Children's Liturgy
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Dear Families,
We enjoy having your child(ren) attend Children's Liturgy with us on Sundays. As you may have noticed, our program is growing! We are hoping that you would be willing to fill out this brief registration form to help us keep in touch with all of our families, learn more about your child(ren) and allow us to invite you to any spcial events at the church.
Thank you and blessings to you and your family from the Children's Liturgy team. -
Contact Us
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Stephanie Francella-Stephensfrancellastephengmail.comCoordinator
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Children's Liturgy Procedures on a Sunday1. When you arrive at church, please have a seat in a pew with your family. Greet other parishioners around you. Quietly observe and discuss any differences you might see since their last visit. Sometimes colours and decor changes. It's a great way to focus their attention on the symbols of the liturgical seasons. Our choir and musicians may be practising or teaching new songs before the start of Mass. We are in Year A and we are using the blue lectionary for adaptive readings and lessons.
2. Listen for Father Alex to call all the children forward for Children's Liturgy (usually just before the First Reading). The young children usually gather at the front and Father Alex will talk to them briefly and give them a blessing. He will pick one child to carry the lectionary and lead the group to the back meeting room. The leader(s) and helper(s) will wait at the top step to gather the children. It's okay fro your child to wait in the pew until the group leaves. If your child is a littel shy, please feel free to come with them.
3. The entire group meets in Room 2. If our group keeps growing, we may need to use Rooms 2 & 3 for our programming.
4. The children then return to their parents at Offertory.
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Interested in Joining our Ministry?High school students, please email Stephanie Francella-Stephen if you're interested in volunteering. You can also indicate on the Family Registration Form if you are interested in volunteering as a leader or helper.
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The presence of children is a gift to the church and they are a reminder that our
parish is growing. Please welcome each other with smiles of encouragement.
To the families of our young children, may we suggest…
● Relax! God put the wiggle in children; don’t feel like you have to suppress it in God’s house. All are welcome!
● Sit toward the front where it is easier for the little ones to see and hear what’s going on at the altar. They tire of seeing the backs of others’ heads.
● Quietly explain the parts of the Mass and actions of the priest, readers, altar servers, choir, etc.
● Sing the hymns, pray and voice the responses. Children learn liturgical behaviour by copying you.
● If you have to leave the Mass with your child, feel free to do so, but please come back. As Jesus said, “Let the children come to me.” Sometimes families take little breaks on the couches in the lobby where you can still
listen to the Mass through the speaker system.
● Remember that the way we welcome children in church directly affects the way they respond to the Church, to God and to one another. Let them know that they are at home in this house of worship.
● If you are looking for a family friendly mass, know that we offer Children’s Liturgy of the Word every Sunday at the 11 a.m. mass. All are welcome to attend.
What is Children's Liturgy?The first half of Mass is the Liturgy of the Word, where we listen to readings from the Bible and a homily from Father Alex, who interprets and explains those readings. This is usually of little interest to our young people who then become bored, sometimes making church a negative experience. At St. Jerome’s we offer Children's Liturgy of the Word, where young people are invited to leave the main body of the church to hear the gospel at a level they understand and enjoy. We enrich the reading with songs, pictures, videos and other activities appropriate for the different age groups. At Children's Liturgy we talk about how much Jesus loves us and how He wants us to follow Him by loving God, ourselves and other people because we know that someday we will be with Him in Heaven forever.Who is it for?
Preschool to grade 7 aged children are invited to attend Children's Liturgy of the Word.
Parents/grandparents/guardians of preschool aged children are welcome to attend with your child.