Help Your Child Participate in Mass
Taking your children to Mass:
Children are never too young to come to Church. They are family, after all; we’ve baptized them into our community, so they belong with us. And we realize that bringing them to Mass can be very hard work. We don’t expect children to be silent during Mass or to behave like adults. Here are our suggestion for helping your children.
1. Begin at home. Pray regularly as a family.
2. Prepare early in the week. Decide which Mass you will attend early in the week so it is a
priority on your schedule.
3. Don’t rush on Sunday morning. Lay out clothes the night before so you are not scrambling to
find shoes.
4. If your child is old enough to participate only bring something that helps them participate
(Child’s Mass Book or Missal). If younger only bring items that are quiet and not distracting
to others.
5. Arrive early enough to get settled so as not to distract others around you.
6. Stay for a few minutes after Mass and explore the church. Take a look at something different
every week (a statue, a chapel, the baptistery, confessional).
7. Remove a child to the cryroom when disruptive but return to the pew when they have quieted.
8. Know your child’s abilities. All children are different and some can sit still longer than others
so have realistic expectations. We offer a Sunday morning nursery for toddlers and Little
One’s Worship for preschoolers.
9. Teach your child to participate. Help your child follow along in the hymnal and participate in
the responses and the singing. Purchase a children’s Mass book or use the Magnifikid
available every Sunday. Encourage your child to:
regularly.
Children are never too young to come to Church. They are family, after all; we’ve baptized them into our community, so they belong with us. And we realize that bringing them to Mass can be very hard work. We don’t expect children to be silent during Mass or to behave like adults. Here are our suggestion for helping your children.
1. Begin at home. Pray regularly as a family.
2. Prepare early in the week. Decide which Mass you will attend early in the week so it is a
priority on your schedule.
3. Don’t rush on Sunday morning. Lay out clothes the night before so you are not scrambling to
find shoes.
4. If your child is old enough to participate only bring something that helps them participate
(Child’s Mass Book or Missal). If younger only bring items that are quiet and not distracting
to others.
5. Arrive early enough to get settled so as not to distract others around you.
6. Stay for a few minutes after Mass and explore the church. Take a look at something different
every week (a statue, a chapel, the baptistery, confessional).
7. Remove a child to the cryroom when disruptive but return to the pew when they have quieted.
8. Know your child’s abilities. All children are different and some can sit still longer than others
so have realistic expectations. We offer a Sunday morning nursery for toddlers and Little
One’s Worship for preschoolers.
9. Teach your child to participate. Help your child follow along in the hymnal and participate in
the responses and the singing. Purchase a children’s Mass book or use the Magnifikid
available every Sunday. Encourage your child to:
- · Sit and stand at the appropriate times.
- · Use appropriate responses
- · Pray the Lord’s Prayer out loud
- · Reverently offer others the Sign of Peace.
- · If your child has not made First Holy Communon have your child walk up to receive Holy Communion with you so he/she can see and hear how the Eucharist is given and received; as they process have them fold their hands in prayer. When they get to the front of the Communion line have them cross their arms over their chest to indicate they have not yet received First Communion.
- Genuflect when you enter the pew and leave the pew at the end of Mass. Encourage your children to kneel in prayer while others are receiving Holy Communion.
regularly.