“I think you are reaching.”
I don't think so. Not by a good bit.
It's clear that it is her father who went to Mass, not any of the rest of the family. Nothing to even hint that she or any of the rest of her family went with him. Remember, too, that her mother was strongly anti-Catholic, as reported in the article, thus making it less likely that the children were raised Catholic.
“They sure do, even to the point that one can't hear the Mass for the children crying out loud in church, banging their toys on the pews or loudly munching on the snacks that their ‘devout’ parents have brought in little baggies for them to eat. Or at least they do in my inlaw’s Catholic Church that we attend when we are in Memphis.”
While one hopes that parents will manage to evoke appropriate behavior from their children while at Mass, or at least, retire to the crying room, it delights me to hear that in your in-law’s parish in Memphis, there appear to be young Catholic families with young children attending Mass.
Although, I will point out that the obligation for assisting at Mass does not apply to very young children.
sitetest
Yes you are..........
At my inlaws Church in Memphis, I see parents bringing infants in strollers into the Sanctuary. LOL, love the Sunday when just as the usher was walking by, a nursing mom had her two year old pull the towel off of her shoulder. The look on the man's face was priceless.
Extremely young children in church remind me of my favorite bulletin blooper. "For those of you who have children and don't know it, the church has a nursery next to fellowship hall.