WELCOME to the website of   Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in     Petawawa, Ontario, Canada. We are a Roman Catholic Parish under the leadership and guidance of Most Rev. Michael Mulhall, Bishop of Pembroke.         www.pembrokediocese.com

The Mission of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish is to Proclaim the Good News to all the world and to Baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

WHY YOUNG CHILDREN BELONG AT SUNDAY MASS

What follows are five reasons why children of all ages belong in the pews right along with adults. Allowing kids to go AWOL from Mass undermines the parents' duty to begin faith education in the child's earliest years (Catechism 2226). Not only will it be a lot tougher to teach an older child who has rarely been to Mass to behave, leaving kids at home sends the message that Mass is not for children. Regular attendance at Mass is a must to help them recognize the sacredness of the Eucharist and to value their faith.
 
Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI urges parents to make Sunday Mass a family affair. "Parents are called to make their children discover the value and importance of the response to Christ's invitation, who calls the whole Christian family to Sunday Mass," the pope said to a crowd in St. Peter's Square on June 13, 2005. Note he said the whole Christian family, not just those old enough to behave or to receive the Eucharist.
 
1. Jesus invites all of us to His table - and He extended a special invitation to children, saying, "Let the little children come to me."
 
2. Bringing children to Mass helps nurture their inner life. Early lessons make lasting impressions, child development experts tell us. Good parents recognize the importance of nurturing their children physically and emotionally during their formative years. But if we fail to nurture their spiritual self as well, then we are not attending to the whole child. While we can teach about the Faith within the walls of our domestic church (your home), being in the presence of Christ and those who love Him is what really awakens the spiritual self.
 
Moreover, you might be surprised by what a small child gets out of Mass. A four-year-old recently asked her Mom if what she ate was really the Body and Blood of Christ. Thankfully, before she had a chance to respond (She wasn't quite prepared to start explaining), her daughter said, "It is. I know it is." Where knowledge is lacking, wisdom often runs deep. Children too are capable of receiving God's graces.
 
3. Regularly attending Mass helps children find their true home. While children are constantly with you at this age, you know you won't always be there to guide them. But God will never leave their side. Their real home is with God in His Church, but they will only learn to recognize it as home if you bring them to Sunday Mass from an early age. We cannot open the door to the Church at Baptism, or First Communion only to slam it in their face until they're deemed mature enough to be a part of the Body of Christ.
 
4. We are all one body. God longs for His whole family to gather around the table. In the breaking of the bread, we proclaim that we are one in God. Mass unites people from all walks of life and connects us with all our brothers and sisters in Christ. There is no room for intolerance at the table of the Lord.
 
5. Mass isn't about me. It isn't about you, either. Unlike brothers and sisters in other churches, who often segregate the children from the adults to facilitate a more inspiring worship experience, Catholics go to Mass to give thanks and to receive the Body and Blood of Christ. Everything we do during the celebration is in remembrance of Him.
 
While it's ideal to enjoy an uplifting and distraction-free Mass, we should be focusing on the fact that Jesus shed His Precious Blood for all of us – the nursing babies, the fidgety toddlers, the disabled, the young, the old, even the teenage girl/woman with the low-cut top (who's likely as much of a distraction as any whiny three-year-old).
 
We might wish it weren't so, but the Body of Christ isn't always a pretty sight. None of us is worthy to be in the presence of Christ, but He shows up anyway. Not only should we show up, too, but we should welcome everyone – young or old, big or small – who has come to the Lord's Supper.

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