Quick Facts

• The ministry began in 1995.
• Co-ordinators: Paul Meloche and Anne Wicks
• Serving parish children aged 6 to 12 years.

About the Liturgy

The primary focus is liturgy, rather than a school-based “classroom” model. The leaders are referred to as “presiders” rather than teachers, and they use a “liturgy outline” rather than a lesson plan.

LWC dismissals are at the 6:30, 9:30 and 11:15 Masses, every Sunday from late September to late June, with the exception of the LWC Commissioning Sunday, Holy Family Sunday, First Communion weekend, Mother’s Day weekend and Father’s Day weekend.

What happens during the liturgy?

The children are dismissed ritually after the Opening Prayer (yellow Dismissal Rite is placed on the Presider’s Chair), and they return with the Offertory procession. Dismissal song: “Take the Word of God with You” (Christopher Walker).

The LWC dismissal includes all of the elements of the Liturgy of the Word, e.g. the First Reading, Responsorial Psalm, (no second reading), Gospel Acclamation, the Gospel, a Scripture reflection, the Creed and the General Intercessions. Not every element is included every week, but the Gospel of the day is always included. We may do a Gospel drama where appropriate, and we usually sing the Responsorial Psalm, the Gospel Acclamation, and if time, a song which ties in with the theme of the Gospel of the day. The LWC presider leads a scripture reflection with the children – usually beginning with “What did you hear?” There are no arts and crafts at LWC dismissals. The focus is on clear proclamation of God’s Word, in language easily understood by the children, giving the children an opportunity to reflect on God’s Word and explore how it connects to their life as children, prayer, song (including movement or gesture where appropriate), and ritual action (e.g. dismissal procession, lighting of the candle, Gospel procession).

Readings are proclaimed from the Children’s Lectionary, which for the most part is a simpler version of the readings of the day for the adult assembly. The Children’s Lectionary is placed on the altar before Mass begins, and the LWC Presider walks in the opening procession, beside the second reader for the adult assembly.

When the children are dismissed for LWC, the Children’s Lectionary is processed out of the church ritually, carried by the LWC lector for that Mass. The LWC lectors are children aged 9 to 12 years who have been trained to proclaim the First Reading to the children’s assembly. The Gospel is always proclaimed by the LWC Presider.

The LWC dismissals are held in the church hall (purposefully away from the “school” building). The number of children attending is generally 50 at the 6:30 Mass, 40 at the 9:30 Mass, and 70 at the 11:15 Mass. There is no registration required. Children (of the appropriate age) are invited to attend each time there is a dismissal.

The LWC Team

The LWC presiders are lay members of the parish. They have been trained, and receive ongoing formation, through an annual SJW Presiders’ Workshop in the fall, as well as attending various diocesan workshops and/or conferences in Los Angeles or Canada.

The LWC team numbers about 80 persons, including adults, young adults and teens, as well as 25 LWC lectors (aged 9 to 12 years). Included in the team are 15 lay presiders, and 65 assistants for environment, music, and ushering. The number and frequency of LWC dismissals is based primarily on the number of volunteers. Each team member is asked to help once a month, and we are true to that commitment. If there are not enough volunteers, we will reduce the number of dismissals.

The LWC lectern is kept in storage room #2 in the church gathering space. We have a cupboard in the church hall for storage, plus a shelf in the RCIA office. Numerous other materials are stored in the co-ordinators’ homes.

At the LWC Presiders’ Workshop in the fall, included in the agenda is a teaching/synopsis and a video on the Gospel of the upcoming liturgical year.

At the LWC Commissioning, (purposefully kept separate from the catechetical commissionings in September), (at the 6:30, 9:30 and 11:15 Masses), the Liturgy of the Word with Children is held in the church (the children gather around the lectern for the entire Liturgy of the Word), readings are from the Children’s Lectionary (the First Reading is proclaimed by an LWC lector), and the Scripture reflection is led by a lay presider.

An outline is given to the three LWC presiders assigned for each week, with a copy provided to the pastor. Paul Meloche prepares this outline every week, using three or four different resources.

The LWC Ministry also serves as a training ground for future lectors, music ministers, ushers and prayer leaders within the adult assembly.If you have any questions about Liturgy of the Word with Children, please call Anne at 604-271-8698 or e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .