New Mass Times
New Mass Times :
Saturday:
5 pm
Sunday:
8 am, 10 am, Noon, 5 pm
Message from Father George Wenzinger
Dear Parishioners,
As many of you are aware, the Parish Leadership Team, The Parish Council, and I have been considering changing Sunday morning Mass times on a trial basis with the goal of giving more time for fellowship after Masses, lightening the strain on clergy & liturgical ministers, and alleviating parking lot congestion for parishioners coming and going from Mass. In the past, we have offered six Masses out of necessity when we had over 2500 parishioners attending each weekend. It has been over 10 years since we have had Mass attendance at that level. Now, with about 1600 parishioners each Sunday, we believe offering one less Mass on Sunday morning will better serve our parish.
We recently sent out a survey to our parishioners to help us better evaluate changing Mass times and heard from over 450 respondents. We are so grateful for your feedback and your prayers, which have greatly assisted us in this process. Along with our Parish Leadership Team, and the Pastoral Council, we have been better informed to make the best decision for our parish.
Through much prayer, feedback, consultation, and consideration, we decided to change the Mass Schedule to Sat 5 pm, Sunday 8 am, 10 am, Noon, 5 pm. This change took effect “on a trial basis” effective Monday, July 1st, 2019 and will run through August 31st, 2019. Sunday July 7th was the first day of the new Mass times. A decision will be made prior to August 31st and communicated to the parish at-large regarding whether or not we keep this arrangement.
Your companion on the journey,
Father George Wenzinger
Mass Time Survey Results
We heard from over 450 respondents from our parish survey. These respondents largely represent the families who attend Mass regularly and is an extraordinary response. We learned the following:
I do not mind a change in Mass. (85% did not mind)
85% of respondents to this statement said they did not mind a change in Mass times
I am in favor of a change in Mass times. (77% in favor)
52% of respondents to this statement said they were in favor of changing Mass times
25% of respondents to this statement said they were strongly in favor of changing Mass times
I do not support a change in Mass times. (14% did not support)
10% of respondents to this statement said they did not support changing Mass times
4% of respondents to this statement said they "strongly" did not support changing Mass times
Mass Schedule Preference
7:00, 9:00, 11:00 - 9% of respondents preferred this schedule
7:30, 9:00, 11:00 - 24% of respondents preferred this schedule
7:30, 9:30, 11:30 - 29% of respondents preferred this schedule
8:00, 10:00, Noon - 38% of respondents preferred this schedule
Capacity Evaluation
This is what we found regarding the number of people attending Masses under the proposed schedules based on your responses:
Under the 7, 9, 11 schedule fewer people would attend the "early Mass" which is currently our smallest Mass, and the 11:00 am Mass would be crowded. With only 100 people or less potentially attending an earlier Mass, this option seemed to be the least desirable.
Under the 7:30, 9, 11 schedule the distribution of people at Masses improved between the 9:00 and the 11:00 but 11:00 Mass remained crowded.
Under the 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 schedule the 9:30 Mass appears to be over capacity and may not be a viable option for that reason.
Under the 8, 10, Noon schedule the 8:00 Mass attendance improves significantly from the 7:30 am Mass and helps create a better distribution among all Masses for capacity. For this reason, this appears to be the most viable option.
Concerns
Unsurprisingly, there were valid concerns shared by parishioners. There has not been a change in Mass times for many years and often times change can be difficult. Fortunately, we have not etched our Mass times in stone and we believe the adjustment is worth trying for many reasons. We will keep an open mind as we evaluate the change. Some parishioners expressed a desire to retain their particular Mass times through the survey. While we could not honor individual requests and recognize some people may not be pleased with a change in schedule, it is our prayer that our parishioners will be understanding and charitable through this process. There was also a few concerns raised about potential parking issues and overcrowding and while we believe our parish can handle this transition and it is beneficial, we are open to the possibilities of being wrong. While this change will help reduce the demands on our clergy as mentioned, it is not the primary reason for this change. The primary reason for a change is to create an opportunity for community and fellowship and to better honor the Lord’s day.
Mass Intentions
For practical and pastoral reasons, Mass intentions for the 9 am Mass and the 10:30 am Mass on Sundays beginning July 1st will be combined and assigned to the 10 am Mass through August. The 7:30 am intention will move to 8 am and all others will remain the same. If you have a scheduled Mass Intention on Sunday Morning and would like to change it to a future date, please contact the parish office.