What's in your bulletin?

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Karl_M

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Hello,

I always figured that the bulletin was a way for the priest to keep us up to date with various parish activities, some church happenings, even tidbits from his personal life, if he so chooses.

Silly me, obviously, I can see now that bulletins are for the priest to get on a soapbox about non-church issues such as affirmative action, voting rights, and now global warming.

A friend of mine gave me a bulletin from his home parish (I won’t say which one it is, but it is available online). The priest, where he usually has his “notes from Fr so-and-so” consisted entirely of a Reuters wire story about the dangers of global warmng.

I don’t go to church so I can hear how bad capitalism is, that Bush is terrible, how Joe McCarthy went after innocent Americans, why we should be open to women in the church, why gay marriage isn’t really that bad of an idea, etc.

I DO NOT want a debate about global warming or anything else I brought up as a result of this post. Anyone who does it gets one of these: :mad:

My point is that why can’t the priest just stick to religious issues? It’s obvious that this priest just wants to push his own personal political views on everyone (He isn’t my pastor, but I do know him).
 
Karl_M said:
Hello,

I always figured that the bulletin was a way for the priest to keep us up to date with various parish activities, some church happenings, even tidbits from his personal life, if he so chooses.

Silly me, obviously, I can see now that bulletins are for the priest to get on a soapbox about non-church issues such as affirmative action, voting rights, and now global warming.

A friend of mine gave me a bulletin from his home parish (I won’t say which one it is, but it is available online). The priest, where he usually has his “notes from Fr so-and-so” consisted entirely of a Reuters wire story about the dangers of global warmng.

I don’t go to church so I can hear how bad capitalism is, that Bush is terrible, how Joe McCarthy went after innocent Americans, why we should be open to women in the church, why gay marriage isn’t really that bad of an idea, etc.

I DO NOT want a debate about global warming or anything else I brought up as a result of this post. Anyone who does it gets one of these: :mad:

My point is that why can’t the priest just stick to religious issues? It’s obvious that this priest just wants to push his own personal political views on everyone (He isn’t my pastor, but I do know him).
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Please review ours at:
stdominic.ptdiocese.org/bulletin_&_current_events.htm
 
Karl_M said:
Hello,

I always figured that the bulletin was a way for the priest to keep us up to date with various parish activities, some church happenings, even tidbits from his personal life, if he so chooses.

Silly me, obviously, I can see now that bulletins are for the priest to get on a soapbox about non-church issues such as affirmative action, voting rights, and now global warming…

I don’t go to church so I can hear how bad capitalism is…

My point is that why can’t the priest just stick to religious issues? It’s obvious that this priest just wants to push his own personal political views on everyone (He isn’t my pastor, but I do know him).
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OK I’ll bite, then watch the free for all. How can you seperate ‘religious issues’ from the political? I assume that you want to speak out against abortion? Isn’t that a political issue. And as much as the term is abused by dissenters, the Church does have an interest in so-called social justice issues–these are often inherently political. As for capitalism, whether or not it’s good or bad, Pope Leo XIII felt it as within his purview to comment on it (and critique it to some degree) in Rerum Novarum.

I agree that the bulletin (and the bully pulpit) should not be used to shove ‘personal politics’ down parishioners’ throats, and that many social/political issues are complicated, especially when we apply Church doctrine and teaching to them.

But I also think it’s a little naive to think that we can entirely separate the political and the religious. Indeed, this is what the secularist enemies of religion want us to do: “you can vote but you can’t according to your conscience if it is informed by religion.” Don’t fall for this trap just because you don’t like the particular political message that shows up in the bulletin.
 
Vox_Borealis said:
OK I’ll bite, then watch the free for all. How can you seperate ‘religious issues’ from the political? I assume that you want to speak out against abortion? Isn’t that a political issue. And as much as the term is abused by dissenters, the Church does have an interest in so-called social justice issues–these are often inherently political. As for capitalism, whether or not it’s good or bad, Pope Leo XIII felt it as within his purview to comment on it (and critique it to some degree) in Rerum Novarum.

I agree that the bulletin (and the bully pulpit) should not be used to shove ‘personal politics’ down parishioners’ throats, and that many social/political issues are complicated, especially when we apply Church doctrine and teaching to them.

But I also think it’s a little naive to think that we can entirely separate the political and the religious. Indeed, this is what the secularist enemies of religion want us to do: “you can vote but you can’t according to your conscience if it is informed by religion.” Don’t fall for this trap just because you don’t like the particular political message that shows up in the bulletin.
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“I assume that you want to speak out against abortion?” Sorry I disagree on this issue. Yes the two parties take different positions on this issue but it is a strong Catholic teachings that needs to be addressed to Catholic’s in all situations, including the Church bulletin and from the Ambo… Now how that madder is addressed concerning elections may be another topic.
 
Our church bulletin used to be a mimeographed sheet with Mass announcements, wedding banns, and a few other things, whatever would fit on one sheet.

Now, bulletins are fancier, with advertising and sponsors.

Our bulletin is chocked full of personnel assignments, such as greeters (who don’t really greet you, by the way), “good deeds” such as “I fed the dog” submitted by children for the week, and thank you’s for the work of funeral teams and for donations, and announcements for the upcoming chicken dinners and pancake breakfasts.

For many, many Sundays, the pastor filled 1/4 of the bulletin with his life’s story. In particular, he told us about his summer vacations, and all the sights he has seen, traveling with his sister to visit his family around the country.

The pastor shies away from doctrinal issues in his space, as he doesn’t subscribe to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Bible, anyway. For doctrinal cover, he stuffs a canned sheet on Church positions into the bulletin.

He seems to get hot under the collar about once a year, and speaks his mind on some criticism he’s heard lately. Of course, every expenditure is criticized. He took a lot of flack about remodeling his kitchen in the rectory.

The local flower shop has a strong presence at the church, with direct advertising, and with floral sculptures abounding inside and outside the church. The florist maintains high visibility, by participating in every activity that will list his name in the bulletin.

The local politicians generally do the latter as well, as long as they are running for office or are already in office. Once out of office, you never hear from them again.
 
What irritates me, on a similar vein, is politicians using the Church as a photo-op.

Mr. Kerry used at least 2 Pittsburgh churches as backdrops for his campaign message in 04, and it really gave a political tint that people really don’t appreciate on Sunday morning.

He’s hardly the only one, but I wish he, or the next politician down the line, would give up the tactic and stay home or visit on the Sunday morning talk shows on that day. No real reason why he couldn’t have heard mass, if he were inclined to do so, privately without TV news crews.
 
These political issues are also moral and religious issues.

We don’t take sides as to which political party to vote for, but we are, as Christians and especially as Catholics, bound to examine our consciences with regard to how we treat God’s creation around us (are we “tilling the garden” or are we vandalizing it?) give an honest critique about whether our political and economic systems are helping or hindering us in assisting the poor and doing unto others according to how we would like to be treated, and whether our support is going towards people who cloak themselves in the flag to do things that go against anyone’s God-given human rights.

The Church has the right to help us in forming our consciences on these issues, so as to authentically proclaim the Gospel in the world, and so as to know how we must behave in response to these issues.
 
I really like our Church bulletins. They fit on one sheet folded in half. On the front are the week’s schedule and a list of people on the prayer list. Inside are current events relating to the Church, parish news and a list of Mass intensions. Then on the back is a bio on a Saints day of recognition or feast that is coming up. Tim
 
The list of saints days of the week and in there was the observance of the last day of Ramadan WHY??? Too much political correctness is going on in our churches.
 
On the front:

Clergy and pastoral, school personnel, Mass schedule.

On the inside:

Readings, songs, introit of the day plus Fr. Phillips’ statement of the week.

On the back:

Announcements and notable saints
 
This week, our pastor wrote about Catholic Values and Catholic Votes …
I would like to take a moment today to address our responsibility as faith-filled Catholic Christians in the voting process. On November 7 we will be going to the polls to vote for our government leaders. Let me begin with a quote from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. “In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, participation in the political process is a moral obligation. Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts…We encourage all citizens, particularly Catholics, to embrace their citizenship not merely as a duty and privilege, but as an opportunity meaningfully to participate in building the culture of life.”
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This being said, we must realize that the Lord has commanded us to protect and preserve the life of the pre-born, the terminally ill, the disabled, embryos in danger of stem cell research and reject human cloning. We must also support God’s plan of marriage between one man and one woman. As Catholic Citizens, how can we prepare ourselves to vote responsibly?
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Code: 
* Register to vote. Absentee ballot deadline is October 30, and submit by November 3.
   
* Know your candidates and their positions on the important issues.
   
* Understand why the Right to Life is the primary election issue. Pope John Paul II said “Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights – for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture – is false illusory if the Right To Life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination.” (Christfideles LAICI, 1988). Four thousand babies are aborted each day in the U.S. alone and untold number of people in the name of euthanasia and mercy killing.
   
* Elections can be decided by a very close margin – your vote counts.
   
* Mobilize others to vote.
   
* Vote as a Catholic Christian with a properly formed conscience in accordance with the moral teaching of the Church.
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As your Pastor, I have a responsibility, duty and privilege to teach and proclaim the Truth and teachings of our Church. The Lord calls us to be his witness in the world today. We are his hands by the work we do, his tongue by the words of love we speak, his feet by the places we go and the people we serve, and his witness by our actions in society and through the voting process.
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Remember, you can make a difference! Catholic Values…Catholic Votes.
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PS to Staff: Our bulletin is also posted on our website and in the spirit of stewardship to the parish, I host and maintain the website so there should be no problem with me quoting the above with regards to conflict with copyright issues.
 
Sir_Knight said:
This week, our pastor wrote about Catholic Values and Catholic Votes … PS to Staff: Our bulletin is also posted on our website and in the spirit of stewardship to the parish, I host and maintain the website so there should be no problem with me quoting the above with regards to conflict with copyright issues.
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I pray that his remarks were appreciated by all. He did not indicate a party or a person, just sound Catholic doctrine.
 
Our parish is huge and thus our bulletin is about 8-10 pgs (4-5 folded in half). Two and a half out of the 10 are advertisements in the back. The rest are church events and such.
 
Our bulletin is printed at a company that specializes in church bulletins. It is a trifold with a flap for pages 5-6. The flap lists the Masses for the week, and has the “masthead” for the main parish Powers That Be (pastor, office manager, pastoral associate/ deacon, parish secretary, parish nurse, principal, school secretary). It has ads on the back cover. It contains information on how much we took in that month in the collection; Father’s opinion on the readings for that Sunday (sort of catechesis); a stewardship “game” to guess how much things in the parish cost; 2-3 line ads about events in other parishes and the community, such as fish fries, pork chop suppers, food pantries, spa days, etc.; special parish events; a paragraph or two on health from the parish nurse.

In addition, there are flyers for parish events. Once a month, there is a calendar of events in the parish. The diocese has a “respect life” newsletter that is extremely informative. There is a monthly catechesis from someplace that has as its mascot a mouse with a halo and wings, who reminds us “Why do Catholics do that?”

The school has an active, well-planned web site, with links to the teachers’ individual pages. It is funded by Title V, and run by a webmistress. The parish is still “in committee” on their web site, and nobody knows when they will come out of “committee” to run a web site by consensus.
 
p. 1 Church information, contact, phone numbers, an icon of our patron
pp. 2-4or5 liturgical information specific to the Sunday: troparia/kontakia (hymns), antiphons, special responses, prayers, etc.
p. 6 calendar w/announcements
p. 7-8 pastor’s teaching area (church history, liturgics, a q&a, etc., who is the saint for the day), sometimes a take home fun page for kids (Word search, crossword puzzle, an icon to color, etc.)

This week we have an insert voter’s guide from Priests for Life that the pastor paid for out of his own pocket.
 
Printed in-house on 11X17 paper and folded. On the front a picture related to the Sunday Gospel, and a teaching relating the message of the readings to Catholic doctrine and practiced, with CCC references, continued on the back page. Mission statement, masthead with staff and contact names, Mass times and sacrament info etc. List of Mass intentions for the week. Announcements of various events and meetings in the parish. We only announce outside events if there is room (bible study or fiesta at a neighboring parish for instance). We always manage to find room for Pro-Life events. Insert this Sunday will have voting guide from Texas Bishops as an insert. If there is a lot of CCD news such as at registration time or about sacramental meetings, there is an insert. One page of ads, we try to solicit businesses owned by parishioners. We used to have Catholic Q&A but lately there has not been enough room.
 
I believe Pope Benedict made a comment last week about evironmental concerns. I heard him speak on Relavant Radio. I can’t remember the full content of the statement, but it was along the lines of saying that business has a duty to take care of the planet so we have somewhere to do business. This may be why you’ve seen a comment about global warming in your bulletin.

In answer to your question, my church’s bulletin is pretty simple, it’s always just a single sheet of legal size paper in black and white:

holyrosaryparish.org/bulletin/page.htm

The front is all about prayer intentions, community gatherings and lunches, and sometimes a statement from the pastor, but not always. The back is always something to read either about a saint or something from our Archbishop or they will go so far as to print an entire encyclical over several weeks as they did with Deus Caritas Est just recently.
 
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