Imagine that you are now pastor of your parish. What are the top three things that you would change about it?

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Cat said:
Spiller, it’s another topic. I realize that 99.9 % of CAF members disagree vehemently with me and I’m not sure I really want to court so much disapproval and surround myself with so much disdain from fellow Catholics. I’m still recovering from my thread last winter about “Why Don’t Catholic Churches Have Coat Racks?” (I think some people mis-read “coat racks” as “guillotines” or “nudie bars” or “shrunken heads.” I guess I should have typed more neatly.)
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Ours has a coat rack. Not only that, people even use it, and stay a while after Mass to chat and play with the kids. 🙂

At my original parish, everyone always looked like they were only planning to stay for a minute.
 
Only thing I would change is celebrating Matins before at least the Sunday Divine Liturgy and the Hours before weekday Liturgies.
 
In addition to what others said, I add:

1: Require gregorian chant and more traditional songs (eliminating all OCP music)
  1. Put back altar rails for communion administered only by the priest.
3: Discontinue the “sign of peace” (including the “meet and greet” before mass starts).
 
  1. Put the Tabernacle Front and Center on the altar
  2. Cease having the extraordinary ministers receive Communion with him (it drives me “straight up the wall”) and not only give them a choice to receive in-the-hand or on-the-tongue but have them wait until after he receives Communion
  3. Not sure …since a few other things could be addressed–like having an apologetics course, or…
 
I’d call the vicar for clergy and beg him to get our old pastor back!
(I’d expect to hear that he’d gotten about a hundred calls before mine!) 😃
 
Turn down the air conditioner – I’m freezing in the pews!!! (Wait. I guess if I were pastor, I wouldn’t be freezing in the pews. Turn it down anyway. Everyone else is freezing.)
 
  1. Incorporate some Latin into the Mass (possibly Agnus Dei, or Sanctus). Latin can be so beautiful, reverent, and edifying.
  2. Include something explicitly pro-life in homilies, and prayers & petitions. I expect it might be controversial to even mention abortion, euthanasia, contraception, or embryonic stem-cell research, but we should not be ashamed of our Church’s position on these matters. It can be done with tact and humility.
  3. Initiate a class on apologetics/evangelization - we need Catholics that are informed, enthusiastic, articulate, and armed with knowledge and charitable ways to defend ourselves and encourage our friends and neighbors.
I should also say that no exterior changes would be fruitful without the interior Spirit - genuine love and obedience to Christ. My pastor is an extraordinary example of this, and I am honored to call him ‘father’.
 
I’ll give you two lists! The first, things that really shouldn’t be happening at all and the second things that are things that are good to have.


  1. *]Daily mass instead of communion services (the people that go to the communion service would be very happy with this).
    *]“Phase out” extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion (it could be my imagination, but I think it’s the same people every week. I don’t think that everyone would like this).
    *]I wouldn’t change the text of the ordinary. (Sub-topics of this would be kneeling when the rubrics say to and no hand holding during the Pater Noster.) (I think this could be handled well if the reasons [beyond the fact that the rubrics can’t be changed because one says so] were explained).

    1. *]Eucharistic adoration. (Since I have the magic wand, it would be perpetual.)
      *]Liturgy of the Hours.
      *]Processions (e.g., for Corpus Christi, even if it’s only around the church).

      I get warm feelings just thinking about it.
 
IrishAm said:
Turn down the air conditioner – I’m freezing in the pews!!! (Wait. I guess if I were pastor, I wouldn’t be freezing in the pews. Turn it down anyway. Everyone else is freezing.)
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I am aware of two churches in our area (same pastor) that have seperate ac units for the altar. That priest likes it cool. I have seen times that he had his ac on while the heat was on in the pews…I does get hot under those vestments I suppose.
 
  1. more encouragement for the Sacrament of Reconciliation
  2. Latin in the Mass, whether it be the Ordinary Form or the Extraordinary form
  3. get rid of idle chatter before Mass in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament
the third one might be a problem as our pastor has mentioned silence before (someone requested it and put it in the suggestion box) and it seems to have hardly made any different. people still talk about trivial matters and then leave straight after receiving Holy Communion; it’s not a fast food restaurant.
 
2Timothy1_7 said:
  1. Initiate a class on apologetics/evangelization - we need Catholics that are informed, enthusiastic, articulate, and armed with knowledge and charitable ways to defend ourselves and encourage our friends and neighbors.
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I like that idea.
You know, Catholic churches all have bible study groups, but I’d like to see study groups on the Church Fathers. The “Tradition” is just as important to us as Catholics the “Scripture” part is! We can ‘arm’ ourselves with the knowledge and beliefs the early Church Fathers passed down to us.
 
2Timothy1_7 said:
  1. Incorporate some Latin into the Mass (possibly Agnus Dei, or Sanctus). Latin can be so beautiful, reverent, and edifying.
Works for me.
  1. Include something explicitly pro-life in homilies, and prayers & petitions. I expect it might be controversial to even mention abortion, euthanasia, contraception, or embryonic stem-cell research, but we should not be ashamed of our Church’s position on these matters. It can be done with tact and humility.
Sure beats praying for peace in the Middle East every week. At least your idea has a chance of working… 👍
  1. Initiate a class on apologetics/evangelization - we need Catholics that are informed, enthusiastic, articulate, and armed with knowledge and charitable ways to defend ourselves and encourage our friends and neighbors.
**We DO need more of that **:newidea:
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Lepanto said:
Imagine that you are now pastor of your parish.
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Well, seeing as how I am not the pastor, I don’t feel that I know what are the real issues in our parish. But, I can tell you personal things that I desire, since this is total fantasy land.
  1. Restore our choir to its former beauty: Latin singing, chanting, anthem ringing, pipe organ, four-part gloriousness.
  2. Find a better way to pull new parishioners into the central sphere of things and into the adult learning.
  3. Operate RCIA for the unbaptized, and do something else for those who are already practicing Christians.
Resistance would be high by a very few vocal people, but many others would like the choir. No one would be willing to put in the time for number 2, except me, but now I’d be the pastor, so that would be out. For number three, the priest typically wishes to be the main teacher and not to delegate too much, but since I was now the priest, I would make the time, or else be willing to delegate more. Now, where the volunteers would come from…
 
Can’t I have more than three? Okay, I agree with the poster that said “If I were pastor, there’s something REALLY wrong with my church!” (That applies to me, not necessarily you, by the way.) 😃

Hmmm…okay, bring the tabernacle out of it’s little room and back into the main church.

Install kneelers and encourage folks to kneel for the consecration.

Lower (or eliminate) tuition at the school.

I actually have a lot more thoughts, but it’s probably a good thing I’m not in charge, as I expect I’d tick people off a lot more than bring them in. :o
 
Since I’m female, this is purely hypothetical of course!

At my reverent NO English-language Mass parish which I’m actually pretty happy with:
  1. Add one Latin Mass per Sunday.
  2. Include more pro-life references in the prayers and petitions.
  3. As I said, I’m pretty happy with this parish. 🙂
At my TLM Latin-language Mass parish which I’m also pretty happy with:
  1. Introduce Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as much as possible, which may be a challenge in a neighborhood which may not be safe for people to drive to after dark.
  2. A bigger parking lot would be really nice.
  3. As I said, I’m pretty happy with this parish. 🙂
~~ the phoenix
 
Assuming I were male, celibate, and qualified - if I were the pastor of my parish I would:
  1. Institute and advertise a policy that there are no “private” events to be held on Church property - for example, yes, you may use the Hall for your birthday party, but you may not exclude anyone from coming - everyone is welcome to attend every event that is being held on Church property.
I think this would do more to make the parish feel “welcoming” than any amount of “greeters” at the door on Sundays for Mass.
  1. In line with #1 - get the locks off the fridge door. What the heck are people storing in there, anyway - gold-plated pickles? :confused:
Anyone who is a member of the parish should be allowed to book the kitchen and use it (including using the fridge to keep their drinks cool), any time they want, as long as they keep rule #1 in mind, that everyone is welcome to attend their event.
  1. Open the parish library for more than just five or ten minutes after each of the weekend Masses, and stock it with good Catholic books by authors like Scott Hahn, Steve Ray, Karl Keating, etc…
 
the_phoenix said:
Since I’m female, this is purely hypothetical of course!

At my reverent NO English-language Mass parish which I’m actually pretty happy with:
  1. Add one Latin Mass per Sunday.
  2. Include more pro-life references in the prayers and petitions.
  3. As I said, I’m pretty happy with this parish. 🙂
At my TLM Latin-language Mass parish which I’m also pretty happy with:
  1. Introduce Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament as much as possible, which may be a challenge in a neighborhood which may not be safe for people to drive to after dark.
  2. A bigger parking lot would be really nice.
  3. As I said, I’m pretty happy with this parish. 🙂
~~ the phoenix
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You are truly blessed, phoenix. To have both a reverent NO AND a TLM parish! I am truly envious!

sneakers
 
  1. I would have all baptisms at Sunday Mass and no private baptisms.
  2. I would make it an absolute requirement for parents of kids preparing for First Communion to take actual adult classes and not just attend parent meetings.
  3. I would install a machine in the church that would block cell phone transmissions…especially incoming calls.
 
Cat said:
Spiller, it’s another topic. I realize that 99.9 % of CAF members disagree vehemently with me and I’m not sure I really want to court so much disapproval and surround myself with so much disdain from fellow Catholics. I’m still recovering from my thread last winter about “Why Don’t Catholic Churches Have Coat Racks?” (I think some people mis-read “coat racks” as “guillotines” or “nudie bars” or “shrunken heads.” I guess I should have typed more neatly.)
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No need to get melodramatic. I was just curious. No worries.
 
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