One of the great blessings here at St. Catherine’s is the
large number of young children that we have. I have
always advocated bringing children, to Mass, however
young they may be. . If an infant cries at Mass it is better
than a Mass that is absolutely silent because there are no
children. However, the cry of a young infant is much
different than the cries and fits of temper of a toddler.
A toddler that screams or beats on the kneeler or pew, or
runs up and down the aisle is a great distraction to others
at Mass. Usually I do not notice loud children at Mass but
last Sunday, at the 10:30 Mass there was a constant
barrage, and as I was trying to concentrate on the
Eucharistic Prayer there was a stereophonic effect of
unruly children from both sides of the Church, which made
it almost impossible for me to focus on the Eucharist. And,
these were not infants in arms crying to be fed. What to
do?
First of all, before Mass - before coming to Church, make
sure that your young children are both well fed and rested.
If your child has a history of acting up at Mass, sit toward
the back of the Church within swift and easy access to the
vestibule, and do not hesitate to take the child out, and
once in the vestibule do not be afraid to discipline the child.
Children both want limits and learn from proper discipline.
Also, consider the Mass you are attending. The 10:30
Mass is both longer than the other Masses, and also has
more elaborate music, as well as being in Latin. It is just
not fair to a two or three year old to expect them to sit
through all of that. It is also inconsiderate of the others at
Mass to bring a child, who cannot sit through the long
Mass, and is inevitably going to make a disturbance. Once
the young child has learned to quietly sit through a shorter
English Mass, you may want to try bring him to the 10:30
Mass.
Children need to come to Sunday Mass, but they also
need to behave well at Sunday Mass. Begin by bringing
them to shorter Masses which are more intelligible to them,
and reinforce good behaviour by rewarding them after
Mass. At the same time practice “quiet time” at home. By
doing so the Mass is made more meaningful, both to them
and to the other parishioners.