November 11, 2026

By Mary Beth Bracy, consecrated virgin
North Country Catholic

There will be a special feature at St. Bernard Parish in Saranac Lake’s 40 Hours of Adoration for Vocations: a Holy Hour for children. The Holy Hour for children will take place on Saturday, November 21 at 10 a.m. as part of the parish’s 40-hours of Adoration. Father Martin E. Cline will lead the little ones in prayer before Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

The 40 Hours will take place from Friday, November 20, beginning with a special Mass at 5:30 p.m. followed by Solemn Exposition, to Sunday, November 22, with Reposition – returning Jesus in the Eucharist to the tabernacle – at 9:30 a.m. followed by Mass.

This will be the third Holy Hour for children that Father Cline has led in his parish. The inspiration came from his secretary, Ellen McBride.

“My secretary was a new mother at the time and had two kids,” Father Cline said. “She asked me about having some family time. The first one (Adoration for children) was poorly attended. The second time we got about five or six kids with their families.”

Even if the numbers aren’t large, Father Cline believes it is worth hosting these hours to give each child and their family personal time with the Lord.

“I just keep thinking if we don’t take the time to teach them now, how can we get upset later if they don’t know what’s going on? It’s not just a learning experience for the kids; if we want the Church to grow, we have to do this now,” he said. “Take the time now when they’re younger to show this is what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. We can’t expect them to know in catechism class (if they haven’t been taught).”

So far, the children who come are pre-religious education ages.

“The families do their prayers. If the kids are walking around, it’s not the end of the world,” Father Cline said. “I always go back to the Gospel when Jesus said, ‘let the children come to me.’ Jesus showed if they’re going to be there, they need to know what we are doing. If you don’t take the time, like other religions, it’s just going to die. Since the Eucharist is such a key part of the (Catholic) Church we can’t wait until First Communion, we need to do the prep now. They will have a ‘one up’ in understanding something early.”

The Holy Hour for children gives the young ones the opportunity to spend time with Jesus in a welcoming, child-friendly environment.

“Parents get nervous because kids make noise,” Father Cline said. “If the kid just wants attention, you do that (give them attention), and it’s fine. We might have crying kids but we don’t want to send them away. My parents always had us go to Church. When you’re little, you’re in Church. It has to be that way.”

Despite their young ages, Father Cline said the young prayer participants seem to understand the significance of the time in adoration.

“When I sat down with the kids and I said ‘that’s Jesus, this is going on, that’s what we’re doing,’ even the littlest said this is something important, something is going on here that we need to be attentive to. (I stayed in front of the Holy Eucharist with them) for at least ten minutes. It was a moment when they stopped, thought about it, they were aware. That was a key part. They see it’s important to their parents and me. If they pause and are aware that makes a difference.”

There is no set format or prayers for the Holy Hour.

“I expose the Blessed Sacrament and let the families have some time,” Father Cline said. “This is just as much for families as it is for anything. Let them (the children) go and I call them up to explain. I always try to reassure the parents. We’re all here. The kids might need a moment to rush around. There’s no set rules. Whatever happens, happens. If we have a peaceful moment that is refreshing and renewing. You can plan all you want but, if you want your families to be active and present, you need to be a little flexible with things.”

The prayer offering is just one of the parish’s family programs.

“My secretary Ellen McBride is kind of the one that spearheaded the family things,” Father Cline said. “She’s been proactive with it. She’s trying to plan at least every month a family life activity. Last year, we did decorating cookies with me in the rectory which was a big hit. If it works for you, let’s give it a shot. If we get five or ten people, that’s great. They are active members.”

There are no expectations or pressures for families who attend, emphasized Father Cline. “There’s no set plan,” he said. “We just want you to feel comfortable being there. I don’t expect miracles. I don’t expect everything to go smoothly. Little things pop up every now and then. You can’t wait until second grade to introduce them to the Eucharist. You need (the truth) to kick in and have them really know what they are (seeing). If you wait until second grade, you are behind the eight ball where you had the opportunity to say this is what it (Adoration of the Holy Eucharist) is.”

Father Cline has created a welcoming atmosphere.

“Just come in, sit down, I will take care of getting everything set,” he said. “I just want families to have a time where everyone is there. On Sundays, they worry about how their kid is making noise and what the person behind or in front of me are thinking. It’s just a time for parents not to worry about those things. Everybody wants kids in Church but they don’t want them to make noise in Church. But kids make noise that is the nature of who they are. You can’t have both. Kids think: Father is talking, so I can talk. At the altar I notice it but don’t pay attention to it. If there’s no noise than that’s a problem too. If there’s no noise, then that’s the beginning of the end.”

For parishes that are unsure about whether or not they should begin Adoration for children, Father Cline offered this advice, “Don’t be nervous. Don’t hesitate. It’s a great opportunity for the kids but also for the parents not to be nervous when their kids make noise. We shouldn’t try to hide that.”

“Kids are kids and they’re not going to change. If we’re not going to help, don’t be part of the problem. Why not help the parent with crying kids? If we want to say the church is a family, then families need to help out. People are hesitant because they don’t want to overstep, but why not take a chance because the mother may really need a hand. Some mothers may say no, but it’s worth a chance. The worst they can say is ‘thanks, but no thanks.’” It takes faithful families and children encountering our Eucharistic Lord to create a culture of vocations in the Church.