The term “Children’s Mass” may evoke a wide range of images and emotions for modern Catholics.

Designed specifically for children, these liturgical celebrations often take place in the context of a parish school or faith formation program. They include practices and concessions tailored for children that differ from the typical Masses at the parish. 

Some argue that Children’s Masses foster better participation and understanding of the liturgy among its youngest participants, while others say they facilitate liturgical excesses and separate family members.

It is commonly believed that Children’s Masses are a unique development of the modern liturgical reforms, a direct outgrowth of the Second Vatican Council.

In reality, however, special Masses for children – including what might now appear to be shocking liturgical innovations – stretch back more than a century before the Second Vatican Council. 

These Masses began as a 19th century attempt to grapple with dramatic social changes and challenges wrought by the modern world. They gained widespread popularity and even gave rise to the creation of vernacular participatory Mass methods for adults years before Vatican II.

In total, hundreds of editions of these methods for children and adults were published, running to millions of cumulative copies, between 1861 and 1961. They were published with approval, printed for decades, and used with permission around the world. 

Read the full article at The Pillar.