“Children’s Liturgy Of the Word” is an opportunity for young children to celebrate the Liturgy of the Word in a separate area, which allows them to hear the Gospel proclaimed in words that they can relate to, and to be able to discuss what they have just heard, not just listen to a homily about it. We retain the Sunday readings of the liturgical year, and follow the same year A, B, C cycle as the Church, which means that children will be hearing the same Gospel reading that the rest of the Church does.
CLOW is for young children ages through 8. Although they are not prohibited from attending, most of the older children remain in Mass for the Liturgy of the Word while preparing for or once they have received First Eucharist.
It is recommended that you have a copy of “The Liturgy of the Word with Children” by Katie Thompson – Twenty Third Publications to help you plan your session. Lectionaries (hard cover) are color coded for the Liturgical years: Year A – Blue, Year B – Green, Year C – Red. We also have a Planning Guide (“The Complete Children’s Liturgy Book”) that is kept in the RE Coordinator’s office on the resources bookshelves. There are also several books that may pertain to certain Holy Days, Feasts, or liturgical seasons that you might want to use with the children. If available, these books would also be kept on the resources bookshelves in the RE Coordinator’s office. These books are good reference materials, but need to be kept on the bookshelves. Finally, we have leaflets for the children that can be used as activity review of the Liturgy or can be distributed as they are dismissed.
Scheduling is done in August and January. August scheduling covers September through January and January scheduling covers February through June. It will be posted on the Parish website under the Faith tab, CLOW page. Emails are sent out for Coordinator communication and schedule availability.
Every adult who works with children under the age of 18 is required by the Diocese of Richmond to complete a ScreeningONE application (background check form), and attend a VIRTUS training session, which assists the Church in teaching how to create safe haven for children and how to prevent child sexual abuse within the Church and in our community. This includes CLOW leaders. Return the form to the Church, as St. Kateri is responsible for sending in the form, and paying the fee for the search.