Children’s Led Masses

Jesus said, “Let the Little Children Come to Me.”

Once a month, the children in the Religious Education Program here at Sacred Heart step forward and take on the roles of Lector, reader of the Prayers of the Faithful and bringing up the  gifts. Father Mark does a special homily where he asks all the children to come up and sit on the steps so he can talk one on one with them.

This is a wonderful way for the children to be truly part of the Mass. Father Mark’s homilies are very unique in that he may have a prop or two, and you never know what or how the children will respond. One homily, Father received a very unexpected response from one of the children. We had just had a full moon, and the conversation was about how Jesus brings light into the dark world. Father Mark asked the children about the light of the moon and one response was that you howl at the moon. Without dropping a beat, Father Mark asked the child to give his best howl, which of course was excitedly answered. Father continued to talk about the importance of the Light of Jesus in our dark world and that we have to sometimes look for that light. Before Father sent the children back to their parents, he asked them all to give their best “HOWL” and of course the congregation had a good laugh!

Our children are the future of the Church and having them take part in the Mass hopefully encourages them to become more involved in all aspects of the Church. The children also are involved in special Masses throughout the year, including The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Children’s Christmas Eve Mass, First Holy Communion, and Confirmation.