Liturgy of the Word for Children

Many parishes have a practice by which, at the "family Mass" (or the Mass at which most families attend, even if it is not officially designated a "family Mass"), the youngest children leave the Church for their own Liturgy of the Word, returning to the Church in time for the offertory. The current issue of The Sower has an interesting article on the subject of these "Liturgy of the Word for Children" arrangements.

The article asks the question: what is the purpose of a separate Liturgy of the Word for Children at Sunday Mass? Not childminding and not, primarily, catechesis (though there is a catechetical element to a Liturgy of the Word for Children). It is:

• to have an adapted liturgical celebration, centred on the Mass readings, but which is more accessible for the children (so they can participate better than if they remained with adults in the Church, often served by adapting the language of the readings used)


• to lead the children into the Liturgy of the Eucharist that follows it


• to gradually lead the children into full participation in the Liturgy of the Word as it is celebrated in the Church with the (mainly adult) congregation.

The Liturgy of the Word for Children is not therefore an end in itself; it is directed towards a purpose that might be summarised by the word "participation". This gives rise to some of the practical indications given in the article, and in the example of practice to which it referred:

• the need for children to respond to the readings they have heard should not be reduced to questions based simply on recall of the story of the readings or to a worksheet based activity - time for reflection, perhaps in silence, or singing might provide better ways to respond


• in the example described in the article, a decision was made to hold a Children's Liturgy of the Word once a month, and not every Sunday - thus meeting the need for those children at the older end of the age range to grow in their participation in the main Liturgy, and alleviating issues relating to the question of the adults involved also losing their participation in the main Liturgical celebration


• are completed worksheets brought in to the Church and presented to the priest at the offertory giving a wrong impression of the Children's celebration as a kind of Sunday school rather than a Liturgy - the article suggests they would be better taken home, either for completion at home or as a reminder of the readings


• adult leaders of such Children's Liturgy of the Word need suitable knowledge of the Scriptures, since they cannot present to children what they do not themselves possess - so access to suitable orthodox Scriptural commentaries and, perhaps, a course about interpreting Scripture according to the mind of the Church are needed.

The whole article is worth reading, offering a very clear pastoral reflection on something that in many parishes is simply taken for granted as being what is done, without discernment as to its effectiveness or purpose.

Personally, I have always wondered about taking children out from that part of the Mass which can be celebrated most visually - incense, candles and a (beautiful) book of the Gospels carried in procession, for example. It is also a part of the Mass with several different postures and actions - standing/sitting, striking of chest/signs of the cross/turning towards the ambo as the Gospel is read - which are accessible to children as a way of participating even before they "get all the words".

You can subscribe to The Sower on-line at http://www.maryvale.ac.uk/ or (in Canada and the United States) http://www.thesowerreview.org/ .