The Directory for Masses with Children (DMC) is a church document issued in 1973, considered to be a supplement to the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Its focus is on children in the church “who have not yet entered the period of pre-adolescence” (DMC #5).
“The Church must show special concern for baptized children who have yet to be fully initiated…as well as for children who have recently been admitted to holy communion.”
“A fully Christian life is inconceivable without participation in the liturgical services…The Church baptizes children and therefore…it must be concerned that once baptized they grow in communion with Christ and with each other. The sign and pledge of that communion is participation in the Eucharistic table.”
The DMC approaches its subject according to two different circumstances:
In the first category, Masses with adults in which children also participate, the following points are made:
This last point is the directive from which we have developed the parish process known as Children’s Liturgy of the Word at Sunday Mass. It is considered to be a permissible adaptation within the Sunday liturgy. Any other adaptations employed must be by permission of the local bishop.
In the second category, Masses with children in which only a few adults participate, “the principles of active and conscious participation are…even more significant for Masses celebrated with children. Every effort should…be made to increase this participation and to make it more intense. For this reason, as many children as possible should have special parts in the celebration…preparing the place and the altar, acting as cantor, singing in a choir, playing musical instruments, proclaiming the readings, responding during the homily, reciting the intentions of the general intercessions, bringing the gifts to the altar.”
Other notable directives from the second category of this document include:
Careful consideration should be given to any children present at Sunday liturgy, but the adaptations suggested for a Mass at which the assembly is predominantly children should not be used at a Sunday Mass at which the assembly is predominantly adults.
Remember: parish liturgy preparation that maintains the integrity of our ritual prayer tradition requires regular on-going catechesis on the Mass as a necessary element of faith formation for both adults and children alike.
“The liturgy itself exerts its own inherent power to instruct. Yet within religious-education programs...importance should be given to catechesis on the Mass.”
Start your day with Always Forward, our award-winning e-newsletter. Get this smart, handpicked selection of the day’s top news, analysis, and opinion, delivered to your inbox. Sign up absolutely free today!