Monday 17 December 2012

Problems with Children's Liturgy



 Father and I have recently had conversations about the Children’s Liturgy. With Father’s agreement, I thought I would write a post about what was shared in those conversations by ourselves and others.

Children’s liturgy is prized by some people and disliked by others. Certainly the intention in devising such a liturgy was good; it sought to help children hear the word at a level and in a format which would help them to grasp the message, but such Liturgies are not without problems.

The most obvious problem is that by taking the children out of Mass we divide the community, yet the idea that we can segregate part of the community is surely erroneous -I wonder how many would be happy if it was being promoted that since the feminine mode of learning is different that women should hear the word apart from the rest of the community? Separating the children from the rest of the community is just as inappropriate as segregating women.

A second problem is that while we promote parents as the principle educators of their children, we yet remove their children from them at Mass for what is, in fact, a parallel liturgy. Parents are thereby disenfranchised and given the subliminal message that catechesis of their children is the responsibility of others. Certainly the example of life that parents give is of critical importance, but the faith is lived and taught by deed and by word, and parents need to be primary in both fields.

Related to this is a third problem in that the children receive no example from their parents on how to conduct themselves in Church. This is especially true when the children return to Mass full of procured energy, since parents then spend much of their time trying to keep their young children settled, often resorting to giving them toys –or worse, food- to keep them still and quiet.

A fourth problem is that Children’s Liturgy can degenerate into a ‘performance' when the children spend time learning a song or sketch to perform, since these inevitably draw applause and turn the congregation from adoration of God to praise of the children. School Masses are often paradigms of this performance-style worship with participation deteriorating into mere activity, with situations where a class of 20 each “do their bit”: one introduces the Mass; there is one child for each stanza of the psalm; one for the Gospel Alleluia; four bringing up the gifts; a dozen or so offering ‘Bidding Prayers’ and others doing a final reflection, all to ensure that “everyone has something to do”. This is problematic because Children’s Liturgy is supposed to prepare children for integration into regular liturgy, yet performing sketches and involving as many as possible means children find the regular celebration alien to them; describing it as “boring”, i.e., not entertaining.

Father noted a fifth problem occurs when the altar is misused as a display board with children coming back into Church with a ‘Freeze’ to attach to the front of the altar with bluetack (perhaps it is this that led to the phenomena of sacristan ladies sellotaping the cloth to the altar?). Father said he has asked teachers, catechists and sacristy ladies in all his appointments if they would treat their dining table at home in the same way, and always received a rather cold reply of “that’s different Father”. He has always replied “I entirely agree: a table is just a table; the altar is sacred.”

Some will defend children’s liturgy, but others might add to this list of concerns. Indeed, as with Youth Masses, Children’s Liturgies have not kept the younger generations of the last forty years faithful to Mass and the Sacraments.

Do we employ a Children’s Liturgy in our parish? We do, and we too used to colour pictures, but we stopped doing so when the children said they “miss the Colouring Club” at Christmas and Easter when it does not take place. One or two of the catechists said they focused on this because some children were very young, that is, under five, so we also reserved participation in Children’s Liturgy for children aged 5-10.

Further, our format aims at imaging the Liturgy of the Word. We begin with the Sign of the Cross and Greeting in the Church before the children leave; once in their own room they examine their conscience, say the Kyrie and Glory be, listen to the Gospel and a short reflection, complete a simple word-search based on the reflection, and recite a simplified Creed and Common Prayer. We make all of this available as an entire page in our weekly Bulletin so that children who no longer come to Mass may be inspired at home. What we do may not satisfy all, but as Father says, “We are talking about the Liturgy of the Word in which God speaks to man, and not about a colouring club or a crèche.”

36 comments:

  1. There is also the issue of children who have attained the age of reason and who are bound to the Sunday obligation, of only attending part of the Mass. This is also the case for those who assist a children's liturgy, who can rarely be encouraged to attend another Mass as well as the one they have "liturgised at".

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    1. Thank you for commenting. I see the points you are making, and have myself wondered about those above the age of reason. However, when I arrived in this parish children up to 13 or 14 were allowed into Children's Liturgy, and it was not easy to have the age lowered to 10. Some of those 12 and over actually stopped coming to Church when the age range was lowered. How does your parish go about encouraging Children’s Liturgy leaders to attend another Mass?

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    2. I simply allow it to happen.
      I suspect like you I have concerns about children's liturgy but there are greater concerns in the parish. I tend not to interfere, my problem is that when children finish with it, they tend to finish with Mass. The difficult is the graduation to The Liturgy.
      Of the more traditional parents who don't opt for children liturgy there is no problem.

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    3. Thanks for replying.
      Yes, there are indeed greater concerns in the parish, both pastoral and catachetical, and I too allow the Children's Liturgy to continue without interference.
      I agree that graduation to regular liturgy is a problem -I suspect that moving from performance-style liturgy to adult liturgy is one reason why they stop attending Mass altogether when the vertical dimension of liturgy becomes uppermost.

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    4. I am in charge of CLOW at our dwindling parish (pray for us!) and go to daily Mass all week; also prepare before the Mass and read our Pastor's homily. HE is working, but it "counts" as Mass for him...Also, when you compare women to children, as populations, I disagree; YES unfortunately it encourages parents to be rather hands-off, but it allows someone who cares for their souls to try to really reach them. Often children listen better to non-parents, unless they are homeschooled. And, women understand the readings; whereas children need to hear things explained. Also, we do not allow them to come back full of energy.

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    5. Thanks for commenting.

      Many parishes are dwindling...we must al pray for the return of the lapsed and the strengthening of the faithful.
      I still think that segregating anyone (children or women) is not good; we haven't done this is 2000 years so I can't see why it needs to be done now. I agree that children sometimes listen better to others than to their parents, but that other person really needs to be the priest: what parents give is life example; the priests are our proper Catechists (and I say that though my mum runs our CLOW -she will know how hard your task is then!).
      I think you are right not to let the children come back full of energy; we try to achieve this this here by having prayerful, simple intercessions before they return into Church. As today's thinking would put it, "It re-centres them".

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  2. We withdrew our eldest from the Children's Liturgy (and I ceased to help at it) when it became clear that despite our PP's intentions, the other leaders were uncomfortable with anything liturgical, and it became a colouring club.

    We have never looked back. All our children have learned to sit through Mass quietly, to attend to the readings and sermon, to say or sing the Gloria and Creed.

    They all still practice (2 at University now, the other 2 teenagers).

    I think the children's liturgy is unnecessary at best; I can understand that stopping it may be difficult once it is in place, but suggest that should be the goal. Children should be at Mass - and so should adults.

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    1. Thanks for your comment. I agree that Children's Liturgy should come to an end, but it is difficult to do 'solo', so to speak, because parishioners know the children like it. If it is stopped, Father would come across as harsh, particularly if he celebrates ad-orientem and uses Latin, as Father Dickson does. There is, I believe, speculation that such things are on the wane, helped by the fact that the Bishops of the USA have removed the children's Eucharistic Prayers from the newly published, re-translated Missal.

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  3. I just found out that at my children's school mass, the students are not allowed to partake of the Blood of Christ by way of the chalice. Only the adults are allowed to drink the consecrated wine. The grades that attend the mass are kindergarten through eighth. My children are in fourth and seventh grade. They do partake under both at Sunday mass. I feel this is not correct. What are your thoughts on this.
    Roger

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    1. Thanks for your comment. My thoughts are that we have the opportunity to receive from the chalice more often than was envisaged by Vatican II, and more often than the special occasions for which it is recommended in the Missal. However, if the chalice is offered to one it should be offered to all communicants. I think what you have is a great opportunity to catechise the Children on the fact that Christ is Present Body and Blood in either Form, and that they are denied nothing by not receiving from the chalice.

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    2. I agree with you and you make a very good point about the presence in both forms. Thank you.
      Roger

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  4. We have 6 children ages 3 mos. - 9 years; all spaced pretty evenly apart. With very little effort on our part they behave better than many of the adults at mass! Of course the ultimate kudos go to our Lord Jesus, His grace, and their guardian angels! On our side, some things that I believe have helped include: 1) sitting in the front - a bit of a Catch 22 in that any bad behavior is highlighted; but it does allow them to see what is going on. 2) Dress - Mass is about the only time the young ladies dress up in full length dresses (~$35 from made to order stores online, unfortunately our society has gotten to the point where decent dresses are no longer carried in mainstream stores) and get to wear their mantillas (~$10), and the about only time when the young men wear dress shoes ($8 at Walmart), slacks ($10 at Walmart) and sport-coats (~35 if you find the right clearance; prices included to show that relative to a lot of "extras" we buy for our kids that it isn't too too expensive to get them dressed up for mass if it really is the highest priority in your life. My wife and I have relatively crummy pay-as-you go cellphones and our kids don't have an electronic gadget to their name; but they are "dressed to the 9s" for mass). Dressing up for mass makes the kids feel like adopted princes and princesses going to pay homage to their king! 3) The kids know what the mass means. We listen and watch media from St. Joeseph’s communication, Peter Kreeft, Tan, Ignatius Press and others all the time – they get it, at least intellectually. 4) We reinforce what is going on during mass. I will often whisper in their ear that their Creator and King is about to appear in a special way etc. 5) Once the oldest kid gets it, the others will follow. We never had to tell our youngest children to fold their hands during mass (right thumb over left:), kneel etc. They watch the older kids do it and just do the same. There isn’t much that is cuter than a 2 year old folding her hands and kneeling on her own!
    The mass as the highlight and focal point of our week has led to phenomenal grace in our lives. I think it is a shame that so many are timid and unwilling to set an example or talk about the joy that comes from truly putting God first and reflecting that in the way we live, the way we dress, the way we act at mass etc! I am of course a lowly servant and certainly no judge; but I have a hard time understanding how “Barney masses” (no disrespect for the mass intended, just the way it is sometimes offered) and “Children’s Liturgys” reflect the reality of the mass. God love you!

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    1. Thanks for your comment. You seem to me to have the right idea, and I know Father Dickson was impressed by what you are doing when I shared your comment with him earlier this morning.

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  5. Nothing happens in a parish unless the pastor wants it to happen.

    If people are taping things to the altar, it is because Father approves of it. He can say whatever he wants to the contrary - if it is happening, he approves of it.

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    1. Thanks for your comment. It is not in this parish that things are sellotaped to the altar; Father Dickson stopped this immediately he discovered it was happening. He also stopped the use of artificial flowers as per the instruction of the Bishops Conference of England and Wales.
      I have to say that things do happen contrary to the instructions of the priests. A parish near to us had a very clear item in its Bulletin last year about maintaining prayerful silence before and after Mass, but the church remains one of the noisiest I know. In another parish a Bulletin note about sharing the sign of peace only with those immediately next to us is also ignored; people still cross over isles to shake hands with their friends.

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  6. We have Children’s Liturgy of the Word for children "potty trained (about 3 yrs) thru school/religious education age (about 5). They are dismissed at the beginning with a simple blessing by Father who remains in the sanctuary. This dismissal does permit their parents to give full attention to the homily. They return quietly before the Liturgy of the Eucharist. CLOW is taught by our Sisters (in habit) and a small altar with examples of all the vessels etc. is at the front of their room. They do hear a "reading" and discuss its meaning in very simple terms, sometimes including coloring and usually a song. They no longer carry their "crafts" back into mass, but get them after. It seems to me that this is the best solution/ages for this separation.

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    1. Thanks for your comment. Its obvious that your parish is trying to keep the C.L.O.W. reverent and spiritually useful, and that in itself is to be affirmed. However, the issues of segregation and diminished parental example remain, as they do in our parish. Is it at all useful? To my knowledge there is no research and no indicators showing C.L.O.W. has kept children at Mass and the sacraments.

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    2. I'm not certain retention is the intent of C.L.O.W,nor am I certin that this "style" of Children's liturgy has gone on long enough to be know if it does aid in retention (our own children, ages 20 and 24, did not have this and were at mass with us always). My point was to call attention to the brief time that it works - from the time that they have some minimal understanding of God to the time they are of school age and able to benefit from full instruction. This short window is when their leaving allows them to hear explainations in simpler terms and their parents the peace to benefit from the regular homily.

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    3. Thanks for commenting. Certainly the children can engage with a CLOW, but I still wonder if it is necessary to have such liturgies since the children ought to be hearing explanation of the Faith (and the liturgy) geared to their level of understanding in the classroom and at home. I also think CLOW has gone on long enough to ask if it works in that it has been running for forty years; we can then, I think, legitimately ask how many people aged 10-40 there are in our congregations. I think it is almost an abuse of CLOW to use it so parents can be free to hear the homily. It seems to me to turn CLOW into baby-sitting or Kindergarten.

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  7. I agree with nearly all of your post about children's liturgy. However I think you are a little harsh about children's Masses in schools. Obviously it shouldn't turn into a performance but I see nothing wrong in giving each child something to do. These are the roles that the laity would normally carry out in a parish Mass and why shouldn't the children take these on in their own Mass? (or in the parish Mass for that matter). Schools are under a lot of pressure from the parents to make sure that every child has a role - there would be an absolute uproar if some of the children had "nothing to do".
    When school Masses are done well with proper preparation beforehand, they do help children to learn about the Mass and prepare them for what happens in the parish Mass.
    Unfortunately we are living in times when children expect to be constantly stimulated through computer games, TV, the way lessons are presented in school and so on. They do become more easily bored than previous generations of children. It is a general problem, not a problem caused by them all participating in a school Mass.


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    1. Thanks for your comment. Yes, the laity do have roles and these are open to children, but the purpose of those roles is not to get as many people involved as possible.
      And yes, schools are under pressure from parents to 'feature' their children, but that is the problem: the liturgy isn't about featuring man but worshipping God.
      I agree that today's children become more easily bored than previous generations due to their use of computers etc., but shouldn't the liturgy be counter-cultural so as to show its transcendent reality?

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    2. Were I in charge (and happily, I am not) of arrangements for a school Mass, I would give every single child in the pews something to do... pray!

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  8. Why is giving a small child a biscuit to help them concentrate during mass such a crime? Surely it is better for them to have a small snack and be listening, than to be running around disturbing others. It is virtually impossible for an under 5 to have more than a 15-20 minute attention span without starting to wonder what else is happening and who is around them. What would the recommendation be if one cannot use an aide such as food or a toy?

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    1. Thanks for your comment. I think 'crime' is the wrong word; unhelpful is nearer to the mark because a biscuit doesn't help the child to distinguish Church from a theatre or home. Eating is often forbidden in taxi cabs, libraries and museums -why should a Church be treated with any less dignity, or the liturgy with any less reverence? I don't think there's anything wrong with a toy though -as long as it isn't a fire engine that has sirens, or a doll that screams to be changed...:)

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  9. Thank you Andrew, I see where you are coming from but given that Childrens' Liturgy was unknown before Vat II don't you feel that the standard of Catholics has dropped over those years? Look at the rather older Catholics who didn't have to "suffer" childrens'liturgy, I posite that they became more attentive attendees as Holy Mass than those brought up since the Council (following which we saw the introduction of childrens' liturgy). I think we tend to underestimate the child when we "dumb down" attendance at Mass. My parents took me to Mass from a very early age &, whilst no paragon of virtue (that came later LOL) I & my contemporaries learned to love & respect the Mass.
    As to school Masses, where everyone has to "do" something, if we look at the EF only the priest & servers perform actions. Only in the OF does everyone feel the must be physically involved. Surely Holy Mass is more a spiritual action.

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  10. There are three distinct advantages in not excluding young children from any part of the Mass. They learn that the liturgy has a natural flow and they learn how to sit still and to be quiet.
    But the example must come from their parents. The pre-school children whose parents who don't allow them to run riot very soon catch on that even if they want to say something they do it in a (loud) whisper, which is delightful.
    I do think it's a great pity that so many parents opt to sit near the back of the church where little children can't see anything but the back of the adult in front. It must make an hour seem unbelievably long. What chance of attracting a boy to serve at the altar if he has never properly seen the liturgical action on the sanctuary?
    Many homilies these days are so simple that even a young child should be able to understand them. So no need to send them away, other than to spare the sensitivities of the children's liturgists.
    I don't believe any of us who never experienced the CLOW have suffered retrospective feeings of deprivation. Indeed, the reason there was no need for it was because children were fully educated in the meaning of the Mass, at home and at Catholic primary school, in incremental steps up to and beyond First Holy Communion.

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    1. Thank you for your comment. Your points are very insightful and I agree with you entirely.

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  11. Thanks for the post. I agree with all your points. I converted quite recently, and when we first started going to Mass as a family, we took the children to the Children's Liturgy, but at least one of us always went with them. I remember some of the dangerous rubbish that was inflicted on me in Sunday School as a child . . . After a little while, we just started taking the children into Mass, and we've never looked back. We know that they are better off being in Our Lord's presence, together as a family, whether they 'get' it all or not, than in a church hall, segregated and all too often patronised. We do always try to sit near the front, and they're disappointed if we ever fail to do so.

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    1. Thanks for your comment. Father likes to see young families at the front of Church, and isn't very supportive of CLOW which provides rough catechesis via gimmicky 'visual aids'.

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  12. My name is Mary (aka Red), and when I was a kid, I had CCD.

    This was in the 1980's, well into the 1990's; I was born in 1980.

    Children's Liturgies were in the infantile stage when I was a kid, although I did attend some, and we did have coloring pages, story time, et cetera...............again, Children's Liturgies were not as popular when I was a kid as they are now, but they were fun.

    Thanks.

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    1. Thanks for your comment Mary.

      Indeed these liturgies can be great fun, but I wonder if that can be one of the problems since liturgy is supposed to be an act of worship rather than a 'playtime' experience. I think they would make great Sunday schools for the younger children, and could also be well employed as a midweek children's group. I am not so sure they should replace a children's Liturgy of the Word' where the word can get lost under the activity. We used to have a children's Gospel, a talk, a simple Creed and prayers before colouring in a a picture on the theme of the day, and it was still referred to by the children as 'The Colouring Group'.

      I would like to see many more such experiences and many more para-liturgical events where all sorts of activities can be done amid prayers and singing. I am one of those who thinks that not every religious conference of meeting should have a Mass, but a para-liturgy. This would allow the Eucharistic liturgy to be a true stand-alone act of worship that would not then need to have dances, mimes etc added on to highlight its importance...

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  13. I have just come from another Mass celebrated with the children's liturgy. It was the usual indecorous and slovenly mess. A gaggle of papparazzi on the altar, one young lady in a ra-ra skirt (at least I think that's what they call it, certainly a party dress) complete with a bare midriff (this was a first for me I must say) I'm sure a woman could turn up topless at Mass today and the mealy-mouthed priest would pretend not to notice. I entirely agree that the above comments about the divisive nature of the children's liturgy. It's clearly a desperate rearguard attempt to stall declining church numbers by making the Mass more "popular" or "relevant" and more appealing to the young. As such it merely reflects the usual contemporary cultural obsession with "yoof" and "relevance". The place to instruct children in the articles of the faith is in the schools, surely?

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  14. Dear Wiseprotector,

    What a disturbing experience the Mass as you experienced sounds. The best place, I think, for educating children is a faith-filled family; a faith-filled parish, and a faith-filled school, with all adhering with loyalty and love to the Deposit of Faith in Sacred Tradition. Sadly, we don't seem to be getting that, as your experience highlights.

    God bless you and yours.

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  15. When I was a child, (I was born in 1980, 22nd November) Children's Liturgies were in the infantile stage....I DO remember attending some back in the early 1990's, but usually children of my generation had CCD instruction.


    I support Children's Liturgy 100%, (and even attended some from December 2011 until January 2012 for old time's sake, until Father reprimanded me on it; oh, well. I did enjoy it while I did).

    I would love to be an adult assistant at Children's Liturgies, but there is already a teacher in the position, and she seems to enjoy this very much.

    The idea of Children's Liturgy evolved from when Pope Paul VI established Children's Masses in 1973 (before I was born, and Pope John Paul II was my childhood Pope), and from there that is when Children's Liturgy was born.....not as popular as these days - however, some were in existence in the early 1990's, when I went.

    I don't think the children are being seperated from the Mass, or their parents; quite the contrary: Children's Liturgies are geared for the children (in my parish) ages 4 through 11 years of age, on a level they can understand about the Mass, and the Faith.

    As for the Latin Mass: make ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that these Masses are IN LINE with the Second Vatican Council, are IN LINE with Catholic church teaching, and have the PERMISSION of the Pope, and the Archbishop, and the Archdiocese.

    That is all I have to say. God bless you, and take care.

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    1. Thanks for your comment.

      To take the easy part of your comment first (since it is simply a question of Church law): you are not alone in being unaware that the law of the Church allows for every priest, anywhere at any time, to celebrate the so-called 'Latin Mass'; no permission is required from anyone. The so-called 'English Mass is also officially a Latin Mass, and Bishops Conferences require permission from Rome to celebrate it in their own language.

      In regard to Children's liturgy, which arose from the Directory on Children's Masses in 1973, it seemed a good idea at the time but it does separate children from the rest of the community by shutting them off in their own room. While it is good that they can hear the readings at a level suited to them, such 'liturgies' often degenerate into colouring clubs or craft classes. That said, today's vernacular Mass is so easy to follow that I see no need for children to be shunted out.
      I agree with liturgies which make use of mime, drama etc, at youth events, as they do speak to the children, but I do not agree with having these interjected into Holy Mass.

      God Bless you and yours.

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  16. I am a Children's Liturgy leader and we leave the sanctuary just as the congregation is sitting down for the first reading. We stress to the children that we are still to be quiet and respectful, as if we have not left the sanctuary. We discuss the season (ordinary time, advent...) then we read the first reading. Before reading we ask the children to listen intently for a word or phrase that stands out for them. After the reading, the leader writes down on a white board the words or phrases the children hear. Next we read the Gospel. We do sing Alleluia (except during Lent) but the leaders never say, "The Lord be with You", as this is the priests/deacon's function. We announce the reading, "A reading from the Gospel of.." and then we discuss why we say “Glory to You Oh Lord” and make the sign of the cross on our forehead, lips, heart. We read the Gospel and then do the same as the first reading, recalling a word or phrase that stood out for the children and write it on the white board. We then ask the children if they see any connection between the first reading and Gospel reading. We use a modified version of Lectio Divina. No coloring. No skits. We quietly head back to the Sanctuary and the children are instructed to quietly head back to their seats. No fanfare. No interruptions. There are parents who send their children out with us and parents who do not. We do not have it every week or during summertime so the children can also learn how to sit during mass. This is all done during a televised mass.
    Is it absolutely necessary? No.
    Is it beneficial? I think so.
    Peace.

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