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NCCL CATHOLIC KIDS:

CHILDREN AND CATHOLIC WORSHIP

Thank you for your interest in NCCL’s Children and Catholic Worship Project. All resources that we are creating are available to all parishes and Catholic schools. As part of the grant- funded project we are offering free support services – provided by our three worship consultants - to assist you in creating and implementing a plan for engaging children more fully the worship life of the Church and in helping you use the resources we are creating.

Please register for the Project by submitting the short form in Flocknote. Providing your email, diocese, and parish/school info will grant you access to communications and content sent directly from John Roberto, NCCL Executive Director. *You'll be able to manage your profile's "Groups" preferences to receive just these updates or all NCCL News.

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[ JUMP TO STRATEGY GUIDE & RESOURCES ]

PROJECT GOALS

The Children and Catholic Worship Project is designed to equip parish communities and their leaders with knowledge and skills, practices and approaches for engaging all children more fully and meaningfully in the liturgical life of the Catholic Church, with special attention to the language, art, music, and visual media that speak to children’s experience of faith today.

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(To hear more from our Project Coordinator and NCCL Executive Director, John Roberto, watch the video recording of our introductory webinar.)

NCCL will work with parishes to:

  • Engage all children more fully in the celebration of Sunday Mass and the feasts and seasons of the liturgical year in ways that attend to and respect how children experience God and express their faith.
  • Enhance the Sunday experience to incorporate the ways that children experience God, especially through music, art, drama, and visual media.
  • Engage children (and their parents) in liturgical formation and lectionary-based catechesis to prepare them for active participation in Sunday Mass and liturgical feasts and seasons.
  • Incorporate children’s Liturgy of the Word into the weekly celebration of Sunday Mass.
  • Adapt Sunday Mass to be more accessible and meaningful for children (language, interactive participation, music, art) while maintaining the integrity of the Catholic liturgy.
  • Address the unique needs of children with disabilities (and their families) in their preparation for liturgical celebrations and in their inclusion and participation in Sunday Mass and Church year feasts and seasons.

Assessment and Strategy Guide:

DEVELOPING YOUR 
CHILDREN & WORSHIP PLAN

Use the process and worksheet in the “Guide to Developing a Plan for Children and Worship” to create your parish plan.

  1. Discern priority areas for growth in liturgical participation and formation of children using the assessment questions in this Guide.
  2. Review the strategies in the Guide and on the website. Create or select strategies to address the priority areas for growth.
  3. Address the priority areas using the programs and activities provided by the Project, creating new programs and activities, and/or curating or purchasing resources.
  4. Develop implementation plans and a timeline for introducing the new programs and activities. Identify leaders and resources that will be needed.
  5. Implement the new plan (programs, activities, and resources) using your timeline.

Evaluate the effectiveness of the programs, activities, and resources; make improvements, add new programs, and continue implementation.

Download the Guide (PDF)
Download the Guide (MSWord)

Engaging Children in Worship:

Liturgical Participation

The Liturgical Participation resources provide tools and a variety of practical ways hat parishes can promote the participation of children in Mass.

This section will include:

  1. Liturgical Participation Promotion Strategies
  2. Children's Mass Guides and Activities
  3. Welcome to Mass Pew Cards for the Assembly
  4. Family Mass Kit – Younger Children (In Development)
  5. Family Mass Kit – Children (In Development)
Access Liturgical Participation Resources

Liturgical Formation Programs:

Sunday Mass

Liturgical formation programs are designed for children in grades 2-6, and can be used with middle school young people. The program can also be conducted as a parent-child program or adapted into a  family program for grades 2-8. Each children’s program includes a separate parent workshop on the same topic.

  1. Four Movements of the Mass
    • Children’s Program
    • Parent Workshop
  2. Signs, Symbols, and Gestures in the Mass
    • Children’s Program
    • Parent Workshop
  3. Sacrament of Eucharist Family Program
Access All Sunday Mass Programs

Liturgical Formation Programs:

The Liturgical Year

Liturgical Year formation programs are designed for children in grades 2-6, and can be used with middle school young people. The program can also be conducted as a parent-child program or adapted into a  family program for grades 2-8. The “Introduction to the Liturgical Year” children’s program includes a separate parent workshop.

  1. Introduction to the Liturgical Year
    • Children’s Program
    • Parent Workshop
  2. The Seasons of the Liturgical Year
    (Seasonal programs will include a children’s program and a family program. These will be added in advance of each season.)
    • Advent & Christmas
    • Lent
    • Triduum
    • Easter
Access All Liturgical Year Programs

Scripture Activities & Resources:

Lectionary Formation

The Lectionary Formation activities are designed to engage children in exploring the Sunday lectionary readings using a variety of Scripture activities. All of these resources provide easy-to-use building blocks for developing lectionary-based formation with children throughout the year.

You will find the following resources included in this section:

  1. A Children’s Guide to God’s Word at Mass
    An introduction to the lectionary cycle of readings for children.
  2. Scripture Activities for Children
    A variety of short activities that can be used to explore the Sunday lectionary readings which can easily be embedded within existing children’s programs, parent-child, and family programs.
  3. Lectio Divina & Visio Divina
    An adaptation of both processes for use with children.
  4. Lectio Divina Handout
    A one-page worksheet for children.
  5. Sharing Bible Stories with Children
    One session from NCCL’s Accompaniment in Faith video-based formation program for catechists and educators
    (includes a Guide with activities presented in the video)
Access Lectionary Formation Resources

Encouraging Participation for All:

Liturgical Resources for Children with Disabilities

(IN DEVELOPMENT - Coming Soon)

Resources to support the participation of children with disabilities in Sunday Mass.

CHILDREN AND CATHOLIC WORSHIP PROJECT CONSULTANTS

Paulette Chapman, Matt Reichert, John Michael B. Reyes 

(View Bios on the NCCL Catholic Kids Homepage)

 Contact: [email protected] 

Offered with Gratitude to Lilly Endowment Inc.

This Nurturing the Faith of Children through Catholic Worship & Prayer Project is made possible through a generous grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. With the grant NCCL is able to provide the Thread by Thread prayer curriculum as a free resource and service to parishes and schools.Â