In well-organized families, we often find a multitude of bags and backpacks for different activities lined up in the entrance, or perhaps hung on a coat rack. There will be one child’s bag with sports equipment, another’s pool bag with a swimsuit and towel, and another’s dance bag … All in addition to snack bags, school bags, and handbags. Sometimes, the bags have a child’s name written or sewn directly on it or on a nametag to avoid unfortunate mixups. So, why not leave a place for the Mass bag in the middle of this tangle of straps and zippers?
Tote bags are in style. While a century ago, these canvas bags — lighter than leather bags — were used by British postal workers for distributing mail, the tote bag is now a practical and essential accessory. And that’s good! Because if your greatest Sunday desire is to listen to the homily for more than three minutes, or to not have to worry about getting to Mass late because you forgot some essential element for keeping your kids focused and quiet, all you have to do is have a bag prepared in advance, hanging by the door. Ahead of time, you can slip inside children’s books about the Mass (to associate the Mass with the life of Jesus), markers or crayons and Mass-themed coloring pages, and, if necessary, some water or a small snack. Whatever you need to keep them busy for a few minutes, so you can focus on Mass.
For those who like simplicity, any tote bag will do. The important thing is to dedicate it specially to the Mass so that it is ready from one Sunday to the next, and thus avoid running around the house to find comics about Mass, Bible stories, and the lives of the saints five minutes before leaving.
You can find ready-made Mass-themed or more generally Catholic-themed tote bags on sites like Amazon.com or Etsy, by The Little Rose Shop, Little Way Design Co, and more. If you’re the DIY crafty type, you can even make your own using any of the many tutorials available on YouTube. In the end, though, the important thing isn’t that the bag be custom made or fancy, but that you have a place to store and carry everything for Mass with your family so you can focus on what really matters.
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A lesson for parents: Don’t drag your children to Mass for the wrong reasons
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Kids say the darnedest things… at Mass
And today we celebrate...