This week I was reading an article about the decline in church attendance and the closing of parishes. The article focused on the process taking place in the Diocese of Buffalo (NY), while also reflecting on how this is not a “Catholic problem” but a reality for all faiths.
My home Archdiocese has closed almost 50% of the parishes over the past 10 years. The city that I grew up in was affectionately called the “City of Steeples” because of the 17 Catholic parishes that decorated the landscape. Today 10 of those parishes are shuttered. Some have been sold and are being repurposed. Others stand empty. Due to a decline in vocations, when a pastor retires his successor becomes the pastor of every parish in the town or city. My brother’s parish was comprised of five churches. This week a third church was closed leaving his parish with just two.
This is a reality not just in our country but around the world. I lived in Italy when I was working on my degree in Canon Law. I would attend Sunday Mass at various parishes in Rome and rarely were there 35 people at Mass in a beautiful, cavernous building. Those in attendance were usually women because their husbands were outside smoking cigarettes. The youth were nowhere to be found.
The article reflected on various reasons for the decline in attendance. We’re becoming an increasingly secular society. Younger people have difficulties with the institutional church. Many are “spiritual but not religious.” The busyness of our lives leaves little to no room for God. The practice of attending Sunday Mass as a family has been replaced by sporting events or just sleeping in. I once had a young woman say to me, “Why should I go to Mass when I can talk to God sitting in my backyard with a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning?”
In my 16 months at St. A’s, I’ve been intentional about reaching out to parishioners and inviting them to become more involved. I’ve encouraged parishioners to take ownership of the parish and their role as a member. I’m happy that there’s now a group for women, an after-school tutoring program, altar servers, spiritual companionship for the homebound, a maintenance committee, additional Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist, youth lectors, a finance committee, and a Parish Pastoral Council. I’ve been equally intentional about making sure that everyone knows that this is “YOUR PARISH” and not a parish run by one person, one couple, or one family. I appreciate all of those individuals who responded in the affirmative when I asked them to do something.
If St. A’s is going to grow and live on, it’s important to realize that membership is about more than attending Sunday Mass and the social afterwards. You need to volunteer! The Soup Kitchen and St. Vincent de Paul Society do wonderful work but those involved are (like all of us) aging. The next generation needs to become involved if those important ministries are going to continue.
Change is never easy. We fight it. We complain because it makes us uncomfortable. We grow angry because we lose control and power. But as my novice master would point out to us, change leads to growth and new life. If we were to remain static, we limit God working in and through us. So, I’ll repeat myself as I move on: “This is ‘YOUR PARISH’ and not a parish run by one person, one couple, or one family.” I pray that each and every one of you finds a way to become involved and share your gifts and talents.
Thank you for welcoming me. Thank you for allowing me to lead you in prayer. And to everyone who helped me with all of those aspects of running a parish that are way beyond my gifts and talents, THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER! Please know of my prayers. And in your Christian charity, please pray for me. As members of the Christian family, we are all striving for holiness and spreading the Good News.
On Monday, Monsignor Schooler (“Fr. Bill”) will begin serving as the Administrator of the parish until June when Bishop Rhoades appoints another priest. Please remember that Fr. Bill is retired and has been generous in taking on this responsibility at the request of the bishop.
A few announcements:
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd … The January Atrium sessions will be held at 8:30 a.m. on the 12th and 19th.
Tax Statements … All donations for 2024 have been recorded. If you’d like a statement of your contributions for tax purposes, please contact the office and one will be sent to you.
Leaky Roof … On Tuesday I met with the roofing company and they inspected the leak we had during Mass last Sunday. There is a rather substantial hole in the roof caused by the ants that made their way from the tree last spring and summer. There is also damage done to the side of the cupola. The gentleman caulked the holes and said that there will need to be a more extensive inspection of that area in the spring/summer when the roof is dry. He also recommended taking down the tree which serves as a home to the ants. So, the fix is temporary, and I’ve passed along his recommendations to the Maintenance Committee and Fr. Bill. The Church in Latin America … This collection is on Sunday, January 19. In 1965, at the end of the Second Vatican Council, the bishops of the United States decided to establish a Collection for the Church in Latin America. This development followed the recognition of the U.S. bishops that the Church in Latin America needed help, and it was important to establish a relationship with the sister churches to the South. Since the Collection began, over $185 million has been donated by U.S. Catholics. Due to the generosity of U.S. Catholics, the Collection has been able to award over $92.7 million since year 2000. The collection has been increasing through the years, with about $68.5 million contributed over the past 10 years. There is an envelope in your packet, or you can place a donation in the basket marked “Church In Latin America” on the memo line. THANK YOU for your generosity. Women’s Group … The next meeting will be at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday January 11, 2025 in the parish hall. All women of the parish are most welcome to participate. If you have any questions, please call Sr. Betty Smoyer at (574) 309-1393 or email her at [email protected]. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity to gather, share, listen, and pray together. Parish Pastoral Council … Is scheduled to meet at 11:00 a.m. on January 18 in the parish hall. Finance Council … Is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. on January 21 in the parish hall. Right to Life Michiana … Is sponsoring a March for Life on January 17 from 10:30 – Noon. There will be a rally at “The Hall” on 553 E. Washington Street followed by a peaceful march to the Federal Courthouse. Martin Luther King, Jr Concert … Once again, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra will host a concert at St. A’s on January 16. More information will be forthcoming. Catholics in Recovery … Provides healing from addictions, compulsions, and unhealthy attachments, such as, alcoholism, drug addiction, compulsive or restrictive eating, lust/pornography, gambling addiction, technology addiction, compulsive spending, codependency, control, fear, resentment, and grief. Weekly meetings are scheduled every Monday from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the church basement meeting room at St. Pius X Parish (Granger). The meetings combine the Sacraments, Scriptural readings, liturgical themes of the Catholic Church, and the principles of 12-step Recovery leading to an honest discussion and prayer. ALL MEETINGS ARE CONFIDENTIAL! For further information, please contact Dennis Traxler at (574) 329-3103 or [email protected]. Pope’s Intention for the Month of January … For the right to an education. Let us pray for migrants, refugees and those affected by war, that their right to an education, which is necessary to build a better world, might always be respected. Saint of the Week … St. Andre Bessette, C.S.C. (January 6) was orphaned at the age of twelve. He spent four years in the U.S. as a mill worker. St. Andre is known as a healer and the “Miracle Man of Montreal” where he founded the Oratory of St. Joseph, to whom he was dedicated and fostered devotion to. St. Andre died on this date in 1937 at the age of ninety-one and over a million people paid their respects at his wake. He is the patron of caregivers.