Written by Jane Scupham, principal
Have you been to worship with our school children lately? If you have been, you might have noticed a change in the way the students come in and depart from church.
I was stopped one day after Mass by a long-time parishioner and school parent from 20+ years ago, who expressed concern about the noise level before and after Mass. I brought this concern to the teachers and aides at our faculty meeting and many ideas were discussed to help teach the children the proper reverence and expectations for behavior while in the church. The practice of kneeling and praying before and after Mass was unanimously agreed upon. We decided to begin the practice immediately the following morning.
What a difference! The students walked quietly into the church, knelt down and prayed and when Mass finished they knelt and prayed and then quietly, reverently filed out of the church. The teachers smiled, the children were able to spend some quiet time in prayer, and the adults present swirled around to see what was happening. And best of all, the long-time parishioner made a point of thanking teachers and the children for helping to make church a place of respectful worship. Later in the morning she made a special trip over to the school to thank me again for the children’s exemplary behavior. She was beaming with joy about how wellbehaved the children had been.
We sincerely hope that you too appreciate the difference our children are trying to make in their church behavior. We encourage you to adopt this behavior, if you don’t already do so, when you attend Mass on Sundays with your child.