How's your local Catholic community?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Captain_America
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

Captain_America

Guest
Are you doing anything to bring people into the church or offer things for them to stay?

What’s happening locally, in your parish and in your family. What do you do?
 
My church is large and very elitist, a wealthy parish. Lots of snobs. Not everyone, of course. However, when I had a severe injury and couldn’t get out my nurse req. that someone bring me communion. They have E. M. falling all over each other…really. But my nurse was told no one could come because it was the holiday season. Really? These women compete to give out communion! I will not soon forget about “holiday season.” And the message came via the Religious Formation director who has become a big deal in the church. Am I aggravated? Slightly. I know I should not be, but I am.😦
 
Mary_Estelle said:
My church is large and very elitist, a wealthy parish. Lots of snobs. Not everyone, of course. However, when I had a severe injury and couldn’t get out my nurse req. that someone bring me communion. They have E. M. falling all over each other…really. But my nurse was told no one could come because it was the holiday season. Really? These women compete to give out communion! I will not soon forget about “holiday season.” And the message came via the Religious Formation director who has become a big deal in the church. Am I aggravated? Slightly. I know I should not be, but I am.😦
Click to expand...
That is unfortunate, and I’m sorry for your aggrevation.

But, how you were treated may have been a gift…a gift prompting you, perhaps, to volunteer to become a EM who only visits the sick and homebound.

The gift would surely bear friut!

Call the parish today, so others don’t have to go through what you did.

Peace and all good!
 
Not the right fit for my family. We now travel 40 minutes each way to attend mass in another town.

Tried to get involved locally for 3 years. Sang in the choir, volunteered to teach religious ed, went to coffee and donuts and tried to connect with people. Did not turn out well. My spouse and I have degrees in music. We unintentionally intimidated the retired 4th grade teacher who directed the choir. She said we made her feel uncomfortable. Then tried singing with the folk choir - which was disastrous. Volunteered to teach religious ed. after they asked for volunteers at mass. Was turned away because they didn’t know us. Couldn’t relate to anyone at coffee and donuts as they were very judgemental and cliquey -the hunter/fishermen, the home school moms, and the older retired people. After 3 years of trying to contribute and fit in, we gave up. We are now spiritually transient. Looking to move and hopefully find a spiritual home.
 
I sing in the choir, and I hope that helps in some way. I’m the only bass singer in the choir, so I am sure that I add something. I’m not a basso profundo, nor do I have a golden voice, but I can carry a tune. After my upcoming confirmation into the church I plan on seeking to be an emhc, and I also plan on going through the uphill battle to start some sort of community service group in my parish (feeding the hungry, fighting against abortion, etc) as there is no such group in my parish (other churches I attended called it a social justice committee, not sure what it would be in the Catholic church. ) My catechism teacher, who is also in charge of the parish secular Franciscan order, said that he will stand with me in such an effort. Also, if the church will have me despite my age and disability, I want to enter seminary to become a priest.

I wonder if it would also be possible to have some kind of welcoming committee or such which could send a follow-up card or e-mail to those who visit, and those who are members who haven’t attended in a while (just something simple to spread love, because we can’t often know if they have fallen away or simply attend mass elsewhere. ) Also maybe follow up with those who have had their confirmation to keep them informed of groups and such in the parish and elsewhere in the diocese. I have had to seek these things out for myself; such as the Knights of Columbus, bible study groups, etc. My catechism teachers have been helpful though.
 
By the way, when we first moved here, 6 years ago, we were told that “so many people” had left the church. Probably half of the Protestant churches here are made up of former Catholics. We refuse to give up on our Catholic faith and jump ship to another denomination as others have done. The local Catholics just say that those who left weren’t really Catholic enough and it is the pruning spoken of by Pope Benedict. I think they need to love their neighbors a little more and be less isolated in the community.
 
I belong to a larger church. About 2,000 families. We get about 800 people total for a typical weekend to the four Masses, during the school year. Less in the summer.

Our pastor tried a “come back” event last year. Send out flyers (thousands) to parishioners, personal phone calls, put up banners, talked about it at every Mass for weeks, ads in the paper…you name it. Planned a three part welcoming activity. One question and answer type, one on our faith and one on reconciliation with the church. Only a handful of people came to the first night and I’m not sure any made it to the third.

That said we do have a core group of about 30 families who are very active. I’m not sure what to do to get others to come.

If I had to describe my parish in one word it would be apathy. Most people in the parish just don’t care one way or the other. It’s not as if they don’t believe in God, it’s just that they don’t care one way or another. Parents tell me all the time in religion class they are just there because the are supposed to…🤷
 
In my parish, after every Sunday Mass (vigil on Saturday, and the two Sunday Masses, ) there is a time for parishioners to meet in the hall.

Once a month it is for the typical donuts and coffee, and for the other Masses they have cookie Sunday, pie Sunday, or ice-cream sundae Sundays! So, there is always a reason for those who do not have other plans to go into the hall and meet with our fellow parishioners. Our priests drop in and go around to the various tables and sit and chat for a while.

We are encouraged to sit with people we do not know yet and introduce ourselves. This works well!

********************************************************************************************************** Our pastor gives a bible study for an hour and a half every Monday night, except for one Monday a month when another group meets in the hall. When he does this the hall is filled, and he is passionately interested in what he is teaching us, and has a great sense of humor. There is time for questions and answers, and he starts and stops on time. During the ten minute break there is a table with cookies and munchies, coffee or tea.

After every weekday Mass there are those who stay to pray the Rosary together as a group, someone assigns five people to lead each decade. This has been going on every since I moved here 28 years ago. People have moved and died and the weekday Rosary keeps on going. We easily find out who is ill, whether at home or in the hospital, and some of us can visit or make a phone call.
There is no such thing as a perfect parish, and we all have to pray and work towards making things better.
 
There are no outreach ministries, not anything much at all.
There were 2 smaller parishes, old and alot of history. years of worship, weddings funerals . A bus that picked children up, or others, to bring to catechism. These were sold and a new modern parish built in between the two towns.
The new church is nearer the wealthy, … and not easy to get to for many people. consequently, many Catholics in both towns , for a variety of reasons, have stopped going to Mass.
We have a new young priest that goes to one of the towns and offers Mass every week to the seniors. What a blessing! And he started the Salvation History Bible study series with a fair amount of participants. He started Adoration, but this did not continue. I pray for him, well all our priests need many many prayers
I pray for the Holy Spirit to come. Pope Francis has spoken on churches that are closed off, its a sickness. I suggested a ministry where we outreach to those who need transportation and the idea was closed down by those who run the church…not the priest…but the group of people who seem to run things.

Its Pentecost Sunday and I pray the Holy Spirit to come!
 
I don’t know. I’m not sure which is my local community. I’ve had bad experiences in all 5 of my local communities… I’m a bit shy now. I know if I was a welcomer, no one would come - they’d enter via the other door, or punch themselves in the face and say I did it. (no joke). sorry no good news. :confused: grump.
 
additional comment:

I have spent some time looking at parish websites and it seems there are quite a few
spirit filled parishes. I try to discern what makes it so and I can only believe there are many very faithful, with a lot of zeal, and love for Jesus and Mary.
And
Being visible to the community ( I think this is KEY) if we think of how Jesus was out among the people often…this is what the church needs to do today
 
Neofight said:
That is unfortunate, and I’m sorry for your aggrevation.

But, how you were treated may have been a gift…a gift prompting you, perhaps, to volunteer to become a EM who only visits the sick and homebound.

The gift would surely bear friut!

Call the parish today, so others don’t have to go through what you did.

Peace and all good!
Click to expand...
This is an excellent response. I agree with another poster - APATHY seems rampant in the Catholic Church. It also bothers me about the lack of participation, even in going to mass.

Having said that, I am one who did not participate in the mass or parish for over a decade. I can give you my excuses but, frankly, they are just excuses and I have remorse and guilt, in retrospect.

Evangelism encompasses many things…there is something that we can all do.
 
newcalling said:
I sing in the choir, and I hope that helps in some way. I’m the only bass singer in the choir, so I am sure that I add something. I’m not a basso profundo, nor do I have a golden voice, but I can carry a tune. After my upcoming confirmation into the church I plan on seeking to be an emhc, and I also plan on going through the uphill battle to start some sort of community service group in my parish (feeding the hungry, fighting against abortion, etc) as there is no such group in my parish (other churches I attended called it a social justice committee, not sure what it would be in the Catholic church. ) My catechism teacher, who is also in charge of the parish secular Franciscan order, said that he will stand with me in such an effort. Also, if the church will have me despite my age and disability, I want to enter seminary to become a priest.

I wonder if it would also be possible to have some kind of welcoming committee or such which could send a follow-up card or e-mail to those who visit, and those who are members who haven’t attended in a while (just something simple to spread love, because we can’t often know if they have fallen away or simply attend mass elsewhere. ) Also maybe follow up with those who have had their confirmation to keep them informed of groups and such in the parish and elsewhere in the diocese. I have had to seek these things out for myself; such as the Knights of Columbus, bible study groups, etc. My catechism teachers have been helpful though.
Click to expand...
Had to share that music ministry can make or break a mass. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve teared up over beautiful, spirit-filled songs and, even though I am musically challenged, it is one of my favorite ways to pray.
 
I am part of 2,000 family mid-western blue coller/white collar mixed community in Indiana. Church and K-8 School As with most Catholic Communities, our stats show about 36% of families attend Mass regularly and about 10% maintain the numerous church ministries.

Personally I am engaged in music ministry, RCIA, CRHP, Lecter and “other things when asked by Pastoral Associate” 🙂

We have over 100 ministries, some inward focused, some outward. Having lived in nine different States throughout the years, and 20 years here, I’d say that this parish is probably second in outreaching with one I belonged to in Naperville IL beating it out by just a bit.

Still we struggle with the decline of youth membership, the slow culling of the membership it due to deaths. (we average two funerals per week now).

One could say that our type of community has the best chance to move forward, and our pastor is working now on an updated plan to key off of Pope Francis instructions to go into the local communities and engage in evangelization.

The next ten to twenty years will tell much about the future of the Catholic Church in the USA. Will if follow Europe into irrelavance to the community, or find its way forward with the original intended spirit of Vatican II. If my three grown children and grandkids are an indication, I don’t hold out much hope. Yet I still pray they find their own pathway to holiness to walk
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top