Recently, my wife and I moved, and now we go to Mass at a church in our new town. This parish does something very mysterious. At the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass, just before the Scripture readings, the priest invites all the children in the church to come up near the sanctuary. Then he offers a blessing for the 20 to 30 kids, and dismisses them. They all leave with a couple of adults, and the Mass continues for the rest of us who are still in the pews.
About 20 minutes later, often right in the middle of the Creed, the children burst into the church and run back to whichever pew their parents are in. Not surprisingly, they’re not exactly quiet as they do this. It sounds kind of like a herd of buffalo on the move, except I’m pretty sure buffaloes rarely emit high pitched giggles and shout, “Hi Mommy!”
When this happens, it takes a lot of concentration not to lose your place while reciting the Creed. And even if you don’t lose your place, I’ve discovered it’s kind of difficult to continue reciting the Creed when you’re trying really hard not to laugh out loud.
I’ve witnessed this at Mass a number of times now, but no one has ever explained what is going on. I assume it’s some kind of children’s liturgy event, but I’m really not sure. I suppose I could ask someone after Mass, like the priest or deacon. But that would mess up my regular Sunday morning routine of trying to be the first car out of the parking lot.
So, for the time being this is a mystery. I am very curious about what the kids do for those 20 minutes during the middle of Mass. Where do they go? What do they do when they get there? And most importantly, are there snacks involved?
In the absence of any firm data, I can always count on my vivid imagination to fill in the blanks. Here goes: I suspect the children go to a nearby classroom and study St. Thomas Aquinas’ five philosophical proofs for the existence of God. Or maybe they get crayons and color.
I’ve witnessed this at Mass a number of times now, but no one has ever explained what is going on. I assume it’s some kind of children’s liturgy event, but I’m really not sure. I suppose I could ask someone after Mass, like the priest or deacon. But that would mess up my regular Sunday morning routine of trying to be the first car out of the parking lot.
So, for the time being this is a mystery. I am very curious about what the kids do for those 20 minutes during the middle of Mass. Where do they go? What do they do when they get there? And most importantly, are there snacks involved?
In the absence of any firm data, I can always count on my vivid imagination to fill in the blanks. Here goes: I suspect the children go to a nearby classroom and study St. Thomas Aquinas’ five philosophical proofs for the existence of God. Or maybe they get crayons and color.
What do they color? Good question. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s most likely a picture of St. Thomas Aquinas, playing beach volleyball, with Jesus as his teammate, and St. Francis of Assisi and John the Baptist as their opponents. And I’m not sure why John the Baptist has a camel’s hair Speedo. On second thought, that’s probably not the picture they’re coloring. It’s probably Jesus holding a lamb. Or a ham. No wait, definitely not a ham.
Speaking of ham, I wonder if the kids have some scrambled eggs and ham, with toast and coffee, of course, while they’re away from the main church. There was a major addition to the church building last year, and I heard part of the renovation included a new social area with kitchen facilities. The kids might as well enjoy some ham and eggs while they’re on their mystery adventure. I know I sure could use some breakfast at about 9:30 on Sunday morning.
Speaking of ham, I wonder if the kids have some scrambled eggs and ham, with toast and coffee, of course, while they’re away from the main church. There was a major addition to the church building last year, and I heard part of the renovation included a new social area with kitchen facilities. The kids might as well enjoy some ham and eggs while they’re on their mystery adventure. I know I sure could use some breakfast at about 9:30 on Sunday morning.
Well, now that I think about it, maybe relying on my vivid imagination to fill in the blanks wasn’t such a good idea. It looks like I’ll just have to hang back after Mass one of these days and ask the priest or deacon what’s going on. Too bad I won’t be entered in the “first out of the parking lot” competition that day. But that’s OK. It will be worth it if I finally find out what’s up. And if the priest or deacon wants to go out and get some ham and eggs for breakfast, I’m buying.
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