Today was a bit of a challenge for many of us to come to the Sacramental Programme as it clashed with the rugby, but we did manage to focus as well as we could on learning about our faith. This blog post will be fairly detailed so those that missed it for whatever reason can go over it with their child to make sure they are prepared for the next session.
Eucharist means thanksgiving, being grateful. Receiving the Eucharist is a gift, like all Sacraments, and we receive God’s grace when we receive Communion. Receiving the Eucharist is an important part of belonging to the Catholic faith, and shows that you are a full member of the Church community.
There are things we can do as parents to help prepare our kids for this, I likened it to moving from sitting in a high chair at the dinner table to being able to sit like a grown up with having appropriate table manners. The expectations of behaviour changes. The Church teaches that children under the age of reason (usually 7 years) or the elderly or people with medical conditions don’t have the same expectations placed on them.
So, what behaviour should we be expecting from our kids at Church? This is a bit tricky, as all our kids are different but I’ll share my thoughts and you can work out what feels right for your family, and perhaps start to make changes as they mature.
Dress: Personally I don’t think this is much of an issue at this age, but in our family our kids have “Church” clothes, our girls especially love wearing dresses, and our son is not allowed to wear ripped trackpants and stained T-shirts!
Food: To receive Communion you are not allowed to eat 1 hour before receiving. So if you go to 9:30am Mass, the Eucharist is usually distributed at about 10am, so you should have eaten breakfast before 9am. Water is allowed.
Things to bring: A child-friendly Missal is great for them to follow along with what is happening at Mass and learn the responses. Sometimes a pencil to do the parish worksheet may be appropriate, but be aware of what is happening during Mass as there are times when kids need to focus on the Mass and fully participate, for example during the Eucharistic prayer. Perhaps try going without the kid worksheet for one Mass (can always do it at home later) and give them a child’s Missal instead during Mass and see how they go?
How to enter: Church is a holy place and our kids need to learn to show reverence when entering. They can bless themselves with the Holy Water (use right hand), and genuflect (on right knee) facing towards the tabernacle before sitting in the pew. If approaching the altar during Mass a bow is appropriate.
We went over all the above with the kids during the session but it is up to you as parents to discuss appropriate behaviour as you see it and follow this up with them.
We also went through the Order of the Mass for the Introductory Rites and the Liturgy of the Word. You can find this in the activity booklet on page W14.
We also went over the Apostles Creed, and the kids have been challenged to learn this off by heart before they make their First Communion.
The second part of our session was to explore the Church with the parents and complete a search and find worksheet of things used during a Mass…who knew the fonts of holy water were called stoups??
A bit of an afterthought, but I thought it may be worth sharing – my son and I left straight after the session to watch the rugby, and so we went to the 5pm Mass at St Joseph’s Church in Orakei. It was a great follow-up to the session as we could spot some of the sacred objects from the worksheet and we didn’t have the usual distraction of younger sisters. It also had a different feel than our usual family-based morning Mass times, with periods of complete silence. Perhaps it is helpful in preparing our kids to be full members of the Church to visit another parish as a one-off, perhaps St Patrick’s Cathedral, or an evening Mass?