When Father Bob Werth came up with an idea for a youth Mass at Our Lady of the Americas Church, I loved the concept.
But then I thought, how are we going to do this? We don’t have that many kids at our 9 a.m. celebration on Sundays.
And as things stood, most of the kids were already involved as altar servers or in the choir, as was the case with my children. When God has a plan, though, things seem to work out.
So, that’s how on the last Sunday in August, for the second month in a row, our small group of children and teenagers served as greeters, commentator, lectors, responsorial psalm cantor and ushers as well as altar servers.
In addition to being a beautiful experience, this active participation offered my son a chance to go out of his comfort zone. Standing up before the congregation to read the announcements and petitions was a big step from being an altar server!
Like most siblings, my two children are very different people. My daughter enjoys any kind of spotlight, but my son tends to be quiet and reserved unless he knows you well.
So, when Father Werth first mentioned the youth Mass, my husband and I were shocked to hear our son say he was interested in being a commentator. While he tried to back out of it, he learned you have to live up to your commitments — another great lesson. And once he stepped into the new role, he truly shone. And we were ever so proud — of all the kids!
God truly works in mysterious ways.
