tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13263155.post7339272379756636640..comments2023-10-15T10:55:42.537-05:00Comments on This That and the Other Thing: Attracting Young Families to Our ParishesRAnnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04102249990885174107noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13263155.post-27219606172062857072014-09-02T07:42:26.272-05:002014-09-02T07:42:26.272-05:00I think a nursery should be offered, but that no o...I think a nursery should be offered, but that no one should be made to feel that they must use it. I'm much more opposed to cry rooms. In my experience with them you might as well not be at Mass at all. A crying baby can be removed to the vestibule. Something that enriched my experience at church when my kids were little was having a Moms' Group which met every Friday. This meant we all had friends at church, as did our children, who then looked forward to gathering after Mass to see their friends, and didn't balk at attending parish events because they had other kids they knew to play with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13263155.post-46640766308609444182014-09-02T07:41:03.362-05:002014-09-02T07:41:03.362-05:00I think a nursery should be offered, but that no o...I think a nursery should be offered, but that no one should be made to feel that they must use it. I'm much more opposed to cry rooms. In my experience with them you might as well not be at Mass at all. A crying baby can be removed to the vestibule. Something that enriched my experience at church when my kids were little was having a Moms' Group which met every Friday. This meant we all had friends at church, as did our children, who then looked forward to gathering after Mass to see their friends, and didn't balk at attending parish events because they had other kids they knew to play with.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13263155.post-63023672778311045912013-07-13T20:42:35.694-05:002013-07-13T20:42:35.694-05:00All good points, RAnn. The plus for having baby-si...All good points, RAnn. The plus for having baby-sitting during Mass is that it gives parents a necessary choice. Let Mom and Dad decide when it's appropriate to bring the kids to Mass. <br /><br />I also agree about the involvement of young couples. However, many young couples are really busy raising kids so it would need to be carefully planned.<br /><br />The pastor has a lot to do with attracting people to a parish. But also, considering how many non-practicing Catholics are out there who either stay home or go to the nearby Protestant church, one thing we can all do is invite people to come to Mass with us, meet the priest, and share our love of Jesus with them. I count on God putting people in my path considering the fact that I'm not out and about that much anymore. But I'm always conscious that how I treat others, especially strangers, can make the difference between whether they want to inquire about the Faith or not.Barbara Schoenebergerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16951360211636509133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13263155.post-38551158748102829782013-07-11T17:53:24.890-05:002013-07-11T17:53:24.890-05:00I just asked my 17 year old if she ever remembered...I just asked my 17 year old if she ever remembered not going to mass on Sunday. She said no. I then asked "You don't remember going to Little School of Religion with Ms. Rose?" She replied "I've been told it happened, but no...". She went there from ages 3-5. <br /><br />I let my kids decide when they are too big for Liturgy of the Word for Children. They read the same readings that are read in church, but they are explained on the kids level. I don't see how the kids are better off in church with what Father says going over their heads than back with the kids, but that's me. RAnnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04102249990885174107noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13263155.post-17728713936377302942013-07-11T16:52:30.305-05:002013-07-11T16:52:30.305-05:00We have always wanted our kids to have the experie...We have always wanted our kids to have the experience of going to church as normative, and so we didn't want them out every week. We put the littlest one in the nursery when we lead music, but we also cut back to twice a month so we could sit with our kids. I do think it's important for young children to never remember a time when they didn't regularly sit with their parents at church--just like I think it's a very good idea for no child to ever remember a time when s/he was the only child. Certain experiences are important whether they're remembered overtly or just absorbed.<br /><br />In response to Renee--we have children's liturgy about half the time and it is a godsend, because otherwise I'm not sure my husband and I would ever take away anything from the Liturgy of the Word. But after my oldest received his First Communion, I told him he was staying in the pew. Fortunately that was about the time my daughter finally decided to start acting appropriately, and he didn't need to accompany her anymore.Kathleen Basihttp://www.kathleenbasi.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13263155.post-74069680681282050302013-07-11T07:23:52.200-05:002013-07-11T07:23:52.200-05:00I'm not a fan of children's liturgy during...I'm not a fan of children's liturgy during Mass but if a parish is going to have it,then I believe 1st grade should be the oldest attendees. If a child is old enough for First Communion,they need to worship with the communityReneehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08739029410584701609noreply@blogger.com