Children's Liturgy Our Parish welcomes the full participation of young children in the celebration of the Mass. Children of all ages are welcomed to all services. Special provision in the form of Children's Liturgy is made at the 10.30 a.m. Mass for young children. We try to ensure that Children's Liturgy is an enjoyable experience for the children which nurtures their relationship with God as equal members of our Parish Community.

What is Children's Liturgy?

The first half of the Mass is the Liturgy of the Word where we listen to readings from the Bible, followed by the Homily where the priest may interpret and relate the readings to Christian life. However, we all recognise that both of these are generally aimed towards the majority of the congregation which is essentially adult. This proves to be of little interest to a young child who may become bored, making church a negative experience.

"Children's Liturgy" is actually the "Liturgy of the Word for Children". We cover the Gospel of the day at a level the children can understand and enjoy. We enrich this with discussion, prayers, songs and plays. We also try to raise awareness of God's love, the humanity of Jesus, the Seasons of the Church, the understanding of symbols in the Mass and the context of the Bible.

If we are successful we hope to make the children's church-going fun, whilst helping them to grow in the faith of the Catholic Church and develop as full and active members of our Parish Community.

How do we operate?

We are now catering for 60 to 80 children.Over the years we have always resisted hard and fast rules but as the numbers have increased a framework has become established within which we now try to operate. During the school term we divide the children into three groups:-

The pre-school group

This latest group is open to all very young children with or without their parent and meets in the outer sacristy. The gospel of the day is pitched at a very simple level and usually includes discussion, a song and a prayer, with a colouring sheet which is related to the gospel message being given to each child at the end of the session.

The group is very relaxed and any child is welcome who is either likely to be interest in the Liturgy or who will quietly watch the other children participate in the session. If the child is too small to follow the actions of the other children then they are unlikely to benefit.

The infant group

This group will usually include simple penitential prayers or Gloria, the Gospel of the day adapted for young children, some related discussion or activity and perhaps a song. They sometimes prepare items for presentation at the Offertory and frequently give out worksheets colouring sheets to reinforce the gospel message.

The junior group

A group leader and at least 6 older children meet in the sitting-room of the presbytery. Typically they use a penitential prayer or the Gloria and then work with the readings of the day from the Parish Mass book with discussion of the reading.

Childcare Guidelines

The children's liturgy group strives to ensure that we fully comply with the Parish Statement for work with children and young people which states:-

As members of Our Lady & St Edward's Parish, Fulwood, we recognise that every person is created in the likeness of God and so is loved by him. We seek to respect the dignity of individuals by ensuring the safety of all those, whatever their age, with whom we have contact. We believe it is the responsibility of each one of us to prevent the physical, sexual or emotional abuse of children and young people in our care."

Apart from the group arrangements outline above all helpers are registered on a Parish Children's Liturgy Leader list. Safeguards are being established within the parish to ensure that all new leaders must be vouched for with the Parish Priest by an appropriate contact.

Help!

* We always need helpers!

Many parents are ideal for this as they know how to relate to their own children well. Resources and support are available from the existing group to help anyone who may be interested in helping.

* We always need resources!

We issue worksheets or colouring pictures to the younger children and also provide crayons for use in church. However, there is no requirement for the children to work on these in church and we recognise that parents hold a range of views on this matter. We think:-

	Each parent should decide what is correct for their child
	There is perhaps some merit in a child happily colouring a picture which reinforces the gospel theme rather than becoming bored or playing with secular toys or books.
	If a child channels special efforts into their colouring as the culmination of their weekly refelection on the gospel this could be presented as their expression of praise for God.
	As older children approach their sacramental preparation in Year 2 it is worth considering initially the value of directing their attention to the words of consecration and eventually restricting their colouring time to the last quarter of the mass after the Sign of Peace.
	Whatever happens parents are of course asked to ensure that their children are mindful of those around them.
	Can all crayons be left on the bench at the end of Mass!