Conversations About Mass Times

I realize that there has been a lot of chatter about Mass times. As of this writing, Pastoral Council met once in February and will meet again on March 3rd to discuss the matter. Members of our staff and parishioners have weighed in on the matter as well. There were around 75 submissions of possible Mass times. Every suggestion was reviewed. The decision hasn’t been made yet and I know the rumor mill is hot.

Here are a couple things that I can say for sure: to follow the Archdiocesan guidelines, we will be cutting one weekend Mass, going from seven to six. Each parish will have at least one Saturday vigil or Sunday Mass. Certain Masses won’t be rotated between parishes (ie an 8:00am Mass at parish x in odd months and at parish y in even months); it is just too confusing. Any changes will go into effect July 1st at the earliest. We’re going to try to get this right, but after the initial dust settles, adjustments may be needed.

My conversations with parishioners seem to follow three primary patterns.

• Overwhelmed: This conversation basically ends with the conclusion “that is a hard decision, I’m glad I’m not you.” It recognizes how challenging these decisions are. They effect every single active parishioner. Although I appreciate the sentiment, we must have hope. God has a plan for these parishes, we should trust in His guidance.

• Negotiator: The conversation about Mass times can often look like negotiation between parties. If parish x gets this, then parish y should get that. It views parishes as competing entities in a win or lose game. Compromise is part of every relationship, but sometimes we can seem more like competitors rather than disciples.

• Detached: I’ve had this conversation more than I would have guessed. The individual or family will say something along the lines of, “I don’t care what time Mass is or where Mass is offered. You could tell me that it is at 5:00am and I’ll be there. As long as I can offer my life to God and receive the Eucharist, I’m cool with whatever.” Of course not everyone can say this… parents have three year olds!

I am attempting to answer the question, “What is best for our family of parishes?” not “What is best for parish x?” and “what is best for parish y?” The question is: What Mass schedule will give us an opportunity to form saints and build the kingdom of God in our little slice of the vineyard? It isn’t a people pleasing venture, but a way to respond to God’s call. Certainly the Lord has a plan for our Family of Parishes and the Mass schedule. We simply get to listen to Him.

At the end of the multi-year Beacons of Light process, we will be a single parish with multiple campuses. That means that each Church building belongs to every parishioner. Instead of “this Church is mine” and “that one is yours” – all four Church buildings will be all of ours.

On second thought, that isn’t true. All four Church buildings don’t belong to us. They belong to God. These buildings are God’s Houses and we will treat them as such. There is some concern that a Church building will fall into disrepair and be unusable. I don’t intend that to happen on my watch. These are God’s houses, His temples! They should be treated with care and concern.

I hope that this gives a little insight into this discernment process. Hopefully we’ll be ready to roll out a schedule to everyone this month. I appreciate your prayers. Also I appreciate the benefit of the doubt. We are really trying to do the best thing possible for all of you and, most importantly, for our Merciful Father. May He be pleased with our sacrifice of praise!

Sincerely in the Love of Christ,
Fr. Sean Wilson