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Sally Ann,
To add to the excellent reply my colleague Mary Ann made, the family
Mass is a custom which spontaneously arose from the grassroots level
where some pastor decided for pastoral reasons to promote a particular
Mass as a family Mass, for whatever reason:
- perhaps to draw the noisy
children together in one Mass and make it quieter at the other Masses
- perhaps to encourage families to attend Mass
- perhaps to provide some
consistency so people knew they would be comfortable and fit in at a
particular Mass
The custom caught on and was imitated by other
parishes. It means whatever the particular pastor says it means, and
as Mary Ann pointed out there is no documentation and there is no proper
format other than the format set for the Mass in general.
(Gathering kids
around the altar during the Eucharistic prayer, for example, would be
a no-no at any Mass).
Eric
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