CHILDREN AND CATHOLIC WORSHIP

PROJECT COORDINATOR

John Michael Reyes, [email protected]

PROJECT GOALS

The goal of the Children and Catholic Worship Project is to engage children (and their parents) more fully and meaningfully in the liturgical life of the Catholic Church. In order to do this, NCCL will develop new practices, approaches, and resources that participating parishes and Catholic schools can use 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.

Participating parishes can find the Project Timeline and Project Work descriptions below.

Click to Download the Preparation Documents:

Designate a Project Coordinator who will develop and facilitate a Team to lead the Children & Worship Project in the parish through the processes of listening, discerning, and developing and implementing new approaches. The Project Team should be comprised of six parish leaders, including the following: 

• Clergy (the Pastor and/or the Parochial Vicar)
• Liturgical ministry coordinator and/or music minister
• Catechetical coordinator who has responsibility for children’s catechesis
• Parish staff with responsibilities for worship and/or children’s ministry
• Educators from the Catholic elementary school; e.g., principal, pre-school educators, teachers

The Project Team will be involved in the following work:

1. Assess and analyze children’s involvement in the worship life of the parish.
2. Conduct a variety of listening sessions to engage children (and their parents) in describing their experiences of participation (or lack of participation) at Sunday Mass and in the liturgical experiences of the parish. 
3. Discern areas for growth for more fully engaging children (and their parents) in the liturgical life of the parish.
4. Develop a plan of action by selecting, and when necessary developing, new approaches, activities and resources that respond to the areas for growth.
5. Recruit and equip a wider group of leaders in worship and catechesis to implement the new approaches, activities, and resources.
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of the initiatives that were created and implemented.
7. Participate in parish planning meetings for the Project to accomplish the planning and implementation tasks outlined above.
8. Participate in online meetings with a NCCL consultant who will assist in developing and implementing a plan and new approaches.
9. Participate in formation programs including the foundational “Children & Worship” webinar series in Spring 2026, and in specialized educational programs (webinars, video programs, online resources) to equip liturgical and catechetical leaders with the knowledge, skills, and practices to engage today’s children more fully and meaningfully in the liturgical life of the Catholic Church.

SurveyMonkey Link to Share: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Children-Worship

The Assessment is the first step in preparing the parish for developing a parish plan that will engage children (and their parents) more fully and meaningfully in the liturgical life of the Catholic Church. The Assessment provides a starting point for the work of the parish by examining how children are included in the parish's liturgical life. The results of the Assessment will provide a wider view of how the parish is currently engaging children.

Invite a variety of leaders engaged in liturgical ministry, children's faith formation, and parish leadership roles to complete the Assessment by sending them the link above. Make sure the Pastor, parish priests, deacons, and all of your team members complete the survey.

Invite a small, representative group of 5-6 parents with young children (0-6) and 5-6 parents of grade school children (grades 1-6) to complete the assessment. 

Reporting: After March 1 the NCCL Project Team will compile one overall report of responses for the parish team to review. The NCCL Team will provide a process for analyzing the results and discerning areas for growth.

Time

Wednesdays, 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm ET / 10:30 - 12 pm  PT
All sessions will be on Zoom

Webinar Schedule

APRIL 15 | Presenter: Sr. Sandy DeMasi, SSJ

Focus: Exploring and applying effective practices for child-inclusive and child-engaging liturgy in the parish  (environment, homily, music, and liturgical ministry/roles)

APRIL 22 | Presenter: Dr. Mimi Larson

Focus: Understanding the characteristics of children’s development today and learning how to apply these insights to effectively engage children in Mass and the liturgical life of the parish.

APRIL 29 | Presenter: Dr. Anne McGowan

Focus: Exploring and applying effective practices and approaches for liturgical formation of children and their parents - at home and in the parish.

MAY 6 | Presenter: Dr. Tim O’Malley

Focus: Exploring the theological and liturgical principles essential for creating child-inclusive and engaging parish worship - using liturgy as a primary mode of engagement, toward the vital task of awakening young people to their call to offer the "sacrifice of praise" for the life of the world.

MAY 13 | Presenters: John Michael Reyes and John Roberto

Focus: Creating a parish plan for children and worship, and reviewing approaches and resources to use in a parish plan.

With the assistance of a NCCL worship consultant and curated resources from NCCL, parish teams will move through the essential steps of developing and implementing a plan:

1. Discern areas for growth for more fully engaging children (and their parents) in the liturgical life of the parish using the results of the Assessment Report.
2. Develop a plan of action by selecting, and when necessary, design new approaches, activities and resources that respond to the areas for growth.
3. Recruit and equip a wider group of leaders in worship and catechesis to implement the new approaches, activities, and resources.
4. Develop implementation plans.
5. Implement the new approaches, activities, and resources.
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of each approach, activity, and resource utilized in the implementation plan.