Teaching Kids the Mass and the Role of Liturgy with Chris Carstens

This week on The Catholic Man Show, Adam and David welcome Chris Carstens—Director of the Office for Sacred Worship in the Diocese of La Crosse, teacher, author, and liturgical scholar.

Together, they dive deep into the heart of Catholic worship and explore:

• How fathers can introduce young children to the beauty of the Mass—even when it feels like a workout.
• Why children belong in the main body of the church, not just the cry room.
• The meaning and role of altar serving and how it shapes boys into men of faith.
• Insights into the ordinary form vs. extraordinary form conversation, and how Pope Benedict XVI envisioned “mutual enrichment.”
• What the Eucharistic revival accomplished and why the Mass itself is the greatest act of Eucharistic adoration.
• Practical steps to make parish liturgies more beautiful, reverent, and evangelizing.
• Resources and books to help families grow deeper in love with the liturgy, such as A Devotional Journey into the Mass and A Biblical Walk Through the Mass.

About our guest:

Chris Carstens has spent over 25 years in liturgical ministry, teaching at the Liturgical Institute and Christendom College, and serving as editor of Adoremus Bulletin. He is the author of several books on Catholic worship and continues to help parishes and families rediscover the beauty of the Mass.

👉 Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Adoremus Bulletin
• A Devotional Journey into the Mass (Sophia Institute Press)
• Biblical Walk Through the Mass by Edward Sri
• Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre