By Caren Cai Qiao En
MIRI — This year, Pope Francis has declared the Catholic Church’s first World Children’s Day on Trinity Sunday weekend which fell on 25–26 May. Pope Francis has chosen the Bible passage ‘Behold, I make all things new’ as the theme for this day.
To celebrate this special day, children from the various Sunday schools of St Joseph’s Parish in Miri served in one Chinese Mass, one English Mass, one Iban Mass and three BM Masses.
The children served as choir members, altar servers, commentators, intercessors, lectors and wardens. By their participation, the children gained a deeper understanding of the responsibilities of the various services required during the Mass. They also experienced the significance of the various parts of the Mass.
The children expressed that they felt very happy and honoured to be given the opportunity to serve in the Mass on this special day. They now realised how important each role is and that every role is there to serve the Lord and give glory to God only. They also learnt that the Eucharistic celebration is firmly rooted in Scriptures.
With this hands-on experience, many now realised what it means to have “full and conscious” participation in the Mass. Many children also said they feel encouraged to serve in the Mass and in the Church in some capacity in times to come.
