Catholic Family Vignettes

Up at 6:00 a.m. with six very sleepy children and a college student. A hasty breakfast, dress for Mass, out the door and into a torrential downpour. Ten minutes later, stuck in traffic.

Shortcut.

Late. Not for Mass...college. Again. An hour and fifteen minutes on the road for a twenty minute drive. God bless her, she's been late twice. Not a single word of reproach.

Mass. Praise God! On time, the boys don their vestments. This is the Homeschool Latin Mass. Seated with the younger children, I observe the sea of empty pews. Two families. Then three. Four. A very slow trickle.

Fr. Lutz asks Zachary for a count. "Thirteen, Father!"

"Thirteen?!" Father places a few hosts in the ciborium. A few moments later, the church is swarming with children!

Mass begins, and the Church continues to fill. I didn't count, but I would estimate at least one hundred children and parents were in attendance.

At least 85% of these families were from neighboring parishes. This was their first Latin Mass. How precious!

These wonderful mothers and fathers brought their children, on a weekday, during the worst storm imaginable, fighting their way through snarled traffic due to numerous weather-related accidents to attend this Mass. A Latin Low Mass.

How well-behaved the children were! Wet and cold, to be sure, but no more noise than one would expect under the circumstances.

What could be lovelier than a sanctuary full of kneeling children and their loving parents?