Handles

For a three-year-old, getting through Mass on Sunday can be quite the challenge. Some people, recognizing this difficulty for the young child, elect to wait until the child is older and can understand what is going on before bringing them to Mass on a regular basis.

Yet, when the time comes to get ready for First Communion, you'll often see that fidgety 6-year-olds and children who are learning the rules of this quite foreign experience are put off with crayons and books so that they will be less distracting to the rest of the congregation. Around the age of “you’re too old for that stuff” we’ll sometimes see kids who are prone to long bathroom breaks, or who sit with a less-than-interested expression, as though they are being forced to do something they loathe. After a while, parents say, “Well, I can’t force them to come” and we don’t see the kids at all anymore.

A recent pew study found that after 8th grade, ¼ of youth stop coming to church at all, and by the time they are graduating college, less than ¼ remain.

But there is another way.

Much like language is assimilated much more easily by the youngest child, a child who attends Mass as a baby and toddler is far more likely to experience the Mass as a native—to develop the prayerful attitudes through practice—than to see it as a foreign, impossible thing.

But just bringing a child to Mass doesn’t make them know the Mass! They can’t enter into something that isn't made accessible to them. Just as we repeat and practice and encourage language and physical development, we must help the child get across that hour on Sunday in a way that gives them (and you) joy! I like to think of these familiar moments as “handles.” What are the moments that a child can grab on to and understand that helps him or her participate more fully in the Mass?

In our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program, we offer the young child (3+) “handles” in the form of:

· Prayer language—like the Amen, Alleluia, and the Sign of the Cross
· Familiarity with the objects of the Mass—like the three-year-old who pointed out to his mom,  

“Mom! Father just poured wine into the chalice!” 

· Knowledge of gestures he can do and see like genuflection, epiclesis, and offering
· Reverence—a growing ability to be silent and focused in the presence of God
· Community—the young child loves to be loved! When he comes and sees those who are his friends and those who have come to love him, Church feels like a place of love and friendship.

Of course, you don’t need to wait until your child is three to start doing and teaching these things! Parents are the first teachers of their children, and our parish CGS program can be a great asset to you as you seek to help your child grow in his love and reverence for the Mass. It is my hope that we see more engaged toddlers, children, and teens in our parish every year. They have much to teach us about their great spiritual potential if we will take the time and make the effort to help them participate as fully as they can in the Mass each week!

Note: Atrium lists for our CGS program that serves 3 year olds – 6th grade are being put together right now for the coming year! You can find more information about our programs and sign up ONLINE! Check it out on our website www.dmallsaints.org under Faith Formation. We look forward to welcoming your child(ren) this fall!