Children’s Ministry – St Marie's Cathedral

Families and children are always made welcome at St Marie’s Cathedral, and we have a thriving Children’s Ministry as a result.

On Sunday mornings, during term-time (and ‘normal’ circumstances), children of all ages are invited and escorted out of the 10:30 Mass to have their own service in Houlden Hall. Our aim is to help children enjoy the experience of coming to Church, and learn more about Jesus and God as our Heavenly Father, through a more age-appropriate Liturgy.

In addition to providing a Children’s Liturgy of the Word for pre-schoolers and primary aged children, we also provide a weekly Children’s Activity Sheet, based on the Gospel. An Illustrated Gospel, with questions for reflection and further discussion, is available for older children.

If you would like to comment on our Children’s Ministry, or you would like to get involved in any way, please contact Candida on: ppc@stmariecathedral.org

Children’s Liturgy of the Word

Since we are currently unable to have Mass and meet in church, we have brought Children’s Liturgy on-line; you and your family can now join in from home! We hope you enjoy it 🙂

During Children’s Liturgy…

During Children’s Liturgy, we encourage children to explore and deepen their faith by engaging in fun and active discussions, group prayers and singing. We help them to relate to the key messages of the Gospel, by sharing and drawing on their own experiences, and by making it more applicable to their world.

The Welcome Song is particularly enjoyed by our younger worshippers, whereas the older children always engage well with the Children’s Homily. Children – and adults alike – learn a lot from discussing and debating the messages of each Gospel. Don’t be afraid of this! Please encourage discussion and debate, and enjoy the journey it takes you on.

Children thrive on routines, and consequently we follow a set format to mirror what happens in the main Mass. You can download your own copy of the Children’s Liturgy of the Word sheet here:

Illustrated Gospel Readings

In addition, we offer an Illustrated Gospel each week as a suitable alternative for older children.

It is widely recognised that illustrations can aid both concentration and understanding. This is a much shorter offering than a full Children’s Liturgy of the Word, but includes some questions at the end for deeper reflection and discussion.

Child-Friendly Hymns

Each week, we sing, or recommend, a child-friendly hymn to celebrate all that we have learnt from the Gospel. Hymns are uplifting – something we all benefit from, especially during difficult times. They are also a form of prayer.

The hymns we choose are well known and loved – and they include the lyrics. Happy singing! 😉

Christ Be Our Light by Bernadette Farrell

Weekly Children’s Activity Sheets

Every week we produce a Children’s Activity Sheet that children can read and use during Mass. Copies are available at the back of Church, and here on this page (please expand this section to view them). It is a free resource you can use with your child, so please do!

The sheet includes a few words on the week’s Gospel, a Children’s Prayer, a couple of Gospel-related activities (such as a Word Search and a Cross Word Puzzle), and a Colouring section for our younger parishioners.