The surprising history of the Children’s Mass

Children's Masses - including vernacular participatory methods - were wildly popular for years before Vatican II.

The term “Children’s Mass” may evoke a wide range of images and emotions for modern Catholics.

A Children’s Mass as shown in the Marian Children’s Mass Book c. 1965. Source: Catholic Book Publishing Company, used with permission.

Designed specifically for children, these liturgical celebrations often take place in the context of a parish school or faith f…