Flier At The Parish Of PEG

When they finally allow married priests (LOL) and I become head pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Ladyness in the Bronx, here’s a flyer we will display prominently everywhere. Just a thought.

FOR PARENTS

“But Jesus, calling them together, said: Suffer children to come to me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.” Luke 18:16

All are welcome to the House of God! Children beloved of God and made in His image. Parents, please feel free to come with your children so that they can participate in Holy Mass as full members of the Body of Christ.

Here are some general tips and suggestions from our pastoral team on how to make Mass an easier and more rewarding experience for families.

FROM BIRTH TO AGE 2

Feel free to come with your babies. Narrate the Mass to them–explain to them what is going on. Whisper lovingly in their ears. They understand–and the Spirit understands for them. Sit at the front so they can see the action, which makes a big difference for small children. Sing the hymns to them. Take them up for a blessing during communion.

If your baby cries or screams insistently, feel free to go to the back of the church until they calm down–but please come back! But if he or she only babbles or chirps or laughs or is restless, do not feel self-conscious.

FROM AGE 2 TO 6

You may have noticed that we took out the first four front pews at the left area in front of the altar and turned that space into a nursery area, so that small children can participate in the liturgy without overburdening their parents or the other parishioners.

Our young caretakers play with the children and explain the Mass for them and take care of them. Some of the activities that are proposed to them in our children’s area are drawn from the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd method, which teaches the faith and the liturgy in a way accessible for small children.

If you want to put your children in our nursery, which we recommend, we strongly advise arriving at Mass 15 minutes early so that those activities can be presented to your children before Mass starts and so that they have time to settle down before Mass starts.

FROM AGE 6 AND UP

At age 5 or 6, your child is more than mature enough to follow the Mass. They do not need to read picture books or to do coloring in church. But they do need faithful parents; it is parents, not priests or lay educators, who are the first catechists of children, and Mass is the first catechesis.

So our suggestion is to narrate the Mass to your children: explain to them the Confiteor (e.g., “We say to Jesus that we are sorry for the wrong things we did during the week”), the Gloria (“Now that Jesus has forgiven us, we are happy, and so we sing how happy we are that he loves us”), the Eucharistic liturgy (when the priest says “Sursum Corda”, you might cup your hands on your child’s chest and lift them up and say “Now we raise up our hearts towards God”; later, you might kneel with your children and say “Now we kneel because Jesus is going to become truly present for us in the bread and the wine . . . Jesus is becoming truly present in the bread, so we bow our heads . . . Jesus is becoming truly present in the wine, so we bow our heads”).

Also, please remember that we are always looking for young assistants for Mass. This is a great way to understand intimately–and be drawn into–the liturgy, and therefore the faith, ‘from the inside.’ Your boys even as young as 6 or 7, are welcome as altar servers; your girls are welcome in our choir, or as ushers, or as caretakers in the nursery.

FOR EVERYONE ELSE

St Paul teaches us that all Christians are one body in Christ, and that Christians should have “fellowship” towards one another–bearing one another’s burdens in love and empathy. A church is not an opera house where we watch a performance in stony silence, it is the House of God, where all are called to worship him. We understand that children can sometimes cause disturbance in church, and that this can be annoying or distracting, but we ask you to understand that, just as with any other large family gathering, some level of it is simply unavoidable. No parent wants their child to cause a disturbance in church, and it is simply impossible to perfectly control 100% of the children 100% of the time. Implicitly or explicitly making families feel unwelcome hurts the witness of the Gospel and does not actually solve anything. If the presence of children at Mass really unsettles you, rejoice at the fact that God is inviting you to strengthen the virtues of forbearance and charity.

Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, and now, and forever, and for the centuries of centuries!

P.S. Kill Santa