WANTED: Child Friendly Parish

Grusgott!

Now that we're settling in to our new surroundings here in Cheyenne, we're beginning to "parish shop". You know, the tedious task of finding the right parish in which to attend Mass every week. While I won't name any of them by name, the place we went to last week stuck out in my head, and not for good reasons.

There was a girl there right in front of us, perhaps late teens or early twenties. At first she was pretty non-descript, but shortly after the readings started, as my kids were finally beginning to settle down some, she turned to her grandmother (or at least the old lady sitting beside her), pointed in our direction and said "I can't hear anything. I may as well just leave now."

As we sat there in shock, the first thing that went through my wife's head was "HELLO?!?!? WE'RE SITTING RIGHT HERE!!!" I was a little more laid back with my thinking. I was more along the lines of "Thank you. You've just helped me narrow our choices down to one of the other parishes..." She then went on to stick a piece of gum in her mouth during the homily (yes, she DID go up to receive the Eucharist) and then started texting friends on her phone after she returned to her seat.

Yes, this particular instance did happen at a Novus Ordo, but you know, it happened during a TLM back in Indiana as well. One particular time, during the first TLM for the diocesan priest who was overseeing our Latin Mass community, one lady turned to my wife angrily and said "WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE?!?!?" and we've had some people making comments in passing as well during other TLMs.

Just like not everyone at the Novus Ordo is necessarily nasty towards those of us with small children, not everyone at the TLMs are either. We got a lot of people who commended us for bringing our children to the TLM because of the importance of learning the TLM from an early age. One guy said me "Are those your kids? I know how it is: We had six ourselves. By the way, you only need two candles lit for a Low Mass..."

Those people are the true Traditional Catholics; those who embrace the old liturgy but don't forget the social teachings on abortion or contraception as well. What makes me the angriest is when I hear someone complaining about "those noisy kids in Mass" get into their car with pro-life bumper stickers all over it and take their two children home.

What's the matter? You can talk the talk but you can't walk the walk?

The bottom line is simply this: We believe in the Church's teaching on contraception. We also believe in the Church's teaching that we, as parents, are our children's first teachers. We will be taking our children to Mass to teach them what they're supposed to do and how they're supposed to behave. We will NOT take them to the Crying Room (that's utterly useless), the Nursery (to reward them for not behaving during Mass? Don't think so), or the "Children's Liturgy of the Word" (too disruptive during a Novus Ordo). Our main responsibility as Catholics is to teach our children well enough to stay Catholic. Innovations such as what I just named hurt more than they help. I'm not going to stop taking our children to either forms of the Mass because some pharasee "isn't getting anything out of it." You're supposed to be going to Mass to give, not get.

If you disagree with my sentiments, that's fine. You're more than welcome to do so. We'll see you at Mass on Sunday. We'll be sitting behind you.

And if you do have problem with my children, have the stones to say it to my face.

Now, the lighter side...

FUN FACT ABOUT WYOMING: If you go to a regular sit-down style restaurant, do NOT make your hamburger a double. Not unless you missed your last meal or intend on missing your next one. One hamburger patty will suffice.