Let the Little Children Come
by Mina Mejia
Sam first attended Mustard Seed (MS) in 2015, when he was only six years old. “It’s fun and they let you do arts and crafts while still learning about our faith: shared Sam. He is the eldest son ofJ and Denise Sabat. “I love that Mustard Seed helps the kids grow in their faith by bringing the stories and lessons of the Gospel closer to their own experiences,” said Denise. Sam was a regular attendee of Mustard Seed and would participate in the group discussions. Now that he is almost eleven years old and has had his first communion, he no longer attends Mustard Seed. Instead, he’s an active member of the altar servers.
It was Sam’s cousins who inspired him to serve. It looked hard to him at first but he willingly embraced the challenge. Sam regularly serves at the 10:30 A.m. Sunday Mass while his younger sisters, Kate and Ellie, attend Mustard Seed.
Just like Sam, Mishka was one of the regular students of Mustard Seed when the ministry started in 2015. Back then, she was only five years old. She’s the only daughter of Mon and Frances Bernardo. “MS made Mishits look forward to Sunday Mass and opened her eyes to the enormous love of Jesus. Mist/6’s appreciation on the practical takeaways of the Sunday Gospel, as well as developing bonds with other kids helped create a positive experience in CTIC,” attested Mon. Two years ago, Mon and Frances joined the roster of volunteer teachers of Mustard Seed and now handle the young readers who do the Prayers of the Faithful during the children’s Mass in coordination with the Worship Ministry. Mishka continues to attend Mustard Seed to assist her patents. She also serves in the children’s Mass as a reader and as a member of the CTK children’s choir.
The Mustard Seed Ministry gathers child/en who are four to eight years old and pre-communicants during the 9:00 and 10:30 A.m. Mass. While the Liturgy of the Word is ongoing„ the kids learn about the readings through games, arts and crafts, and songs.
After the activity, they are led back to the main church to present their artworks and join their families during the offertory procession. When the children are old enough to receive Holy Communion, they are encouraged to be altars servers, join the children’s choir, or serve as readers in the children’s Mass.
