A third or more of our Sunday congregation is made up of children. We value them, and their families, as a gift from God. We are committed to providing for their spiritual, liturgical, and emotional needs, as they grow in faith.
Sunday School takes place on Sunday mornings as part of our Sung Mass. We have a large team of trained Sunday School teachers who lead our children in a period of prayer, teaching, and creativity appropriate to their age.
On Sunday mornings we all begin the Mass together, after which our children then leave for their separate Liturgy of the Word in our parish hall. They return at communion time to show us all what they’ve been up to and to share the insights and learning they have received.
On some Sundays we celebrate a Children’s Mass in which the liturgy is altered slightly to be more approachable for our younger parishioners. At a Children’s Mass the Sunday School does not go to the parish hall, but remains in church throughout. The liturgy is simpler, shorter and sometimes a little more boisterous than usual! The aim is to enable our whole parish community, young and old alike, to worship together for the whole of the Mass.
We always make time every Sunday after the liturgy to spend time together over refreshments. Juice, fruit, and other goodies are always available for our children to enjoy whilst catching up with their friends.
Covid Update
In the light of the Coronavirus, the following temporary changes have been made to our Sunday School provision on Sunday mornings at the 11.00 am Mass:
- It will not be possible to offer the full range of children’s catechesis in the usual Sunday School format that we have traditionally provided with teaching and activities.
- A limited form of much simpler child care will be offered, however, for nursery age children and above who might otherwise become restless in church. This will involve our children being told a story in the garden of our parish hall and then having the opportunity to play outside in the garden.
- We will aim not to enter the parish hall, and instead use the garden during the summer months in front of the parish hall. If the hall does end up being used because of inclement weather, it must be carefully disinfected after use.
- Under no circumstances whatsoever will it be possible for parents to join their children in Sunday School. All children attending Sunday School must be of nursery age or above and will be left in the care of our trained Sunday School teachers.
- The total number of children we can take for Sunday School will be capped at 15. If there are more than 15 children present on a Sunday morning, the older ones will be asked to remain in church with their parents or serve in the sanctuary.
