One comment on “10 Tips For Taking Your Kids To Church”

1. Donna Hager says:

   August 31, 2023 at 12:34 am

   Really enjoy most of your shows. I watched the show on things you shouldn’t do in Mass. The comments on sermons were very well thought out. I would like to add making sure you speak loud enough. My pastor’s voice becomes quieter at the end of his examples/stories/teachings & I frequently don’t hear the last 3 or 4 words which means I don’t get his point.
   One parish where I worshiped the Priest’s sermons were very intellectual & I took notes. He had his outline on screens & he controlled them so that made it easier to understand. He also watched the congregation & added explanations. I learned so much from him. The parish had about 425 families. There were 2 missions a year, Advent & Lent, & had one night with confessions. There were usually 7-8 priests & each line had at least 20 penitents for each priest. Add that to the priest visiting all homebound on 1st Friday & hearing confessions. Confessions were offered before & after weekday masses (one was an evening mass), 1 hour on Saturday & by appointment. In my 2.5 years in the parish made going confession was easy & almost contagious. I miss that.
   I tried to always sit in the first row so my children could see the priest, servers, readers, etc. Then behaved & paid attention. Their father was in the choir & they could see him also. My one regret is my husband only sat with family when we were on vacation.
   After my mother, who my husband & I cared for for 4 years, died, the choir director invited me to sit next to my husband in the choir area. Since my husband & I had attended different churches so one of would be with Mom so I didn’t know anyone at church. It meant so much to be with him when we were both grieving. A father who had custody of 2 sons had his sons in the choir area & one father set with his wife & children during the gospel & sermon. Reminds me of: ‘A family that prays together stays together.’ When we moved after Mom’s death, I sat in the front row by the choir & my husband joined me for the gospel & sermon. I am thankful for that time we spent worshiping together because my husband died 3 years after my Mom.
   Mentioning my experiences are ways we became more spiritually connected &, I think, a good way to encourage families to pray together. Every night we prayed together ending with St. Michael the Archangel, kissed goodnight, saying I love you & making the sign of the cross on each other’s foreheads.
   I currently change the screens at my Mass & I wish all the readings & prayers were included. I live in an area with many immigrants with various accents & seeing the words would be helpful. For visiting non-Catholics it would be beneficial for them to see the prayers. It’s easier to explain the Mass if they have read what we’ve prayed.
   Lastly, I didn’t watch the talk about children in church because of the cartoon pictures; the cartoon does not depict a good Christian family. I will watch it another time.
   I enjoy watching & listening to the thoughts you share.

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