CROWN POINT – Youngsters 3-6 years are “GLOW”-ing this fall at St. Matthias thanks to a new religious education program devoted to them.
“Growing in the Light of Our Word,” said Jackie Gentry, pastoral associate, “is our version of a children’s liturgy (held) during Mass. This gives parents and older siblings the opportunity to focus their attention on the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass (while the younger children have an age-appropriate religious experience).”
Twenty-five children are registered (and a file is created for each to list any food allergies or other special needs), and “come when they can,” added Gentry. “Parents get an email reminder each week when we are having GLOW, with an ‘opt in’ feature,, so we know how many to expect. They drop off the children between 10:15 and 10:30 a.m. at the parish center, then go on to the church and pick up their children at the center after Mass.
Each family receives a restaurant-style pager, Gentry noted, so they can be notified if they are needed without having to leave their phone on while at Mass. “If the child becomes ill or just needs to be picked up early, the parents can be notified,” she said.
“This program allows parents to feel very comfortable at Mass, while the children are introduced to the idea of God in a way they are excited about – through songs, games and crafts,” Gentry explained. It is the first step to introducing them to (parish) faith life.”
Theresa Velazquez, a teacher of grades 1-5 at Forest Ridge Academy in Schererville who chairs the parish Education Commission, developed the GLOW curriculum and is one of three GLOW instructors who rotate in the classroom, along with Sharon Hylek and Angelica May. “I researched other preschool programs, looked at our liturgical year and developed a theme for each week – Christ the King is this week’s theme, since today is the feast day.
“We will discuss the kingdom of Jesus and make a crown as our take-home craft,” said Velazquez. “We have a grab bag that is filled with symbols of our theme each week, and the children can reach in and pick out an item, then guess what it is. This week the bag contains a crown, a miniature castle, a robe, a gemstone and a scepter.”
Katie Brown, mother of Bennett, 5, is happy to drop her son off for the one-hour sessions. “He’s so excited every week to come, and loves singing the songs,” she said.
“We sing the ‘Hello Song’ to start every week after an opening prayer, and learn other songs, like ‘This Little Light of Mine,’ each week,” Velazquez said. “The children have all been pretty receptive. Some were shy at first, but they are warming up to each other and participating more each week.”
Velazquez said parents have reached out to tell her how their children have shared their GLOW activities at home and talked about what they’ve learned. “They also appreciate the chance to concentrate better on the Mass themselves,” she added. “Some of the children are not in preschool programs, so the social interaction of GLOW is valuable, too. They walk in, see a (new) friend, and are comfortable being here.”
“This class is taught on their level, so it is easier for them to understand about Jesus than if they attend Mass with us,” said Bill Burke, of Crown Point, whose son Liam, 4, attends GLOW. “He enjoys interacting with his peers and doing activities that are age-appropriate rather than sitting at Mass with us.”
Allie Trevino, mother of Elsa and Marcus, admitted that GLOW makes it “easier (for me) than having them attend Mass, and they get to participate in activities they enjoy and learn about the faith.”
When the children arrive at the parish center for GLOW, they are greeted at the registration table by a member of the ministry team who helps each find their name tag and gives their parent a pager. “I help once a month, and I find that the children all seem excited to be here; they like to get their name tags,” she said.
“My passion is education and children, so GLOW offers me an outlet to share my Catholic faith,” said Velazquez. “My goal is to provide an age-appropriate curriculum so the children can become excited about their faith.”