Because Fr. Sean said “Go for it” when he was first pastor here back in the mid-’90s, our Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLW) will mark its 30th anniversary next Sunday, February 8.
Necessity is said to be the mother of invention. In this case, it was an actual mother who planted the CLW seeds during a conversation with Peg Hoblin, then and now again the director of our Religious Education program. The mother expressed how she could not concentrate on the readings or homily because of her rambunctious son. Peg recalled hearing about churches that had a separate activity for children during that portion of the Mass. Could St. Paul’s develop its own program?
Peg recruited Ernie Martin, then a kindergarten teacher and catechist, and the two strategized how to bring God’s message to children and on their level. “We used to brainstorm until 10 p.m. on Wednesdays, after Religious Ed classes,” says Peg of the program they developed.
Along with a Children’s Lectionary that offers simpler readings, Ernie came up with the idea of the “butterfly bag” to add a visual component. The first butterfly bag contained a flashlight and pretzel, to correspond with the “light of the world … salt of the earth” message.
Today, there are even more visuals and pictures used to engage the children during CLW. On average, there are 30 preschoolers through fourth-graders in attendance. Children leave with Keynotes to encourage conversation about the readings with their families.
Peg is particularly proud of how interactive the kids are and of the connections they are making between the Gospel readings and their lives.
“They want to act like Jesus,” she says.