Getting to Mass on time is no easy feat. It gets especially harder to get to Mass on time when you have young children. There are some ways that our family prepares in advance so that we not only arrive on time for Mass but arrive early to spend extra time with Our Lord. Of course, even with the following tips implemented, things still come up that make us late, like the garage door not closing or the baby decides to expel the morning milk, etc... However, as author Alan Lakein says, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” Therefore, the following are tips to make things more manageable.
Lay out clothes for Mass on Saturday morning:
I lay out everything from socks, pants, leggings, dresses, ties, belts and anything else that is needed. The reason that I lay out our clothes in the morning as opposed to the evening before Mass is so that I can see exactly what we have and what is missing. If anything needs to be washed, ironed or mended, I have plenty of time to take care of it before Sunday.
Make breakfast for Sunday on Saturday:
We make sure to feed our children a healthy breakfast that is packed with nutrients that they will need so they don’t get “hangry” mid-way through Mass. We also make sure that it is a breakfast that they will actually eat and eat quickly so that we can get out the door on time. Usually, I make hard boiled eggs a day or two before, peel them the night before and they eat them in the morning with some toast or cereal.
3. Pack the Mass bag and get Missals ready:
Since our oldest was a baby, we tried to keep the items that we brought with us to a minimum. We do not bring any water or snacks into church (that they know about). Moms know it is important to keep an emergency snack bar and/or meat stick for emergency purposes. The day before Mass, I check the Mass bag and make sure that we have all of our Missals, veils, books and quiet busy books for the younger children. We also donate peanut butter each week at church, and I (almost always) remember to bring it with us.
Donations for the collection:
Speaking of our peanut butter donation, several years ago, we started to let each of our children give a quarter each week in the collection basket. Since we donate online to our parish, we wanted our children to still have a chance to feel as if they were giving money to the church. While it might sound silly, we decided on allowing them to each give a quarter, as opposed to a dollar, so that they can hear the sound of the money dropping in the basket and maybe it will help them to remember to be charitable when they get older.
Lay out shoes by the door:
For some reason, we lose shoes in our house frequently. We don’t wear shoes in the house, so I can’t blame it on that fact. Since there is a growing number of us, shoes tend to go missing and it always seems like Sunday morning is the perfect time for someone to not be able to find both of their shoes. Our oldest has gone to Mass with sneakers because we couldn’t find both shoes. Sneakers were the last pair that fit the feet that seem to grow every other month and slippers are not an acceptable footwear for church. Now, as with clothes, if we lay out the shoes at night, we have time to not-so-frantically search for the missing shoe so that it is, hopefully, there in the morning.
Plan for a simple lunch and dinner:
Mentally, it helps me to know that Sunday is a day for a very easy lunch and dinner. I am better able to focus on getting everyone out of the house if I’m not dreading what’s on the menu for lunch and dinner. I tend to be very tired on Sunday. Since it would not be charitable of me to lock myself in our bedroom once we get home from Mass and leave my husband and children to fend for themselves, I try to make sure that our lunch and dinner is simple. We usually have peanut butter and jelly for lunch, which makes everyone happy. Then for dinner, it is a rotation of hamburgers and hot dogs, grilled chicken Caesar wraps or pasta and meatballs.
I sincerely hope these tips help you and your family get out of the house efficiently, without stress and that you and your family can enjoy the best thing on earth: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If there is anything that I may have missed, please let me know at www.facebook.com/CatholicMomRI.
Christina Frye is a lifelong Rhode Islander, wife, mother and founder of Catholic Mom Rhode Island, www.CatholicMomRI.com.