CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD
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s Isaiah 54:13 says, “All your children shall be taught by the LORD; great shall be the peace of your children.” Children’s Liturgy of the Word provides a wonderful way for our children to learn about the Lord. Held during 10:30 Sunday Mass, the ministry exists in order to give children in preschool through first grade the chance to encounter the Word of God in a way that speaks to them. It’s part of the parish’s commitment to serving our children by helping them grow in their relationship with the Lord. “We are helping children to learn the Liturgy of the Word, giving them a chance to engage with one another, to grow in friendship, to learn to pray, and are preparing them to listen to God’s Word when they attend Mass,” says Joy Timmons, who has been involved in this ministry since 2018. “We want the program to be both fun and helpful, and through it to let them know that the Church will always be there for them, offering them grace and wisdom to help them along the way.” During the program, the Liturgy of the Word is broken down into a simplified form for the children. “It’s easier for them to learn in that way, and I enjoy experiencing it through their eyes and seeing how they respond,” Joy says. Each week at Sunday Mass, children are called forward before the Gospel reading and then gather into two age groups in the parish office. They say a prayer and then go through an activity booklet that has the reading for the day, a coloring activity, and a homily. They return to their parents before Communion. Volunteers rotate through a schedule for leading the activities. “When you sign up, you are placed on a 4
Joy Timmons with her family
bi-monthly schedule where you are assigned to help every other month,” Joy says. “It’s good for children to hear the Word of the Lord from other people. Depending on where they go to school, perhaps they’ve heard it from a teacher, or once a week from a priest, but when they hear it from another adult it helps them to see that it’s the whole community of parishioners that care about them and their growth in the Church. It’s good for them to experience multiple people, not just the same people, sharing about the Word of God.”
