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.
âBreakfast with Godâ 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, âBreakfast with Godâ 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)
âItâs been a real gift,â said C21 Center Director Karen Kiefer. ââBreakfast with Godâ 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.â
âBreakfast with Godâ 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 ÍćĹź˝ă˝ă alumna and teacher at St. Columbkille Partnership School, and Quang Tran, S.J., a member of the Jesuit Community at ÍćĹź˝ă˝ă and doctoral student in the Lynch School of Education and Higher Educationâs 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 masterâs 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.
âSomething that makes âBreakfast with Godâ distinct is the parent engagement,â said Roche Center Executive Director Melodie Wyttenbach, who recruited Krane and Fr. Tran for the program. âParents often are challenged with âHow do I teach the faith to my children?â âHow do I help them to understand this complex world that weâre living in and navigate it through the lens of our Catholic faith?â I think Anne and Fr. Tran do a great job of modeling that for parents.
âKids are the spotlight, but parents get just as much from âBreakfast with God,ââ she said.
Kiefer echoed that sentiment, noting that the team has received emails and gifts from parents expressing their gratitude. âDuring âBreakfast with Godâ 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.â
âIt feels like this is where God wants us to go,â said Fr. Tran. âThe best thing we can pass on to kids is the faith. It holds you through so many things in life.â
ââBreakfast with Godâ is full-family faith formation,â 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 âBreakfast with God.â Organizers admit that initially they did not know if âBreakfast with Godâ would work or how long it would go on forâthat was more than 35 weeks ago.
âItâs been such a joy,â said Krane. âWe do it because we love it. The families are so wonderful. I hope it doesnât go away.â
ĚýâBreakfast with Godâ follows a consistent structure. After an introduction, Fr. Tran proclaims the weekâs Gospel and gives a homily, asking the children questions. Krane reads aloud from a childrenâs 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 Lordâs Prayer, and a closing song.
âIt doesnât replace Mass,â said Krane, âbut itâs communion with a small âc.â Itâs become a really helpful way to be together when a lot of times weâre far apart.â
âItâs a joyful and organic way of letting children reintroduce you to Jesus,â said Fr. Tran, adding a passage from the Gospel of Matthew: âJesus said the mysteries of the kingdom are hidden from the wise, but revealed to the children.â
Perhaps the most moving part of âBreakfast with Godâ 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.
âThey are praying for things they love, the things that are important to them,â noted Krane.
The pandemic is also very much on the childrenâs minds. They pray for those who have died and those in the hospital. At a âBreakfast with Godâ in December, children prayed for those who couldnât travel to celebrate Christmas.
ââBreakfast with Godâ brings childrenâs voices into celebrating the faith. It creates a space for children to share and centers it, which is beautiful,â said Wyttenbach, who regularly participates with her three children.
âPersonally, âBreakfast with Godâ has been an unexpected grace for me,â said Fr. Tran. âIf 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.â
To learn more about "Breakfast with God"Ěýor to register for the free program, visit the program's website.
Ěý
Kathleen Sullivan | University Communications | February 2021