J1ST 015: A Catholic Mom’s Guide to Mass
I have another podcast episode for you today, hot off the presses!
And this one is super practical.
It is A Catholic Mom’s Guide To Mass if I can call my humble collection of thoughts and tips something as bold as that.
Perhaps I should have called it, one mom’s thoughts on mass, but I guess it’s too late now to change it!
Taking little kids to mass each week is tough.
Trust me, I know, I do it every Sunday.
Most Sundays find myself wrestling with a chubby toddler in the front row of our parish until her screams force me to lug her, and usually the 3-year-old, to the back of the church, and then the cry room, and then the bathroom, and then back to the pew and…
My husband and I joke that taking our tribe to mass should be an Olympic event and most Sundays we drag ourselves back to the van feeling utterly exhausted.
And yet, we do it every Sunday and genuinely love it.
I love seeing the growing understanding in my children.
I love worshiping with them, even if that means worshiping while I stand and bounce a baby in the back.
Because kids and babies need to be at mass and as mothers, there are ways for us to get more out of mass with a little preparation, correct formation about the mass, and some practical tips, which is exactly what I share in this episode.
One of the tips I share is to read the mass readings before mass. In case you can’t give the readings your full attention during the mass.
My friend Kassie Manning from Every Sacred Sunday (whom I interviewed for this episode…only to have the audio file corrupted and lost forever! Sob!) has put together an incredible tool for preparing for mass.
It is a Mass Journal with the readings actually printed in it!
Incredible…and why has this never existed before?
The beautiful mass journals from Every Sacred Sunday are available only through the end of August (seriously, less than a week!) on Kickstarter.
So, if you want one, go get one now!
And finally, I am just one of the Catholic mom’s with one experience.
Please, if you have something to add to this list of tips and thoughts, share it.
I love all that I have reaped from this community already. And I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this topic.
Leave a comment here or on my FB page.
My siblings with the newest crop of babies
Thanks as always for listening!
Your sister in Christ,
Wow! What a lovely picture at the bottom. Thanks for sharing this post. I’ll highly recommend your post to my wife. Once again, thanks…
My mom (86 yrs. old) reminded me that it was a privilege to be able to sit on dad’s lap at mass. We had to be good to be able to get to do it. One more way to help keep the young ones attentive. With dad farming,raising hogs, milking cows and running his own repair shop he wasn’t sitting down often.
Oh that is such a beautiful memory. I will treasure this. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much for this! I have just found your podcast and love it. We belong to a very small parish, but on any given Sunday there are about 20 kids kindergarten or younger! We have the most encouraging priest. Every Sunday it seems like a different kid leads the choir of craziness, but it really is a blessing to us all!
Really useful! Thanks Nancy!! I hope everything is ok with the huracán. For my kids, works really well (from 7 years), encourage kids to participate in chorus or to help the priest!!
Thanks for all this!
Most of the times, I finish frustrated 🙁
But hearing you, is like a bright light, I´m not alone <3
Thanks, God Bless!
You aren’t alone!