Mass participation

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Mass Book cover and excerpted page. The cover is titled 'Mass' and shows a priest at an altar before the congregation. The excerpted page shows the following steps: 16. An image of a priest speaking with a thought balloon showing an image of Jesus is captioned 'homily' and has the accompanying text 'Talk about Jesus (homily)'. 17. An image of a group of people with a speech balloon showing images of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is captioned 'we believe in God, Jesus, Holy Spirit' and has the accompanying text 'We believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit (Nicene Creed). Just below is the response, an image of a person performing the Signed English sign 'Amen' with the accompanying text 'yes'. 18. An image of a speaker at a lectern with a speech balloon showing images of God and the American Sign Language sign 'help', captioned 'pray for God to help' with the accompanying text 'Pray for God to help' Just under it rebus symbols and words illustrate the response 'Lord, hear our prayer', while under it is the explaination 'God listen, please.' 19. An image of God with a present, with bread and wine superimposed over the present, is captioned 'give God a present of bread and wine' and accompanying text reads 'Give God a present of bread and wine.'

Mass attendance works best when it is introduced gradually. Reading the social story "What do we do at church?" (see the page on Sacramental Preparation) before attending Mass each week helps.

The key is to make Mass attendance a positive experience. What frequently works is Initially attending Mass for only a few minutes at a time, gradually extending the time, and getting a treat afterward. (Building up to the full Mass may take two or three years.) Depending on the student, one may want to start with the first few minutes of Mass and work forward, or the last few minutes of Mass and work backward.

Consider bringing toys (but not ones that make noise), giving stickers at intervals for sitting quietly, and picking a seat that will allow for taking breaks, making a quick exit, and minimizing the student's ability to reach those outside the immediate family.

Students generally are better behaved when they have a better idea of what is going on. The Saint Mary's Curriculum uses a Mass book, which is a step-by-step guide to the Mass. Mayer-Johnson Picture Communication Symbols, original drawings, and photos illustrate the Mass, including many of the verbal responses.

Sample Mass book page