St. Thomas the Apostle Parish at 1449 Wilcox Park Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506 US - Liturgy of the Word with Children

It is like a scene from the Pied Piper of Hamelin: all of the jubilant young children processing past the watchful eyes of their parents, filing out of the building and down into the netherworld where adults fear to tread. But it’s not the Pied Piper that leads them; it’s the Word of God. This is the Children’s Liturgy of the Word, a liturgical experience for children in Grades 1 to 4, presented in terms that they can understand and in ways that they can actively participate. This is not a Sunday School program or a nursery. It is a serious Liturgical Ministry that reaches out to 25 to 75 children, depending on a given Sunday. At every 9:00 am Mass, the Children’s Liturgy is conducted in the basement of the Church, at the same time that the older children and adults are hearing God’s Word upstairs. The format for the program is almost identical to what is occurring in Church. First, the volunteer Liturgical Leader lights a candle to symbolize the presence of the Word. Next, an opening prayer is said to help focus the fidgety and to prepare everyone for the reading of the Word. One of the several adults who volunteer to provide “crowd control” is invited to present the First Reading. This is followed by a responsorial psalm led by a volunteer Music Minister. Then, the Liturgical Leader makes a brief commentary on the First Reading, so that it is not quickly forgotten in favor of the spirited “Alleluia” which is sung by the children to usher in the Second Reading or Gospel. In the time remaining, the children respond to and discuss numerous questions posed by the Liturgical Leader. They attempt to make the day’s readings relevant to their daily lives. They also pronounce a children’s version of the Creed and end the liturgy with their own Prayers of the Faithful. These Prayers more often than not are a “window to the soul” of these children, revealing their joys and fears, wants and needs. Just prior to rejoining the big people upstairs, a boy or girl is chosen to carry the offertory collection from the children. This collection is joined with the adults’ offerings (a Catholic kids’ march of dimes) in order to help build up the ministries of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. So at next Sunday’s 9:00 Mass, when you observe the children exiting the altar “stage left,” remember that they are not heading off to play with paints and crayons or to watch a video. They are going off to engage in a dialogue of their own with and about Jesus, the same Jesus who said that we must be like children in order to gain the kingdom of Heaven. (Hey, kids, save a spot in the Church basement for me!) Children’s Liturgy of the Word is always seeking additional volunteers to act either as Liturgical Leaders or Music Ministers. Anyone with an interest can contact Sean Donovan, the Coordinator of Ministries, at 459-4662 ext. 203 for more information or to receive an orientation to the program.

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