Charles and Theresa Pobee-Mensah, creators of My Catholic Kids, hope booklet encourages kids to 'build their Mass muscles'

NEW BOSTON — “My 6-year-old has always groaned when it came time to go to Mass, and it broke my heart. Every. Single. Time.”

“That same 6-year-old boy just asked (on a Tuesday), 'When can we go to church? I just keep waiting and waiting and waiting!' I asked him why he wanted to go to church so badly, and he said 'I want to use the green booklet!'”

These are the promising words of Mandy E., an online reviewer who has tried a new faith-based product called the Children’s Missalette. The product, developed last year by a local Catholic couple, already is helping youngsters gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Mass.

The missalettes are produced by My Catholic Kids, a company owned and operated since 2015 by Charles and Theresa Pobee-Mensah, parishioners at St. Stephen in New Boston. Among other items, My Catholic Kids sells religious card games, books and magnets of saints that children particularly enjoy.

Made with a simple, reverent design, the Children's Missalette teaches kids to follow along in Church in real-time. As prayers and actions are performed during Mass, children pull back 10 small flap-like windows to reveal a picture and story card pertaining to an upcoming feast day or important aspect of the Catholic faith.

Parents and their children are encouraged to read the weekly story cards together as they embrace the feast days and Catholic celebrations of the liturgical year. Just before going to church on Saturday or Sunday, children watch a “Building Your Mass Muscles” video to become more familiar with the movements, prayers and sacred rituals of the Mass.

“I see so many people fall away from the faith because they were never actually taught what the Catholic Church teaches and why,” Theresa Pobee-Mensah said. “We want to help them to know and understand their faith, even as a child.”

Charles and Theresa first met at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, where Theresa was working as an admissions counselor while Charles was pursuing his master's in theology. They first dated on the feast of the Assumption that summer and were married exactly a year later. Since then, God has blessed them with three boys, Charlie, 7, Gabriel, 4, and Raphael, 2, plus another child expected in June. 

Like many married Catholic couples with small children, the Mass presented unique difficulties for the Pobee-Mensahs. 

According to Theresa, it was quite a “challenge” to keep Charlie and Gabriel quiet and attentive during the liturgy. Yet, the boys were “the loudest and most enthusiastic participants during the ‘Alleluia’ and ‘Lord Hear Our Prayer’” responses, she said. 

As the couple brainstormed how to channel the boys' sporadic “energy and joy” and keep it throughout the Mass, the proverbial gears began to turn in their minds. They had already been successful in developing a number of faith-based products for children, and the couple wanted a way to keep kids engaged throughout the liturgy.

Charles, with his master’s in theology, brainstormed which aspects of the Mass needed to be understood by young adolescents, while Theresa, a communications major, brought her practical creativity to make the theology accessible to kids. 

The result was the Children's Missalette, which was developed over the course of 2019 and officially launched in the fall, when more than 200 families received their first missalettes on All Saints Day. 

Now, instead of hauling along a bag of faith-based coloring sheets, snacks and stickers, the Pobee-Mensahs hand their kids a Children’s Missalette to follow along with the Mass. 

It not only proved effective with their own children, but for more than 300 families who purchased the missalette last year, it's been a God-send, the Pobee-Mensahs say. 

Another online reviewer, Jaime B., called the missalette “the best investment I have ever made” in his family's faith. 

“It has always been tough to encourage my family to worship together. Even when we all go together, my 2nd oldest typically had meltdowns if we worshiped at Mass instead of a 'more modern' church,” said Jamie B., an evangelical Christian.

In addition to videos to help kids build their “Mass muscles,” the missalette helps children learn about the saints, listen for parts of the Mass they recognize or pay closer attention to the Gospel readings. When the child hears a key phrase from the readings or the Mass, they open a new window on the missalette. 

“(My son) knows exactly how much is left in the Mass, so there isn’t the constant 'are we almost done,' and he knows that as soon as the last window is open, he will get to pull out the saint card and add it to our book,” Jaime B. said.

Such reviews encourage Charles and Theresa that they are engaging in fruitful work. 

While the couple enjoys working on My Catholic Kids, it's still a side business, and they only have a handful of hours to devote to the project each week, Theresa said. With Theresa caring for three youngsters at home and Charles working full-time for a digital marketing agency in Toledo, Charles admits that “creating a unique Children's Missalette for each Sunday, the art and story for the inside card, 'Mass Muscles' video and 'Diving into the Mass' video each week takes an enormous amount of time.” 

Recently, the company hired a part-time employee to help them with customer emails, bookkeeping, video production and other tasks as they work through their growing pains.

Nonetheless, the couple considers their recent developments a “huge blessing and an awesome responsibility,” Theresa said. 

Families can purchase the Children’s Missalette by visiting My Catholic Kids’ website.