Children in the Church

By: S.Francesconi, editor | Last Updated: 01/28/2010 10:17

People often say, “Children are the future of the church.” That statement is not complete — children are part of the church now.

By reason of the sacrament of Baptism they share with us in the call to worship, to witness and to serve. They are called, as we are, to hear God’s Word, to praise God in prayer, to show others by example what they believe, and to reach out in care for others. The church is just like a family, and includes people of all ages and abilities. Young children do not have the same attention span as older folks, so a good solution is Children’s Liturgy of the Word, available at the 9:00 and 10:45 Masses. This enables children to go out during the Liturgy of the Word and to hear and discuss the readings on their own level. This is a way of showing hospitality to them.

In being hospitable to the children, we are being hospitable to their parents. It is difficult to pack up a family, bring them to Mass and worship. In spite of the parents’ best efforts, sometimes children cry or are distracting. All of us are hospitality ministers to one another and may offer assistance if we are seated near a family. This would turn the distraction into an act of compassion and care. If a child is behaving well, a compliment will demonstrate acceptance, however a disapproving look or word will cause only hurt or anger.

As for the “future of the church,” one way to ensure that future is to involve the children now.

— adapted from Liturgical Bits & Bytes

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