‘Book Baskets’ help youngest parishioners engage with liturgy

AJ Herold is prepared for Sunday Mass. “The Holy Family” is his book of choice. “Book Baskets” are available at each door of Florham Park’s Holy Family Parish.

Holy Family Parish of Florham Park, in addition to always welcoming its youngest parishioners to Mass every weekend, now offers a “Book Baskets” program to further engage them in the education of the Eucharistic celebration and Catholicism in general.

Dr. Suzanne Herold, the parish director of Faith Formation, said, “Holy Family is committed to ensuring that we are truly a holy family, a place where each member of our Church feels welcome. We are always looking for new ways to engage our community in the celebration of the liturgy.”

The “Book Baskets” idea emerged from a conversation between Herold; Director of Reli­gious Education Anne Giedlinski; and Father Thomas Rekiel, pastor of Holy Family — as well as from Herold’s experiences as a mom.

“When my now four-year-old son, AJ, was young, I felt as though we were bringing so much to Mass with us — toys, books, snacks — and it was daunting,” she said.

The trio realized they could help parents and interest children by providing books for them to use and peruse during Mass. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Holy Family had offered a children’s book about the Mass in the pews but then held off on the “Book Baskets” idea until confident it was safe for families.

The baskets made their debut at the beginning of the parish’s Religious Education year in the fall of 2022. Three similar baskets, one each placed at entrances to the church, contain books for toddlers to late elementary school students. The bulk of the books is about biblical stories, the liturgical colors and seasons, prayer and worship, and the lives of various saints.

“Our hope is that our younger parishioners will enjoy pictures, learning about the saints, the liturgical year, and finding different objects in the church, while our older children will have the opportunity to engage further with the liturgy through books about Mass,” Herold said. “We read through the books to make sure they were appropriate for our target audience, and I tested several of them out with AJ at Mass. Parishioners have also been invited to donate books which their families are no longer using.”

Herold believes that if parents want to teach their children to be active members of the Body of Christ, bringing them to the celebration of the liturgy is a very important step.

“Participation begins with presence,” Herold said. “We want to make sure that everyone feels welcome, from the hungry infant to the snacking toddler to the not-quite-sure-how-to-participate elementary school student. Sometimes participation might not come with perfect behavior, but ultimately, we need to show our children just how important they are to our community and help them to participate in our thanksgiving.”