Tag: Mass

CLOW – Children’s Liturgy

Sundays during the school year, our Church offers Children’s Liturgy of the Word for Kindergarten through fifth grade. Two or three adult leaders form a team and lead a particular week each month.

The volunteer leaders perform various functions to help bring Mass down to an Elementary level and to engage the children differently (better) than the adult Mass.

My wife, a good friend, and I, lead 50-100 children through Children’s Liturgy every the fourth Sunday.

This past Sunday, for a variety of reasons, my wife Cheryl led it solo. Sixty-five children in all. She said they were incredibly well behaved. If you’ve never done this, you’d be amazed at how challenging it is.

We began volunteering in this ministry several years ago after a parishioner made a plea for more volunteers or the program would end.

Funny how life puts things in your path. This experience has me delivering homilies (sermons). Who would have ever thought? Me? You’ve got to be kidding.

Volunteering – Involving Your Family?

Yesterday a fellow public speaker asked an excellent question. By the way, great professional speakers ask great questions.

“What about volunteering with your family”? It was not clear in yesterday’s post, so here it is now.

All our volunteer efforts start with, “Can we do this as a Family”?

Not only is being visible important to setting a good example, but so is involvement.

My wife serves as a Minister of Holy Communion on the days I Lector. Afterwards, our son helps me carry the Gospel (a very large, heavy book) back to the Sacristy. Been doing this since he could walk.

It was cute the first few years because it was only symbolic. He was not strong enough to actually help. But children don’t care. He actually believed he was lifting it.

You know, in a weird sort of way, he actually was. Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

Volunteering Is A Lifestyle

Didn’t consciously think about this until our son was born in 2000.

In studying human nature, I concluded there were several choices:

  1. Volunteering for things that take you away from your Family
  2. Volunteering for things that do not take you away from your Family
  3. Volunteering for a little of both
  4. Not volunteering

This morning, I’m a Lector at our Church. Once or twice a month I have the privilege to read from the Old Testament or the New Testament.

The (two) Lectors act as God’s voice, and read critical pieces of scripture to the congregation.

Our son sees this every time I volunteer. Visible is good. Carpe diem, jeff noel 🙂

Blessed Beyond Measure?

Blessed Beyond Measure?

What does that mean, blessed beyond measure?

Ever thought about that?

We have so many blessings that it’s almost too good to be true.

But in order to “cash in” on them, I believe we have to be aware.

Not much awareness goes on in an overly busy schedule. I know. I’m ridiculously busy.

This is why I work so hard each day to be aware.

What if you worked hard at this? What do you think you could gain? Go! Carpe diem! jeff 🙂