THE PITTER-PATTER OF LITTLE FEET

    When I first arrived here (sometime before the War of the Austrian Succession, I think it was [go ahead—look it up; I dare you!]), Our Savior had an absolutely wonderful core of teens. They were the basis of a dynamic youth group (it’s when we began “Catholic Heart Work Camp,” which morphed into our current commitment with “Alive In You”), and many of them were my primary altar servers—young people I really counted on, especially during Holy Week. They are too many for me to name without risking overlooking one or two, but they were the best.

Sadly, but inevitably, they grew up, graduated, went off to college, got married, got jobs and moved away… All parents know the drill of the “empty nest.” Then COVID really did in our lives.

Right now, there is new growth that delights me to no end. We have a growing number of families with little ones (aka, under the age of 8^th grade), and it’s a joy to know that we can look to a future with them as a joyous thing. We’re in the process of re-building our base list for servers; we are looking for ways to keep our middle school kids involved. But it’s the families that are the real root of everything. I see families bringing their little ones to church, letting them know that a faith-walk in and with Jesus is not only a family affair, it’s also a father-affair. Moms AND Dads together show their children the goodness of God.

The kids themselves really take all this in, at least as far as I can experience it. They come up in the line for Holy Communion as a family, and the little ones are taught to ask for a blessing. Sometimes in return they give me a hug! It’s also a special thing for me, either before or after Mass, to get a group hug from 3-4 of the little ones; they are happy to see me, and I know they have no clue how happy I am to see them and their families.

We have babies who cry—that’s not “OK”—that’s GREAT (with apologies to Tony the Tiger)! Ours is a parish of life, of growth, of dirty diapers and hungry little ones. They are the sleepy and cranky, and the wired and cheerful (and often the former become the latter by the end of Mass).

Please, families—NEVER think your little ones are being disruptive because they are engaging in the only ways they know. Love them, keep bringing them to church, and let them see how the love of Jesus is for them, too—even with dirty diapers and not enough sleep. After all, aren’t we ALL like that, in God’s eyes?                                                                                                                                                                               -Fr. David