A child-friendly Eucharist

 

My late uncle, a Columban missionary priest, served in China and Burma at various stages between 1946 and 1966.   I recall his stories about children playing at an open-air mass in some very basic conditions in a village mountains.  This was a far cry from the fine architecture and marble church of Dalgan Park where he completed his seminar training in the early 1940s.  For Fr Michael, children were always of central importance in any family gathering. And, on those occasions when mass was celebrated, devoutly and properly, on the kitchen table there was a job for everyone including the smallest.

Introducing children to the mass takes time and patience especially when they are not used to the surroundings, actions and sights associated with mass.  If a kind, calm and warn environment is created this can help to put children at ease and lead them in curiosity to a place of encounter.  

We should never underestimate the intuition of children who know the value of a genuine caring.  We need to work with children recognising their particular needs, attention span and imagination.  A gentle tone, a slower pace and more concrete examples and language can make a crucial difference.  They need to feel welcome and their voice matters and can be heard.

The key to the liturgy of the word is to tell stories from the Bible in a way that captures imagination. Suitable songs and melodies can enhance participation.

The aim is to connect mass to the experience of children – not to dumb matters down but to simplify and deepen.  A conversational approach at certain points might help.  Assistance with prayers of the faithful can reveal a depth of childlike faith. The presentation of gifts can include items of meaning and significance to children.

At the communion it is a good idea for families to approach the altar together where very young children can receive a blessing by name and feel part of the celebration.

In the time after mass, perhaps, a social gathering where children can mix and play is possible.

When all is said and done, it is these children who will carry, or not as the case may be, the torch for our faith when we are gone.