Mass Bags and More: Teaching Our Children to Love the Mass

Christine Hanus, a long-time catechist, suggests items to put in your Mass bag and offers a few additional Mass-going tips.

My son and his wife do a great job managing their little family at Mass in order to help fellow parishioners focus. Nevertheless, one recent Sunday, they may or may not have allowed their 4-year-old to independently pack her little backpack for church and deeply regretted that decision the entire Mass — cringing at each object she extracted from said backpack.

Finally, their toddler may or may not have found a set of jingle bells amongst the rubble and made the entire congregation jump with a sudden and joyous jingle-bell solo. These things happen … but ideally they are isolated events and not weekly occurrences!

I will wrap up my series of articles about helping children love the Mass by exploring what you may (or may not!) want to bring for your kids when attending the Sacred Liturgy, along with a few additional Mass-going tips and resources.

(Read the first and second articles in the series.)

null

Physical Things Matter

As Catholics, we know that the things we see, touch, hear, smell, and even taste, can aid us in worshipping God. Water, the altar, incense, and especially the Eucharistic bread and wine … material things matter.

So while there are plenty of interesting books and toys that would not be inappropriate to bring to Mass, consider items that will help your child start to understand the nature of religion and worship. It reinforces the idea that Mass is a time set apart to think about God and holy things and to pray.

(Plus, when you are deciding between a children’s book about Taylor Swift and one about Moses, there is something to be said for choosing Moses, whether on Sunday or any other day of the week. The stories we make available to our children are always teaching them what to value and providing them with a worldview. They are never “just a story.”)

What to Bring to Mass

My basic Mass rules: Keep it simple and bring a limited number of items for your children to engage with at Mass. Unless those items are guiding your children through the Mass, there is no need to break them out right away. Encourage your children to observe what is happening at the Mass and to pray. Even very little children can pray.

When it comes to babies and toddlers, any hard object will make a loud sound if it is dropped … or thrown! And absolutely no electronics. It wouldn’t be respectful to allow our child to play Angry Birds on their tablet as we approached a meeting with the president of the United States, and the Mass is much more sacred and solemn than meeting the president.

null

Packing a Mass Bag ahead of time avoids last-minute scrambling and inappropriate item choices (such as a whistle or a whoopie cushion). Pack two or three separate bags and add variety to the mix every Sunday.

Happily, Catholic and Christian books and toys for children have become popular and there are many to choose from. For your convenience, I offer a few ideas. Please be aware that some of these items are a great fit for 4- to 6-year-olds, but not for littler ones:

Books/Drawing/Coloring Pages

Other Items

Mass totes and faith-based books and toys are great, but there are simple, free activities they can also engage in, such as using a little notebook and pencil to draw what they see around them at Mass, even if it is just a stick figure of Father or a round host. Or you can help them make a short list of intentions they want to pray for at Mass in their notebook before Mass starts.

Catholic Mom offers free Sunday Gospel Activities including coloring pages for each Sunday and most feast days. I also like these free printable Catholic coloring pages. Bring (just a few!) crayons and you are good to go. Try triangular crayons, or crayons with rubber bands on them, so they won’t roll under the pew.

A Note About Behavior at Mass

Make sure your kids know you love going to Mass with them. Smile at them, sit close to them, stroke their hair. Set the example by listening carefully to God’s Word and receiving Holy Communion worthily. Maintain fairly high expectations for your child’s behavior according to their age. Mass can be such a wonderful time together as a family.

Still, there is no doubt bringing little children to Mass can have its rough moments. When my husband and I had 5 children under the age of ten, there were times when we would walk out of church saying, “Wait a minute — have we even been to Mass?” Then I would notice one of my earrings was missing, I had a sheen of sweat on my brow, and I felt a deep-down peace … I certainly showed all the usual symptoms of having been to Mass.

null

Helping children love the Mass and participate in it fruitfully is the job of a Catholic parent, so it is important to give it some thought. Even if our older children at some point reject their faith, our fidelity and God’s grace will do more than we can imagine to lead them back home.

Be on your guard and be very careful not to forget the things your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your heart as long as you live, but make them known to your children and to your children’s children. (Deuteronomy 4:9)

Looking for More?

Josh and Stacey Noem’s article from For Your Marriage offers more ideas on how to take young children to Mass.

Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Mass Bags and More: Teaching Our Children to Love the Mass

Physical Things Matter