What:
The Children’s Liturgy of the Word is a special celebration of the scriptures with readings from the children’s lectionary. These readings are brought alive for the children using methods that include drama, props, and an interactive style.
The celebration of the Children’s Liturgy of the Word (C.L.O.W.) follows the same basic structure as the Liturgy of the Word with the general assembly in the main body of the church. It is not the creation of a new rite, but rather a ritual celebration of God’s presence in the Word in a manner that is more suitable to the understanding of children. It recognizes the need to adapt the readings in such a way that respects the spiritual life of young children, while retaining the same structure used in the main assembly.
When:
At. St. Mary’s, the Children’s Liturgy of the Word is celebrated from mid-September through May at the 9:30 AM Sunday Mass. On most of these Sundays, the parish children are invited to process down to the lower church following the Opening Prayer. They receive the Children’s Lectionary from the priest, and go downstairs with the St. Mary’s C.L.O.W. leaders and any family members who desire to accompany them. After experiencing their own celebration of God’s Word, the children return upstairs to the main assembly following the Prayers of the Faithful.
The exception is on the First Sunday of each month, when the children remain upstairs at the 9:30 AM Mass for a special Children’s homily with the priest and the main assembly.
Who:
The C.L.O.W. is designed for children in Kindergarten through Grade 5, however all children are welcome. Family members are welcome to accompany children.
Volunteers:
Since 1998, when our parish began enlarging the church, we have offered C.L.O.W. (Children’s Liturgy of the Word). We have been blessed with Adult Leaders (mostly parents) who prepare a meaningful engagement of the Word of God with our young children. We must have at least 2 ADULTS to be C.L.O.W. Leaders/Ministers each Sunday: one as the primary Leader and the other as the Assistant – plus Monitors from the congregation.
Training is provided, and CORI and VIRTUS requirements apply.
At Home Learning:
During COVID-19 to ensure the safety of the parishioners of all ages of St. Mary’s Parish we will be offering prerecorded lessons online. Following the general guidelines of our typical program we will be presenting the readings, Gospel , homily along with discussion questions for students in an age appropriate and engaging format to foster a greater understanding of the scriptures and how they apply to our lives. Each lesson will be in a power point movie format where the students are encouraged to pause the movie and discuss questions with their parents. We encourage students and parents to view the lessons together to be enriched as a family.
Click here to view prerecorded lessons
We are thankful to be able to offer the families of St. Mary’s this important learning tool and hope that many of you will avail yourselves of these weekly lessons. We look forward to the day when we can gather once again together downstairs at St. Mary’s to present the lessons in person. In the meantime be safe and stay well.
Contact:
Contact the Religious Education Office for more information or to volunteer. 508-429-6076 or [email protected].
“Children Love the Opportunity to learn about and live by the Word of God!”