The "Wee Believers"

By Patrick Gribben
Patrick P. Gribben is a member of the Catholic Community of St. Jude, DeWitt, and serves as a member of the Diocesan Pastoral Council and the Diocesan Coordinating Commission. He also coordinates the Share the Wealth project.

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Who are the "Wee Believers"?  The "Wee Believers" are the kindergarten and pre-K children, age four, among the Catholic Community of St. Jude in DeWitt and they’re part of a new and exciting departure from the traditional pre-school and nursery-type programs.  Now in its second year, the "Wee Believers" program offers the children who attend the Sunday morning Masses a lectionary-based formation experience that employs the Liturgy of the Word for Children and then, through the Living the Good News curriculum, builds upon what they have heard in the readings.

How it works:  At each Mass before the readings, the celebrant invites forward all the children ages four through the third grade and sends them forth for their own celebration of the Word in the community center which is adjacent to the worship space.  The close proximity is important to enhancing the feeling of community.

After the Liturgy of the Word, the "Wee Believers" remain behind in the center while the older children rejoin the Mass for the preparation of the gifts.  The younger children then participate in a specially designed activity that is related to the message of the readings.  That extends for about the next 20 minutes - a time span that seems just about right for that age group.

The "Wee Believers" return to Mass in time to join the end of the Communion line and go forward to receive a blessing from the celebrant.  They then return to sit with their families for the closing prayer and dismissal.

According to Sue Parker, director of elementary formation, the genesis for the idea grew out of a critical need for classroom space.  As part of the regular formation classes between the two Sunday morning Masses, the kindergartners and the children from the first four grades had outgrown the 10 small modular classrooms, necessitating the use of three curtained areas in the community center.  "The environment was not even conducive to listening, much less learning" according to Sue.  "It was impossible to contain the noise within each of these curtained classrooms or to block noise from people passing through for other activities.  It also eliminated the use of the community center for any social time between the masses.  By convening these children during the Masses, we, in effect, gained two more classrooms and were able to include the preschoolers.  What started out as the solution to a space problem has turned into a program that far exceeded our expectations."  The average number of "Wee Believers" each Sunday totals about 40 and is growing.

Resources Required:  Sue cites adaptable catechists as the most important resource required.  There is a lead catechist for each of the two sessions and they, in turn, are assisted by three or four volunteers.  About half the volunteers are older parish youths.  The lead catechist uses two resources from Living the Good News: Celebrate the Good News to prepare the Liturgy of the Word for all the children, and the Catechist’s Guide for Preschool/Kindergarten to prepare the catechetical session for the "Wee Believers".  Besides the space requirements and curriculum resources, the only other resources needed are the usual art and classroom supplies.

Outcomes:  According to Sue, the "Wee Believers" program provides better space utilization as intended but, more importantly, it…

Encourages young families to attend Mass together… not just "drop the kids off and pick them up later."

Enables the design of a fresh, especially tailored program for the kindergartners.

Makes Mass a more meaningful experience for them. They enjoy being part of the Liturgy of the Word program with the older children.

Expands the inter-generational connection within the parish congregation because the "Wee Believers" are highly visible as they leave in a hymn-accompanied procession and rejoin Mass as a group for their individual blessings.

Person to Contact:
Sue Parker, Director of Elementary Formation
Catholic Community of St. Jude
PO Box 280
DeWitt, MI 48820
Phone: 517-669-8335
Fax: 517.669.8343