnSFO]

OutinChgoburbs:

Whether this Liturgy of the Word for youngsters works or not, here’s the questions: 1.) When do they become old enough to start going to the regular Litrugy of the Word? 2.) How do they behave when they come back from this?

My church has the children’s Liturgy of the Word more or less as described by SMHW, above. It is for a narrow age range – it is not for babies or toddlers, who are expected to remain with the parents (unless they’ve been left with the babysitting ministry); nor is it for any child who has already made his or her First Holy Communion. The children behave fine once they return; there are no disruptions.

Incidentally, this program is strictly voluntary; any family wishing to keep all of their children with them during the Mass is free to do so.

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