Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

A new initiative at St. Patrick Church aims to engage young parishioners in the Liturgy of the Word through a video series featuring a puppet named Jess. The series, "Sunday Best with Church Mouse Jess," is designed by Joanie Hendricks, the church's director of children's formation, to simplify and explain the day's readings for children under 12.

Hendricks explained that the videos help children understand complex words often used during homilies. "There are all those big words flying around," she noted, adding that the videos help kids "navigate through those big words and understand the homily."

The project is supported by a grant from St. Meinrad Archabbey, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., which encourages parishes to find ways to involve children in Sunday liturgy.

In each video, Hendricks reads Gospel stories to Church Mouse Jess and answers questions posed by the puppet. For example, on the second Sunday of Easter, they discussed Thomas doubting Jesus' resurrection as told in the Gospel of John. When Jess asked if Jesus was angry with Thomas for not believing he had returned, Hendricks replied, "I don’t think Jesus was angry. I just think maybe he was a little disappointed."

Hendricks mentioned that children can watch these videos before Mass or listen to them during homilies using headphones. She emphasized that "Sunday Best with Church Mouse Jess" is available not only to St. Patrick parishioners but also to other parishes via YouTube at www.youtube.com/@sundaybestwithchurchmousejess.

The goal of these videos is to foster a love for Mass among children. Reflecting on her childhood experiences at church, Hendricks said she struggled to pay attention and hopes this series will help current young attendees better understand and appreciate liturgy.

Parents have reported positive feedback, saying their children discuss Gospel stories at home after watching the videos. In addition to focusing on Liturgy of the Word, Hendricks creates content addressing general faith-related questions such as saints and prayer.

In March, Father Jeffrey Shooner participated in a video where he answered questions about vocations from Church Mouse Jess. He shared his personal journey toward priesthood: “In college, I felt God was calling me to some form of service... it took me a while to really understand — and pray about — that he might be calling me to priesthood.”

The grant from St. Meinrad Archabbey supports these projects as part of its initiative titled “Children’s Revival of Participation at Sunday Mass.” This initiative received $1.25 million from Lilly Endowment Inc., benefiting 13 parishes across Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Kelly Gallagher from St. Meinrad highlighted that their goal is supporting parishes in creating meaningful activities for engaging children in Mass.

Father Shooner expressed enthusiasm about what this grant program enables: “It’s an experiment... It’s incredible... And the creativity and skill level that’s been applied is amazing.” He hopes these programs become tools for churches overall to connect with young parishioners.

Hendricks invites other parishes within Louisville's Archdiocese to share these videos with their youngest members. For further information about this initiative or accessing resources like contact details for Joanie Hendricks (244-6083), interested parties are encouraged reach out directly via provided channels.