St Nicholas Catholic Church, Boldmere
  St Nicholas Catholic Church, Boldmere
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  • Home
  • Information
    • The Parish of St Nicholas >
      • Parish History
      • Parish Boundary
      • Register with the parish
    • Parish Newsletter
    • Parish Blog
    • Parish Groups >
      • Scripture Group
      • Parish Book Club
      • 50/50 Club
      • Society of St Vincent de Paul >
        • St Vincent De Paul
      • Travelling Solo
      • World Development Group
      • Boldmere Winter Night Shelter
      • Open Parish Meetings
    • Ministries >
      • Service in sharing the Faith
      • Social Support
      • Service in administration
      • Service to the Liturgy
      • Bishop Walsh Award
    • Current Ministry Roras
    • Financial support of the parish >
      • Annual Financial Report
    • Copies of Sacramental Certificates
    • Local Catholic Schools >
      • Priest's endorsement of school applications
      • Governors
    • Links
  • Join us
    • Baptism >
      • Baptism of Infants >
        • Dates for Preparation
        • Options for Readings
      • Godparents and Sponsors
    • Journey in Faith
    • Liturgy of the Word with Children
    • First Holy Communion >
      • First Confession
      • Pilgrimage to St Chad's
    • Confirmation
  • Worship
    • HELPS FOR PRAYER 2020 >
      • Sunday Reflections
      • An Advent time of prayer and reflection
      • Christmas 2020
      • Holy Week 2020
    • Regular times of Mass and other times of prayer
    • Private Prayer >
      • Christian Prayer
    • Sunday
    • Celebrations of Mass >
      • Worship of the Eucharist outside of Mass
      • Mass Intentions
      • Singing the Mass
    • The Scriptures
    • Morning Prayer
    • Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession)
    • Service to the Liturgy
    • Liturgy preparation sheets
    • Saints of the Diocesan Calendar
  • Pastoral Care
    • Catechesis/Deepening our faiith >
      • Fratelli Tutti
      • Deepening love and holiness
      • Family >
        • Children at Mass
      • What are we here for?
      • Owning our Faith and Calling
    • Funerals and Praying for the Dead >
      • Guidance
    • Volunteering during the Covid-19 Crisis
    • Social Support
    • Pastoral visits >
      • Pastoral visits at home
      • Pastoral visits at hospital
    • Sacrament of Matrimony (Marriage) >
      • Wanting to celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony?
      • Finding Marriage challenging?
    • Praying for the Sick
    • Service to the local community
    • Pilgrimage >
      • Ephesus, Miletus and Izmir
      • Assisi
      • Rome
      • Saint Chad's and Lichfield Cathedrals
  • Contact
    • Safeguarding
  • Diocese
  • Carpenter's Arms

Children at Mass

PictureLittle angels? In your dreams!
Our parish includes many young families. This is a blessing, but also a challenge!  And among the challenges are the ‘noises’ that come from young children. These can be embarrassing for their parents, and irritating for others. 

However if we all try to bear both those things in mind it makes it easier for all of us to deal with the situation.
  • Those without children will want to be tolerant to families with younger children.
  • Those with care of the children will want to be considerate to others in the parish.
We will never get things perfect, but with tolerance and consideration we can keep on trying to ​give things our best effort.

Parents are the first teachers of their children in the ways of prayer and faith. Our parish wants to support and encourage them in their role. Parents helping their children to learn to  pray at Mass, and take a full part, is a key part of this. 

Children learn about prayer and reverence from their parents from the earliest age. Young children like to imitate their parents. So how you pray before and during Mass; how you join in the singing; how you follow the Mass and so on sets the pattern that your children will follow, particularly if you help and encourage them. Some children will learn more quickly than others, but always your example makes a difference.

Some practical suggestions that have come from other parents include, in a gentle and sustained way, encourage children, even the youngest children to: 
  • make the Sign of the Cross.
  • stand, sit and kneel with the rest of us.
  • follow and join in the prayers and songs. Using a Missal and hymn book offers a great help in this.
  • learn that they come to Mass to pray, not to play.
  • if very young children bring a toy to church, please make sure it is a soft toy, which does not make a noise when played with or dropped. 

There are a few suggestions, too, of things to avoid: such as 
  • giving children food and drink during Mass.  It is a distraction for others, and sets a poor example for older children.
  • leaving the children to 'entertain' themselves during Mass, because this is not helping them to get a sense of what Mass is about
  • sitting at the back, where the children cannot see anything, and are not being helped to see what other people are a part of.
  • bringing toys to Mass, unless the children are very young, in which case ensure they bring soft toys only which do not make a noise.

​Finally - what ever the struggles - please know you and your children are welcome and valued! Honest!

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  Our Parish is part of the Archdiocese of Birmingham: Registered Charity No. 234216

Address: 243 Jockey Rd, Boldmere, Sutton Coldfield, B73 5US         Telephone: 0121 354 1763  
​ Email: stnicholas.boldmere@rcaob.org.uk     Website: www.stnicholasboldmere.co.uk
Parish Blog: www.stnicholasboldmere.wordpress.com     Facebook: St Nicholas Church, Boldmere
Parish Priest: Fr Allen Morris 
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