THE CHILDREN
Forming Our Young Catholics and
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Cherub Church
Baptism with Fr. Peter
f you’re looking for ways to help your littlest Catholics engage with their faith, look no further! St. Jude’s Children’s Ministry offers a variety of programs to assist parents and to bring the faith alive to children at their level. Christie Denzer, Coordinator of Family Ministry, is excited to be building these programs back up after a long hiatus. “We offer programs specifically for these young kids,” Christie says. “It’s a special place for them where they are welcome. They get to move around and touch things while they’re learning about their Catholic faith.” These programs have been around for a long time but initially had to take a break for the construction around the campus. Once the construction was finished, they started back up, but soon everything was paused again with the onset of COVID-19. In October, the programs kicked off, now in the new Family Ministry wing. Christie is building up her network of adult and youth volunteers who make the programs successful. During the 10 a.m. Sunday Mass, Nursery is offered for children up to about 2 years old. No sign-up is needed, parents can drop their children off at the Nursery before Mass and pick them up after. “This way, parents can simply be present at Mass and not be chasing a toddler around,” Christie says. For children ages 3 through 6, we offer Cherub Church that runs, as does the Nursery, through all of Mass. The lessons offered in Cherub Church were developed by a parishioner who works as a preschool teacher. The children start with a prayer and a Bible story, sing songs, play a game or hear another story, and do an art project. The lessons all tie into the liturgical year. No sign-up is needed for this program either. Children ages 5 through 9 are invited to Children’s Liturgy of the Word. At the beginning of Mass, the catechists gather the children and, in another room, give a lesson on Scripture that is at a level the children can understand and relate to their own lives. “These kids are full of life, energy, and fun, and they’re
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