The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1922-08-05
WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN
ON SUNDAY?


tons, one of the most stringent
duties, incumbent upon Catho-
lie, man, woman or child, is
attendance at Mass on Sunday,
The Church makes this the test of
loyalty. She is insistent upon our
meeting it without equivocation,
preteXt or sham. So determined
is her view of the necessity Of this
act of public worship that she
obiges us sub gravi, as theolo-
gians say, that is, under penalty
of mortal sin. True, there may be
circumstances, as grave illness,
long distance from church and
other similar causes, that will
serve as lawful excuse from this
attendance. But, the Church takes
the view that since violation of
the precept is a mortal sin, it
therefore requires a very serious
reason to justify one in absenting
himself.
The presence of Catholic
school in a parish usually means
that the children s Mass on Sun
day witnesses practically every
child in his place for the Holy
Sacrifice. The teachers and the
priests have impressed upon the
child mind the important nature
OF the Mass and the corresponding
duty of every child to attend.
Hence the absence Of a single boy
or girl is quickly noted, and ordi-
narily means are at once taken
to bring the youngster into line.
SO successful is this method all
through the year that many
churches are forced to reserve the
entire edifice for the children and
their special Mass.
During the vacation months,
however, WHERE ARE THE
CHILDREN ON SUNDAY MORN
ING? Some parishes. it is true,
make a goodly showing in this
line. 1t is perhaps not too much
to say, however, that the average
church seems to be comparatively
deserted at the children s Mass on
Sunday mornings during the sum-
mer. Now, certain prosperous
localities may explain this by the
fact that many children spend the
vacation in the country, at the
lakes, etc, and therefore they at
tend elsewhere. What about the
ordinary parish, where the vast
majority Of the people spend the
summer at home? Are the chill
dren permitted with impunity to
miss Mass? Do the parents allow
this? Do they sanction the child s
leaving early for lake or country
without having fulfilled this obi
cation? Or do they simply toler-
ate Mary's or -Johnny's sleeping
late in the morning.
A Catholic who is recreant to
this bounden duty Of Sunday Mass
is worthless. He is but a rotten
specimen of religion, disgrace
to his Church and a scandal before
unbelievers. Are our children to-
day growing into such future
renegades? Does religion mean
anything to them, outside Of the
menace Of punishment for derelic-
ton of duty?, Are they being
made thoroughly religious; or are
they becoming simply time-serv-
ers, even as the offspring Of those
who belong to some denomination
that does not demand church
attendance, but simply advises it?
Here is a fruitful source of leak
age in the Catholic Church. Use
less to deny it; ridiculous to seek
to cover it; harmful to evade it,
and fatal to tolerate it.
The cause9 Is it the children ?
The parents? The method Of in
struction in our parochial schools? 2
Surely one can place his finger on
the sore and declare with truth
that the source of the infection is
to be found in one or another of
these three places, perhaps in all
three. No doubt the parents
chiefly are to blame. They con-
troll the actions of the child. It is
for them to enforce the law in
their families. The Church does
not permit them to dispense from
her law in favor of their own
children. They assume this right
at their own risk. If the child
misses Mass, usually the sin is
upon the souls of the parents as
well as upon those Of the children.
There is no escaping this conclu-
sion. Disobedience on the part of
a refractory child easily can be
adequately punished.
What about the methods Of in
struction? Is the child handled
properly in this regard? Is re-
ligion pounded into him and
forced down his throat at the
point of an instrument of torture