Teaching Kids How To Give At Mass

I have a confession to make. I’m one of those mums whose family stand at the very back of the Church during Mass. There are two main reasons for this:

We are almost always late for Mass. I’m sorry – I’m not proud of this. We’re working on it.
On the rare occasion we are on time and seated inside the Church, my two year old decides it’s a great time to have a snack. It happens every. single. time. It drives me crazy. So sometimes we just end up the back or outside, since he’s prone to causing a ruckus and disturbing everyone inside.

At my local parish, standing outside during Mass seems the standard option for a lot of parents with young children. There’s a speaker system that broadcasts to an undercover area where all the disheveled parents of newborns and toddlers stand, so at least we can still hear the prayers, readings and the choir, and our kids who have endless energy have endless bitumen on which to run. We also have direct line of vision to the lectern and Altar, so I can point out important parts of the liturgy on the rare occasion my little one is standing still and paying attention. Now before I continue, let me make it very clear that I’m not at all condoning making a habit of standing outside during Mass. I’m all for being present and participating in the liturgy, and that’s actually why I started writing this post. You see, even though our Sunday morning geography means we are quite removed from the liturgical ‘action’, lately I’ve been witnessing a simple and beautiful way that young children participate in Mass. It’s not exactly part of the formal liturgy, but it is part of the service. And as far as my two year old is concerned, it’s his favourite part.

The Collection. That one moment they can give at Mass.

Our local parish has two collections; one during the Offertory procession (the funds collected here contribute to the running of the parish) and one after Communion (which is given to the Diocese). The moment the congregation sits down after the Prayers of the Faithful, there is scurry of excitement among the children who are standing outside the Church. Their parents pull out wallets and hand them a donation to put into the collection basket – sometimes a few coins, sometimes a note – and the look of glee and excitement on the faces of these children is wonderfully priceless.

Often, we are standing next to my sisters’ family and between us, there are five kids under the age of ten. They live for this moment in Mass. They gather their precious collection of coins and bills and walk towards the doors of the church in solid formation, weaving through the other families to find The Person With The Collection Plate. My two year old started participating in this a few weeks ago; his older cousins hold his hand and guide him towards the doors. There they stand and watch to make sure The Person With The Collection Plate stops and bends down, giving him a chance to give his coins. I realised how this simple act of giving was teaching these kids (and me!) so many things. That no matter our age or size, we can all take part in the Mass. That giving to the church is something normal, natural and needed. That it is so much more fun when we give together.

If The Person With The Collection Plate happens to be someone they know – an uncle or grandparent – the experience is all the more exciting. The five kids huddle at the doors of the church waiting for his appearance with wide eyes and trembling hands. When he appears, they hurry to give their donation, hands outstretched and bodies balancing on tippy toes so they can reach the little brown basket. Then they scurry back to their parents, faces beaming and chests puffed up with pride.

Last week the collector walked away before my son could reach out for the basket, and he walked back to me still holding his two coins, looking dazed and confused. I took his hand and led him to the poor box, where he slipped in his donation gleefully. He adores these moments.

Truth be told, so do I.