Article on how one parish "boosted" their attendance for the October count

  • Thread starter Thread starter Blessedwithfive
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Blessedwithfive

Guest
I read this article


and I am kinda upset with the tactics taken by the pastor to “boost” his October count. I always thought the idea of the October count was to get an accurate count of who usually attends Mass on a given week. This pastor admits that the boost in attendance is temporary. Alot of stock as to what parishes stay open depend on the October count so this doesn’t seem fair to the other parishes.

Thoughts?
 
That count is how the Diocese determines the amount the parish must contribute to the Diocese, how much of the “Diocesan Appeal” the parish is going to be responsible for, it seems fiscally unsound to try to artificially inflate the numbers.
 
It it worked to increase his Nov, Dec numbers too, then it was worth it.

I really like giving the kids incentive so they push their parents to take them to Mass.
  • Each week offered anyone in the school a special prize if they had a picture taken with one of the priests at Sunday Mass: out-of-uniform pass or homework pass.
  • On the last Sunday of October, if 75% of a particular classroom came to Mass, the classroom was given a treat and game time with Fr. Matt or me
  • If 90% of the class came to Mass, then the whole classroom got a pizza party. It was great to see the kids encouraging each other to go to Mass.
 
Part of me wants to encourage getting the kids to Mass “by any means necessary.”

Part of me revolts at the idea of using “bribery” to get them to Church.

Not sure what to make of this.
 
If the parish needs to bribe the kids like this, maybe their Eucharistic catechesis is a little lacking…
 
Spyridon said:
Part of me wants to encourage getting the kids to Mass “by any means necessary.”

Part of me revolts at the idea of using “bribery” to get them to Church.

Not sure what to make of this.
Click to expand...
I don’t see it as bribing the kids to get to mass. I see it as using the Kids to get the parents mass.

Once the parents see value in taking their kids every Sunday, you don’t need to incentives for the kids because mom & dad will make them go. Plus, if all the kids in class are going, they like seeing each other on Sundays anyway.
 
Last edited:
Yeah, he just shot himself in the foot. IN an effort to appear popular, he’s going to owe a much bigger tax to his Bishop.
Nice goin. :roll_eyes::roll_eyes:
 
Not here. All parishes pay the same percentage to the diocese. The October count determines how much money and services you get back from the diocese and who says open and who closes. Almost half our parishes here have closed or consolidated in the past year.
 
Maximilian75 said:
If the parish needs to bribe the kids like this, maybe their Eucharistic catechesis is a little lacking…
Click to expand...
Again, you are not bribing the kids. You are simply using them make their parents go to Mass.

In some areas (esp in the Northeastern suburbs), CCD is during the week only (not on Sundays). At my parish, for example: a large percentage of kids who attend Child Faith Formation classes and who attend Catholic School do not go to Church on Sunday. That’s because, while Mom & Dad feel it’s important to teach them about the faith, they don’t feel it’s important to attend Mass every week.

Using the kids to bring the parents to mass is a way to help parents realize what they are missing.
 
I think a lot of this can be explained by the hawthorne effect. There are better ways to make mass feel special than prizes for turning up. The approaches are a bit amateur really.
 
Last edited:
“Likewise, while it would be nice to see the language of “discipleship” and “evangelization” peppered all over the place in Fr. Larry’s strategies, it must be noted that using those terms—while important for our overall thinking—is not very effective or appropriate in the pre-evangelization stage when what is most needed is a welcoming atmosphere.”

Where I live, there are lots of nearly empty Catholic and Protestant churches, all of which have “a welcoming atmosphere”. They are all in a longterm “pre-evangelization” mode. This is not a temporary or preparation stage, it is the alternative to genuine evangelization.

I would be curious how the author, who is sarcastic about discipleship and evangelization, knows they are not very effective. Has anyone, anywhere, heard of a parish where the “pre-evangelization” mode was a “stage” that led gradually to something else that was good?
 
It’s also calculated by number of parishioners.
That’s why they count.
 
To be fair, we are just getting one parishioner’s take on it. While I’m sure the October count was a consideration, I’d give the priests the benefit of the doubt that they want their parish to thrive all year long, not just one month out of the year.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top