Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” Matthew 19:14
Our little one was born at the end of May. We didn't begin taking him to Mass until Father's Day. The primary reason for not taking him to church was because we didn't want to be yelled at or glared at by the priest or other parishoners. The local parish has several women who will make nasty comments to others during Mass therefore, increasing my anxiety.
We are fortunate that our little one likes to sleep in his carseat so, the drive to Mass will put him to sleep. However, we were initially afraid of him waking up and crying. During the first Mass, we discovered that he was fascinated by the music. He loves the sound of the organ and the singing. As he's gotten a bit older, he enjoys looking at the lights above him and the colors in the stained glass windows.
Just before we started taking Charlie to Mass, a family friend was ordained and assigned to a local parish. We were unable to go to his ordination because it would have been far too crowded to bring such a little baby. However, it became by goal to go to see him say Mass once the little one was old enough.
A few weeks ago we decided we would make the trek to our friend's church. Being in a new church, my anxiety about the little one crying was even higher but, we picked a pew that was right near an exit and made sure to sit on the end. This church is perfectly set up for little children. It doesn't have a crying room or anything like that but, it has a multitude of exits and class vestibules that you can escape to if need be. There are also several alcoves to stand in if you need to walk with the baby.
After Mass, I expressed my concern to our friend that our little one may have cried through the entire Mass. Our friend simply said, "Jesus cried." I was so relieved that he was understanding. In addition, he shared that he would rather families come in late and at least get there. His only rule is that you cannot leave early, if you come in late.
Having his conversation with our friend, has resulted in the hubby and I taking our little one to Mass at his church every Sunday since then. It is wonderful to be able to relax and not worry that we are going to be chastised for the baby crying.
We decided that our friend will be baptizing Charlie when the time comes.
We are fortunate that our little one likes to sleep in his carseat so, the drive to Mass will put him to sleep. However, we were initially afraid of him waking up and crying. During the first Mass, we discovered that he was fascinated by the music. He loves the sound of the organ and the singing. As he's gotten a bit older, he enjoys looking at the lights above him and the colors in the stained glass windows.
Just before we started taking Charlie to Mass, a family friend was ordained and assigned to a local parish. We were unable to go to his ordination because it would have been far too crowded to bring such a little baby. However, it became by goal to go to see him say Mass once the little one was old enough.
A few weeks ago we decided we would make the trek to our friend's church. Being in a new church, my anxiety about the little one crying was even higher but, we picked a pew that was right near an exit and made sure to sit on the end. This church is perfectly set up for little children. It doesn't have a crying room or anything like that but, it has a multitude of exits and class vestibules that you can escape to if need be. There are also several alcoves to stand in if you need to walk with the baby.
After Mass, I expressed my concern to our friend that our little one may have cried through the entire Mass. Our friend simply said, "Jesus cried." I was so relieved that he was understanding. In addition, he shared that he would rather families come in late and at least get there. His only rule is that you cannot leave early, if you come in late.
Having his conversation with our friend, has resulted in the hubby and I taking our little one to Mass at his church every Sunday since then. It is wonderful to be able to relax and not worry that we are going to be chastised for the baby crying.
We decided that our friend will be baptizing Charlie when the time comes.
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That is a big step. It's always hard with little ones in church and it's nice the members are understanding. That is the way they should be,
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found a welcoming parish and that your friend responded that way!
ReplyDeleteOur pastor occasionally announces to the congregation (for newcomers, mostly) that "We are a community of families - and kids sometimes make noise" (basically - 'Deal with it!') It's nice to feel comfortable and know that people understand.
ReplyDelete