Question for catholic parents

[memorex]

During Lent - would you / do you take your 9 or 10 year old dc to stations of the cross?

I?m not sure what to do ? two years ago was 1st communion preparation and children had their own children?s stations of the cross. Last year I took dd, and while all the parishioners ? who have known dd since she was a baby - were not surprised to see us, nor unwelcoming in anyway ? our parish priest afterwards asked me why I took dd and his tone was quite accusatory? although I shrugged it off at the time I felt quite intimidated by this. Not sure whether I dare take her this year. Just wondered what others do.

Hi memorex

SOrry, my ds is only 3!

A few kids go at our church. Not many, but don't know of any reason why they shouldn't.

Yes. I take my dc's to stations they are younger than yours, 6 and 7. They have both given up chocolate for lent..seem to be sticking with it, however they do eat their weight in wine gums...

Thanks folks...

There is a children's stations of the cross on Good Friday at our church.

Our parish have the primary 7 children reading the stations of the cross 2 nights a week. I really get fed up of parishoners/ priests being funny about children being at services. If they are members of the church ie baptised then they sholud be included. No wonder the attendance at parishes are falling.

Will step down from my soap box now and slink off to the corner

If your children know what's going on and understand it of course they should be there if they want to be and the priest should be thrilled that young members of the congregation are even interested in attending. My 11-year-old would protest if I made her!

Just a quick update to this thread - we went on Friday - I took both my 2 this year, they were the only children but no-one sniffed at them being there ... but following this thread I mentioned to them that some places have a childrens stations. They asked if they could and now our parish will have one too on Good Friday. Thanks for your replies - perhaps i was just being oversensitive last year.

I should think they were all be thrilled to see some little ones at Stations of the Cross. Well done you for taking them. You probably reduced the average age by about 60.

You probably reduced the average age to 60!

Yes!

I wouldnt continue to go to a church if the priest/vicar/pastor at said church was unwelcoming in anyway

The only church function children wouldnt be welcome at, at my church is a church meeting and weekly housegroups (and even then if needs must, no one would really mind)

How was the stations memorex- I took my DD to childrens way of the cross for the first time this Good Friday and it was really nice.

Our priests encourage takin youngsters, as ' without the loud, wee, catholics, we wouldn't have any serious, big catholics'
He said that in a reasuring talk after my 2 yo shouted his way through mass one Sunday night, there are too many kids at tge morning mass to notice any loud ones.
But yes, the primary school in our parish done the readings at one stations.

FalafelAtYourFeet,
it was lovely. There were just enough children to read one station each and the meditations were aimed at exactly the right level.

PrammyMammy - I want to move to your parish - once I lived in a parish where the pp described the noise as being like the noise of birds in the rafters filling the place with joy...it's not quite like that in our current parish.

Our priest likes to say 'we can hear the sounds of new life, which is just what we like'