By Emilie Ng
TAMING noisy children in Mass can drive parents up the church walls, but a Brisbane catechist has an easy remedy to end the weekly struggle.
Anne Delsorte, who runs a children’s retreat centre known as Catechesis of the Good Shepherd in Graceville, believes there are three gestures parents need to know to turn little rascals into angels.
“What we would like to do is to work with parents to empower them to share their faith with their children,” she said.
“To begin with, this may also be helping the parents themselves to understand aspects of the Mass that they may not have focused on before.
“For instance a young child is capable of understanding that the Mass is a place where there is a wonderful exchange of gifts between Heaven and earth.
“Simply understanding three simple gestures opens this up for the child in a most amazing way.”
Mrs Delsorte hopes to share the three gestures at a special parents-only retreat on October 20, open to mums and dads across the Brisbane archdiocese.
“From the age of three and even earlier you can begin to introduce your child to special moments of the Mass,” she said.
“Parents are the original and irreplaceable faith educators of their children.”
Mrs Delsorte said parents who helped their child to develop a relationship with God also became more attentive and engaged in the Mass.
“Once the child has begun to develop this relationship then they can begin to understand that the Mass is a place where they can come to meet Jesus in a particular way,” she said.
Mrs Delsorte said she hoped to start forming parents about new ways to communicate the Catholic faith with their children.
Australia’s first Catechesis of the Good Shepherd atrium opened in Brisbane in 1997 and has since helped thousands of children grow into faithful Catholics.
For more information about the parents’ retreat or to register for the event, contact Anne Delsorte at the Graceville Atrium on 3379 8635.
