Here at our parish, we strive to share the Word of God with people of all kinds, including our young children. Liturgy of the Word for Children is structured much like Mass. At the beginning of 11:00Mass, immediately before the First Reading, the children are invited to attend their own special Liturgy of the Word, and they leave our general assembly for some time with other young children…to hear simpler translations of the readings, as well as to sing along with some of the hymns and songs associated with the readings. Often, the mouths of these little ones are opened to share their insightful thoughts or to ask any questions they might have. Afterward, the children rejoin the assembly in the church to continue to celebrate the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
Some people wonder what kind of translation the children use. Their readings are taken from the Children’s Lectionary, where the context of the readings is the same as the ordinary Lectionary, however, the stories are written in a way that children can better relate to. The Leader’s role (a trained adult and/or young adult) is to help break open the scriptural stories and help articulate what God is really saying. Yes, this liturgy is especially beneficial to the young children because they are able to interact with each other and ask questions.
For more information, or to share in this ministry, please click here to contact Maureen Billa.
