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QUAERITUR: Resources for explain Mass and things to children
I think you readers can help with this one.
Dear Father Zuhlsdorf,
I am a cradle Catholic with three children, we have a family rule that on the way home from Mass the children can ask me questions about the mass itself, the readings, homily etc rather than asking during the mass when we should be paying attention and worshipping. However as they get older the questions they ask me are more involved and regard the symbolism used and other more theological questions. Some of these I can answer easily, and others stump me. This makes me want to learn more both for myself and for them. I strongly believe my vocation as their mother is to teach them in their faith.
I went to my local Catholic book store but they did not have the type of book I was looking for so I am wondering if you can recommend to me a good book that teaches about the Mass and why we use the symbols and so on that we do. Our Parish Priest and Deacon are very happy to answer questions, but I would like to be able to learn more about this and answer my children’s questions when they arise on the way home from Mass rather than making them wait to as Father the next week.
That’s a nice practice, getting the kids to ask about Mass and the preaching. That would help them pay attention. Well done!
And now you are up against a wall.
I think there could be different sets of reading material divided in a couple ways.
First, things for you or for your children… we don’t know their ages.
Second, things about the older form of Mass or about the Novus Ordo… we don’t know which you attend.
So, folks, how about chiming in with suggestions for these possible permutations!
Personally I found The Incredible Catolic Mass to give the most extensive and beautiful explanations on all aspects ….including vestments and vessels. It is older therefore based on the Tridentine Mass….but works just fine for both forms. It is available from Tan
Comment by Anne Scanlon — 19 August 2008 @ 8:26 pmp.s. this would be for Mom to read
Comment by Anne Scanlon — 19 August 2008 @ 8:28 pmA great book—it’s actually in the form of a comic book—is mass produced by the SSPX and other traditional publishers and is called “Know Your Mass.”
It answers probably every question your children could come up with and all about the Traditional Latin Mass and Faith.
Everything from what happened to Christ that we pray the Mass to the vestments and what the colors mean, to everything on the altar and their purpose, to every aspect of the mass (what the prayers at the foot of the altar mean, what the Mass of the catechumens is, the Mass of the Faithful, the Last Gospel, etc.)
All of our traditional friends have this as well.
You can buy it here for $15:
http://www.angeluspress.org/oscatalog/advanced_search_result.php?PHPSESSID=&keywords=know+your+mass
Comment by Chris — 19 August 2008 @ 8:36 pmThe How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You
http://www.amazon.com/How-Book-Mass-Everything-Taught/dp/1592762697/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1219195905&sr=1-15
I would also have to recommend a website that helped me with a lot of questions about my Catholic faith, and not just the Mass.
http://www.scripturecatholic.com
Good Luck!
Comment by Alan — 19 August 2008 @ 8:37 pmIf the children are getting “older,” the “Know Your Mass” cartoon book, which is written for elementary school children may be too simple (and users need to realize that the allegorical interpretation of each and every tiny segment is pious devotion, not dogma). For junior high and up, Ronald Knox wrote The Mass in Slow Motion. It’s probably out of print but might be available in libraries (it’s short). For Mom herself, as reference sources, there’s, of course, Adrian Fortescue’s Ceremonies of the Roman Rite, revised by J. B. O’Connell is due out in a new revision by Alcuin Reid this December. I suppose it doesn’t deal so much with “symbolism” but it’s certainly a fundamental reference source that Mom might find useful.
For theology (she mentioned some of the questions are theological), where to start? Joseph Ratzinger, Spirit of the Liturgy, . . . .—the readers of this blog will have a hundred favorites.
Comment by Houghton G. — 19 August 2008 @ 9:13 pmWe find that the Gospel Weeklies by Pflaum are pretty good and we use them for Children’s Liturgy of the Word. They would not be overly helpful with the order of mass, but they are quite for the lectionary-based catechesis process.
Comment by Westsider — 19 August 2008 @ 9:19 pmHeh, I was just about to mention “Know Your Mass.”
Also, The Mass Explained to Children, by Maria Montessori, is good as well.
As for older children… I don’t know.
Comment by Willebrord — 19 August 2008 @ 9:46 pmThere are three things I can highly recommend as regards liturgical symbolism:
Fr. Romano Guardini’s “Sacred Signs”, available at http://www.ewtn.com/library/LITURGY/SACRSIGN.TXT
Fr. Damasus Winzen’s “Symbols of Christ,” used copies of which are still available
and my favorite, because it’s short, sweet, and to the point:
Fr. Cassian Folsom’s “Sacred Signs and Active Participation at Mass,” available at http://www.adoremus.org/Folsom-Signs-598.html
Fr. Cassian often summarizes Guardini, but the Guardini text is wonderfully rich. One could do an entire catechesis from Guardini’s book.
Comment by Professor — 19 August 2008 @ 10:31 pmScott Hahn’s book, “The Lamb’s Supper” is wonderful in relating the Mass and its symbolism to the Old and New Testaments (especially the Book of Revelation). It would be difficult for younger children.
Comment by Ray Marshall — 19 August 2008 @ 10:49 pmAngelus Press has re-printed Fr. Joseph Dunney’s rather good book “The Latin Mass” which is written for middle school or high school aged children and explains all the parts of the Mass (in the extraordinary form). I would highly recommend it for older children.
Comment by Royce — 19 August 2008 @ 10:53 pmIf they were attending the traditional Roman rite, I would recommend Monsignor Ronald Knox’s The Mass in slow motion for anyone over the age of, say, ten years. It is based on a series of talks he gave to students and a girls’ school.
Comment by John Hudson — 19 August 2008 @ 11:40 pmCheck out “Dictionary of the Liturgy—Illustrated” by Rev. Jovian P. Lang, OFM., published by Catholic Book Publishing Co. in 1989. It is a massive book with entries for anything and everything liturgical… patens, palls, chalices, dialogue Masses, minor orders, etc.
As this was put together in the 1980s, it refers to the now called Extraordinary Form in the past tense (perhaps it is time to update this book?). Overall I think it is a great book.
Comment by Geoffrey — 19 August 2008 @ 11:55 pmThat’s my email quoted above (Father Z is really fast!)
My kids are 8, almost 10 and 12. They are asking questions such that most of the children’s books I have seen seem to be too young for them. For example the most recent question was why does the priest add the water to the wine during the preparation of the wine, which I could answer myself (this question was from the one who’ll be 10 in a few weeks). But the days of simple questions like why does the priest wear different vestment colours sometimes, are gone
We attend a N.O. mass, I would love to take my children to a T.L.M. mass but need to find one in our area.
Thank you for the advice so far and that to come. I’m off now to look up these books!
Comment by Nicola C — 20 August 2008 @ 12:03 amI don’t have a book to suggest, but