Brothers Ethan and Liam listen to Fr. Tran during a recent session of "Breakfast with God." (Photo by Melodie Wyttenbach)
Sunday mornings, young children gather in their respective homes for a special program that connects them and their family via Zoom with other families, with the Gospel, and with their Catholic faith.
鈥淏reakfast with God鈥� may be a virtual event, but the joyfulness is palpable, say participants and organizers.
Sponsored by the Barbara and Patrick Roche Center for Catholic Education and the Church in the 21st Century Center, 鈥淏reakfast with God鈥� was created in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when churches and religious education classrooms closed. "Breakfast with God" is a 30-minute program that gets families ready for Mass and to find God in the everyday through the Gospel, song, prayer, children's literature, and art.
Anne Krane presents a lesson during "Breakfast with God" (Photo by Karen Kiefer)
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a real gift,鈥� said C21 Center Director Karen Kiefer. 鈥溾�楤reakfast with God鈥� offers families the grace found in community and in the work of the Holy Spirit. There have been real relationships and friendships formed in this virtual space. The kids get to pray and sing and learn that faith can be fun.鈥�
鈥淏reakfast with God鈥� is meant to be a casual, no-fuss proposition, a scaffolding resource for young families before or after a virtual or in-person Mass. Pajama-clad children on the Zoom screens can be seen seated at the kitchen table with cereal bowls before them. Others are on the sofa surrounded by stuffed animals and parents with coffee mugs. Grandparents and other relatives join in too.
The hosts of "Breakfast with God" are an engaging pair highly skilled at speaking to families and young children about the Catholic faith: Anne Krane, a Boston College alumna and teacher at St. Columbkille Partnership School, and Quang Tran, S.J., a member of the Jesuit Community at 精东影业 and doctoral student in the Lynch School of Education and Higher Education鈥檚 counseling psychology program.
Krane has been an educator at STCPS for 12 years and has led her own pre-K classroom for the past six years. She has a master鈥檚 degree from the Lynch School and M.Div. degree from the School of Theology and Ministry. Fr. Tran has been one of the celebrants of the family Mass at St. Ignatius Church.
鈥淪omething that makes 鈥楤reakfast with God鈥� distinct is the parent engagement,鈥� said Roche Center Executive Director Melodie Wyttenbach, who recruited Krane and Fr. Tran for the program. 鈥淧arents often are challenged with 鈥楬ow do I teach the faith to my children?鈥� 鈥楬ow do I help them to understand this complex world that we鈥檙e living in and navigate it through the lens of our Catholic faith?鈥� I think Anne and Fr. Tran do a great job of modeling that for parents.
鈥淜ids are the spotlight, but parents get just as much from 鈥楤reakfast with God,鈥欌�� she said.
Kiefer echoed that sentiment, noting that the team has received emails and gifts from parents expressing their gratitude. 鈥淒uring 鈥楤reakfast with God鈥� it is great to see parents watching their kids get excited about God and excited to talk about God. The program also gives parents a lot to talk with their kids about during the week.鈥�
鈥淚t feels like this is where God wants us to go,鈥� said Fr. Tran. 鈥淭he best thing we can pass on to kids is the faith. It holds you through so many things in life.鈥�
鈥溾�楤reakfast with God鈥� is full-family faith formation,鈥� summarized Krane, whose own mother joins from her home each week.
The organizers and hosts of "Breakfast with God" (l-r): Roche Center for Catholic Education Executive Director Melodie Wyttenbach, Church in the 21st Century Center Director Karen Kiefer, Lynch School doctoral student Quang Tran, S.J., and St. Columbkille Partnership School teacher Anne Krane.
Typically, some 150 people from Boston, New York, New Jersey, Louisiana, California, and beyond participate in 鈥淏reakfast with God.鈥� Organizers admit that initially they did not know if 鈥淏reakfast with God鈥� would work or how long it would go on for鈥攖hat was more than 35 weeks ago.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been such a joy,鈥� said Krane. 鈥淲e do it because we love it. The families are so wonderful. I hope it doesn鈥檛 go away.鈥�
听鈥淏reakfast with God鈥� follows a consistent structure. After an introduction, Fr. Tran proclaims the week鈥檚 Gospel and gives a homily, asking the children questions. Krane reads aloud from a children鈥檚 book which has a theme connected to the Gospel reading. She then introduces a craft or art project the families can do together. This is followed by prayer intentions, reciting the Lord鈥檚 Prayer, and a closing song.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 replace Mass,鈥� said Krane, 鈥渂ut it鈥檚 communion with a small 鈥榗.鈥� It鈥檚 become a really helpful way to be together when a lot of times we鈥檙e far apart.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a joyful and organic way of letting children reintroduce you to Jesus,鈥� said Fr. Tran, adding a passage from the Gospel of Matthew: 鈥淛esus said the mysteries of the kingdom are hidden from the wise, but revealed to the children.鈥�
Perhaps the most moving part of 鈥淏reakfast with God鈥� occurs when the children offer their prayer intentions. Their intentions demonstrate a deep concern and compassion for others: the sick, the lonely, family members, and animals.
鈥淭hey are praying for things they love, the things that are important to them,鈥� noted Krane.
The pandemic is also very much on the children鈥檚 minds. They pray for those who have died and those in the hospital. At a 鈥淏reakfast with God鈥� in December, children prayed for those who couldn鈥檛 travel to celebrate Christmas.
鈥溾�楤reakfast with God鈥� brings children鈥檚 voices into celebrating the faith. It creates a space for children to share and centers it, which is beautiful,鈥� said Wyttenbach, who regularly participates with her three children.
鈥淧ersonally, 鈥楤reakfast with God鈥� has been an unexpected grace for me,鈥� said Fr. Tran. 鈥淚f you can explain the faith to the little ones, you can explain it to anyone. It has really simplified the way I pray and think about God.鈥�
To learn more about "Breakfast with God"听or to register for the free program, visit the program's website.
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Kathleen Sullivan | University Communications | February 2021