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The Seeds program |
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The Seeds program (Children’s Liturgy of the Word) at St. Stephen’s is for 3- to 5-year old children. It introduces them to the Gospels, teaching them about Jesus, and prepares them to participate more fully in the life of the parish community. The Seeds program is available through Pflaum Gospel Weeklies. Pflaum ships the weekly periodicals that follow the Gospel teachings during Sunday services to St. Stephen’s. The program runs from September through May every week except Christmas and Easter, and has been in operation since 1995. Each year about 30 children register for the program and participate regularly. The 5-year olds then continue their religious education in the PREP program. Every Sunday morning, the pastor calls the Seeds children forward to join him at the altar just after the Opening Prayer. He then discusses with the children the upcoming Gospel teachings, blesses them and sends them in the care of the Seeds teacher and helpers. The children leave the church and go the parish hall where they learn about the Gospel teaching in language more appropriate to their stage of development. During the lesson they sing, hear the Good Word, discuss it with the teacher, participate in activities that further emphasize the teaching, and have a snack. They return to the church after the Communion procession. During the year the children in the Seeds program are also involved in several special occasions. These typically include putting on a Christmas show for the parish, making poppies for Remembrance Day, and of course celebrating the last day of the Children’s Liturgy of the Word with a little party that includes a special gift from the parish for each of them and a cake. The Seeds teachers and helpers are all volunteers from the parish. The program provides a Teacher's Guide for each lesson that the teacher can use in planning the week’s lesson. Each year during the registration period, parents are invited to become teachers or helpers. Based on the number of volunteers, the coordinator draws up a list of teachers and helpers and puts them together as a team for particular dates. The Children’s Liturgy of the Word program at St. Stephen’s has been highly successful and well received by parents and other parishioners. This success is due to the dedication of the teachers and parent volunteers. Children who have been through this program have a strong start to their religious education. |
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