“Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14). These familiar words spoken by the Lord in the Gospel of Matthew capture a rather simple directive, an invitation to welcome the young and lead them to Jesus Christ. One of the largest ministries of the Catholic Church is its Catholic schools, where young students of various ages and developmental stages participate in the sacred liturgy on a routine basis, whether monthly, weekly, or even daily. According to canon law, parents, as the primary educators of their children, possess the right to choose the most suitable means of Catholic education for their children (can. 793 §1). This includes children with exceptional and specialized learning needs. All children ought to be truly welcomed to participate in the liturgy, within the context of the Catholic school and beyond.
Indeed, Catholic schools play an essential role in the liturgical formation of students, faculty, and staff. Sacred music, sacred art, and sacred architecture all serve as an experiential means of encountering Christ for all members of the Catholic school community, perhaps in a particular way for those with disabilities or exceptional learning needs. In his 2025 Apostolic Letter on Catholic education, Drawing New Maps of Hope, Pope Leo XIV recalls: “For the Christian faith, the education of the poor is not a favor but a duty. This genealogy of practical action testifies that, in the Church, pedagogy is never disembodied theory, but flesh, passion and history.” Nevertheless, despite the growing and intentional efforts to be accepting of all children, including those who are marginalized—with or without exceptional learning needs—there are an increasing number of children in this population whose parents face challenges in their role as primary educators, particularly in helping their children participate as fully as possible in the liturgy.
The National Catholic Partnership on Disability has provided families with numerous resources to promote the participation of all—including children with disabilities—in the liturgical life of the Church. Moreover, in 2017, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities, which insist upon the full inclusion of persons of all ages as follows: “It is essential that all forms of the liturgy be completely accessible to persons with disabilities, since these forms are the essence of the spiritual tie that binds the Christian community together. To exclude members of the parish from these celebrations of the life of the Church, even by passive omission, is to deny the reality of that community.”
In the context of parish life, the Catholic school serves the ultimate purpose of salvation through the implementation of faith formation and promotion of the liturgical and sacramental life of its members. In response to the exceptional needs of some of the most vulnerable populations of children, it is a moral and ethical responsibility to ensure that the youngest members of the faith community are offered optimal support to participate in the liturgy to the extent of their physical and intellectual abilities. Thus, creative and imaginative opportunities for children with impairments to not only attend the liturgy, but to participate as active members through means of sacred art and sacred music, are integral for their formation. Such experiences promote intimacy in the practice of worship within the community of believers. Moreover, promoting active participation in this way is not solely for the benefit of those who may have an exceptional learning need or impairment, but rather manifests a more charitable, compassionate response from the whole congregation, thereby elevating all to live truly as the unified Body of Christ.
Catholic Schools and the Liturgy
Parents are tasked with the role of primary educators of their children, while “schools are the principal assistance to parents in fulfilling the function of education” (can. 796 §1). Consequently, Catholic schools play a vital role in the spiritual and intellectual formation of children, as they strive to ensure the availability and accessibility of the liturgy and the sacraments to all students, regardless of ability or impairment. Catholic schools provide a nurturing spiritual community of faith for students, parents, principals, administrators, teachers, and the general school community as a manifestation of the Body of Christ. San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone is ever mindful of how Catholic education serves the liturgical renewal: “Catholic schools provide a sacred space where students can learn to be attentive to the gentle voice of Christ, the Good Shepherd. They do this through prayer, spending time reflecting on Scripture, and especially through the encounter with Christ in the sacred Liturgy” (Catholic San Francisco, September 4, 2025).
Throughout Church teaching, there is consistency in the idea that the liturgy is a celebration that welcomes all persons, including children of all abilities. In Catholic schools, the challenge of this mission is undeniable. Under divine providence and with a zeal for salvation, all children are called to a meaningful participation in the liturgy and in the life of the Catholic school, ordered toward the supreme end of eternal life. Allowing children to serve in various capacities—as greeters, readers, altar servers, choristers—manifests a visible message to the broader community that they, too, the little ones, are valued members of the Body of Christ, so much so that their offerings of service are of significant value to the Church community.
In Catholic schools, unique instructional programs and approaches are offered to meet the various needs of parents seeking a Catholic education for their children. The fine arts, specifically in the form of sacred music and sacred art, when implemented appropriately in the liturgy, increase the engagement and active participation of a child, especially one who may have a physical or intellectual limitation.
Sacred Music: Encountering Christ
According to the renowned Catholic educator and founder of the educational system that bears her name, Dr. Maria Montessori, children are developmentally inclined toward music and, consequently, toward active participation in the liturgy through song. This is why at a very young age, nursery rhymes and folk songs are commonly used in educational settings. Consequently, in the liturgy, children of all ages become more actively involved and engaged when music is included within the readings and the prayers. Sacred music inclines the soul to experience the divine in a manner that may not otherwise be possible for those with visual or cognitive impairments. Children are more likely to participate and respond in the liturgy when they are expected to sing. For example, when prompted to reply with the responsorial psalm, children are more likely to respond when it is sung, rather than when it is simply recited aloud. Hence, when children sing at Mass, they not only participate more fully but are also more inclined to initiate prayer independently. For children who are visually impaired, access to sacred music is one method that elevates the liturgical experience and allows for a fuller encounter within the Sacrifice of the Mass and for increased participation. As their ability allows, these children should be provided with the opportunities to participate in the performance of sacred music in the liturgy, which also serves as a reminder to the community that numerous masterpieces of music have been created and performed by individuals with visual or auditory impairments.
Sacred Art and Sacred Architecture
Integration of sacred art and architecture allows children to observe the visual imagery of the liturgy through tangible representations. The Catholic heritage is rich in art forms that are visually accessible and experiential for young children. The presence of sacred images in paintings, sculptures, hand-carved models, and even in the architectural design of the church building, to name just a few examples, not only depicts the presence of the divine reality but also provides increased opportunities for children who may have hearing impairments, challenges with attention, or cognitive impairments to visually connect with and encounter the liturgy in a tangible way, according to their abilities. Moreover, stimulation of the developing mind may certainly be heightened by encountering the masterpieces found throughout the world—the frescoes throughout European cathedrals, the sacred sculptures that adorn basilicas, the mosaic masterpieces that intrigue the mind, along with the innumerable stained-glass windows that depict the Holy Family and the holy men and women throughout Church history.
There is no shortage of sacred art capable of fostering sanctification and contemplation, stimulating every form of the human imagination. Furthermore, sacred architecture, while perhaps less known to children than sacred art or sacred music, is still essential in the integration of sacred art in the liturgy. This can be understood by children as they enter a church building whose exterior reflects the sacredness of the liturgy it houses. As they move into the interior, the continuity of sacred art, architecture, and music maintains that sacredness in all that is seen and heard, allowing the human imagination—regardless of ability, and especially for those with disabilities—to encounter the supernatural purpose of the liturgy. Thus, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone states: “Church buildings have an exterior: part of their purpose is to proclaim Jesus Christ and his Gospel in the midst of the community. The beauty of the exterior of churches is to draw people into them: the facade especially but also their towers, spires, domes and so forth. And once inside, people come into the presence of Jesus Christ. He is there in the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle, and the beauty of the sacred space is to teach them this presence: even if they do not understand it intellectually, they can sense it intuitively when the space is truly beautiful and majestic” (Homily, Mass of Thanksgiving for 25th Anniversary of Sacred Architecture Journal, October 14, 2023).
Schooled in the Liturgy
Every child is called by God to know him and to love him. The Church offers support to Catholic schools—through sacred music and sacred art—in their calling to serve all children and ensure that all are able to actively participate in the liturgy. For centuries, Catholic schools have served in a faithful ministry, an essential instrument of Holy Mother Church, nurturing the liturgical life and offering an intimate invitation to each child of every ability level. This invitation welcomes every child and is intended to provide the experience of the profound love and mercy of Christ in the various forms of sacred art, sacred architecture, and sacred music. If this purpose is achieved continuously and with fidelity, then all children, regardless of ability, may encounter in the liturgy the true meaning of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, participating to their fullest ability without regard to any impairment or exceptionality, to more fully live the unity of the Body of Christ.
Image: The Cathedral of St. Patrick, Charlotte, North Carolina. Stained glass, “Let the Children Come to Me.”
Image Source: AB/Nheyob, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
