Recognizing and knowing the words of our faith and Church foster a sense of belonging. Build your own faith vocabulary and share this “Building Your Family’s Faith Vocabulary” activity with children and families. Learn the words lector, Confiteor, Exodus, dogma, Pharisees, and chasuble. Then give bonus points or a small prize to the children who can match the words with their definitions.
This may be a good time to help the children learn the words of The Confiteor. In some parishes, this prayer is prayed frequently as the Penitential Act during Sunday Masses. In other parishes, it may be prayed infrequently or rarely. This prayer may be prayed as an act of contrition at any time, not only during Mass. Having the words of prayers memorized fosters a sense of belonging when these prayers are prayed in a communal setting. It’s also helpful to have several memorized prayers “in our back pocket” to pull out in times of stress or when we struggle to put our own words to prayer.
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