Dear Friends in Christ:
I would like to update you on our situation in the parish along with some other pertinent issues. First and foremost, we give praise to God for all our blessings! We are truly blessed, and every blessing is a gift from God and a sign of His love for us. We can never forget that!
We have seen a gradual increase in most areas of parish life since the tumultuous downturn in 2020 due to the pandemic. Mass attendance and income have both increased in the last year. That is a great thing. We have had one of the largest RCIA groups in the history of the parish and our Youth Formation and children’s sacraments are also up. But the picture is not all rosy. We remain 20% below the number of financial donors to the parish that we had in 2020 and our Mass attendance is not what it was a few years ago. On any given Sunday, our Mass attendance is less than 50% of our registration.
Studies have shown that many people stopped attending church during the pandemic and have been slow to come back. However, COVID merely accelerated what was already taking place. The changing cultural landscape in society has impacted regular church attendance for all churches and religions. Of those who previously attended church weekly, some now only attend once or twice a month. Others who attend monthly now attend only a few times a year. Sadly, it is estimated that 40 million Americans no longer go to church even once a year! This is being called “The Great De-Churching”. It is already having a huge impact on our society and nation. It will soon impact many other facets of our society, from politics to education to commerce and yes, even taxes! St. John Vianney parish is not immune from these societal and cultural changes.
I am not an advocate of hand wringing! This new era is an opportunity for us to live the Gospel with greater courage and boldness and for us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. God has promised that He will give us every grace we need in every circumstance we face. Jesus did not establish a political party or economic system. He did not establish an earthly nation, a multi-national welfare system, or an NGO. Jesus founded His Church to bring the good news to all people and to help us grow in holiness in this life and to live with Him in glory in the next life! That remains our mission. Jesus gives us a mission, not a maintenance plan! To help us fulfill this mission, He promised that He would be with us always and that He would give us the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
But let’s not be naïve. We have real challenges, and they are not small. How do we help people to live their faith more enthusiastically in an increasingly hostile world? How do we encourage more people to come and offer Mass each week? How do we generate the funds necessary to fulfill our mission? How do we engage more parishioners in the mission of evangelization and charity? How do we transmit our beautiful Catholic faith to the next generation? How do we strengthen marriages and families? How do we better reach out and serve those in material need? How do we care for those in spiritual need? How do we more faithfully offer God our adoration and praise? How do we encourage more priestly and religious vocations in our parish? How do we more lovingly welcome those who are lost or are questioning their faith? How do we comfort the sick and dying with the love of Jesus?
We face these, and so many other challenges, each day. And thanks be to God, we are blessed to face these challenges. These challenges are our mission! These challenges are all opportunities for us to serve God and help bring God and His love to others. The good news is that we already do this every day here in St. John Vianney parish, guided and aided by God’s grace and the Holy Spirit. The challenge now is how to follow the Lord’s call even more faithfully in these new changing times and circumstances.
In Pace Christi,
Fr. Troy