When Cathlics dn t g t Mass The Breathing Prayer Breathe in Gd s Lve Breathe ut When did Cathlics stp cming t Mass every Sunday? 1965: 55% at Mass every Sunday Tday: 24% at Mass every Sunday Surce: CARA 1
Hw many cme t Mass ccasinally? 21% cme at least nce a mnth, but nt weekly. 24% cme a few times a year. 32% cme rarely r never. Surce: CARA Wh Cmes t Mass? 45% Pre-Vatican II (brn befre 1946) 24% Baby Bmers (brn 1946-1960) 15% Pst Vatican II (brn 1961-1980) 17% Millennial Generatin (brn after 1981) Surce: CARA Wh s in the Pews? Cradle Cathlics: 74 percent Returned Cathlics: 11 percent Cathlic cnverts: 11 percent Inactive Cathlics: 2 percent 2
Think abut the peple yu knw wh dn t g t Mass Why dn t they cme? Busy peple Drifters Angry peple Hurt peple Spiritual Seekers Peple n the Edge Peple wh just dn t care 3
What is the prblem? What des it mean t live in a Pst Mdern culture? Three Umpires I call them as they are! I call them as I see them! They ain t nthing until I call them! 4
Living in a Pst-Mdern Wrld Declining trust in institutinal religin Cnsumer-riented mentality Entertainment mentality Breakdwn f family and cmmunity Many alternatives t church All f this has an impact n Mass attendance One-third say they can be a gd Cathlic withut ging t Mass. 57% say missing Mass is nt a sin A lt f parishes aren t ding anything. A lt f parishes have been in a maintenance mde fr a lng time. 5
We Must Reach Out I like t use the image f the field hspital: sme peple are very much injured and are waiting fr us t heal their wunds; they are injured fr a thusand reasns. We must reach ut t them and heal their wunds. Ppe Francis Befre we lk at hw we re ging t d that, there is an imprtant questin that yu have t answer D yu really want mre peple t cme t Mass? 6
It s time fr yur questins, cmments, cncerns When Cathlics Dn t G t Mass Webinar is spnsred by What draws them back? Crisis in life Influence f family r friends Sense f Gd s presence Gd liturgy & preaching Friendly cmmunity Sense f Visin in the parish Adult educatin and special events Ministry t children & teens 7
What peple want when they cme They want smene t care. They want t find meaning. They want t feel a sense f belnging. They want t feel a sense f hpe. Hw will yu reach them? Prepare the parish Teach parishiners t invite Give parishiners the wrds t say Make all parish activities welcming Six Signs Smene is pen t cming back t Mass 1.Asking Questins 2.Remembering 3.Reading 4.Cmments n events 5.Dealing with Life events 6.Feeling Gd s presence 8
Put ut int deep water and lwer yur nets fr a catch (Lk. 5:4) It s time fr mre questins, cmments, cncerns 9
Making Hspitality a Parish Pririty Hspitality is an essential part f vibrant parish life. Here are sme things yu can d t make yur parish mre welcming: Make sure yur liturgical ministers knw the imprtance f welcming peple: Statin smene at every dr befre Mass t greet peple with a smile. Train ushers and greeters t strike up a cnversatin with peple wh are new t the parish r peple wh cme t Mass alne. Remind lectrs t be friendly t everyne because the peple in the pews feel as if they already knw them because the lectrs are s visible at Mass. Encurage Eucharistic ministers t seek ut after Mass the peple wh are crying when they cme t Cmmunin. All they have t say is, Are yu all right? Help yur scial cmmittee members understand what it means t be hspitable: Use name tags at every scial event. Assign vlunteers t be n the lkut fr peple wh are standing alne. Teach vlunteers hw t intrduce themselves and strike up a cnversatin with peple they dn t knw. Make sure parish events take place in rms that are handicap accessible. Offer fruits r cut-up vegetables fr peple wh cannt eat ckies r dnuts. Encurage cmmittee members t invite newcmers t becme part f the cmmittee. Teach yur parishiners hw t be welcming: Encurage peple t mve int the pews s thers dn t have t crawl ver them. Ask peple t be especially gracius at hliday times when newcmers sit in their favrite pew. Give peple permissin t talk t peple they dn t knw. Teach themselves hw t intrduce themselves: Hi, my name is Je, and I ve been a parishiner here fr 20 years. Have I met yu befre? Make sure members f rganizatins and ministries welcme newcmers int their grups. Teach parishiners hw t seek ut peple wh have been away frm the church and invite them back. Make sure yur parish staff members ffer hspitality: Make sure yur parish secretary is friendly and helpful t peple wh call r cme t the dr. Set up a prcedure that makes peple feel welcme when they register fr the parish. Give new parishiners infrmatin abut hw they can get invlved in parish rganizatins and ministries. Make sure that rganizatins understand hw imprtant it is t make rm fr newcmers. Train staff members -- frm the ck and the custdian t the pastral assciate and the faith frmatin directr hw t welcme everyne as if he r she were Jesus. Jesus assures us that when we welcme a stranger, we are welcming Him. St. Paul tells us that peple wh are hspitable smetimes entertain angels. Parish hspitality is nt an ptin. It is ur way f mdeling the Kingdm f Gd right here n earth.
Why d I have t g t Mass? Whether yu re trying t answer this questin fr yurself r fr ther members f yur family, hw yu answer will have a lasting impact. Yu may be tempted t say, Because that s what this family des! Or wrse, Because that s what the Church says we have t d! But what des that say abut why we g t Mass? Des it make anyne including yu mre interested in ging t Mass? Here are eight gd reasns t g t Mass: 1. We receive supprt frm the faith cmmunity. We cme befre Gd as part f a cmmunity f believers. We jin in cmmunal prayers and respnses. We raise ur vices in sngs f praise and thanksgiving. We realize that we are nt alne n ur spiritual jurney. 2. We receive frgiveness. During the Mass we admit t Gd and t each ther that we have made mistakes, and we receive Gd s healing frgiveness. 3. We receive guidance. The readings and the hmily ffer us spiritual directin n hw t live ur lives as Cathlic Christians. 4. We pray. During the Mass we have the pprtunity t pray fr urselves and fr thers. We als have the pprtunity t listen t what Gd is trying t say t us. 5. We frgive. When we jin in the Lrd s Prayer, we prmise Gd that we will frgive thse wh trespass against us. 6. We witness a miracle. We watch as bread and wine are changed int the Bdy and Bld f Christ. When we receive Cmmunin, we receive the heart, mind, sul and divinity f Christ. We are strengthened in bdy and in spirit. 7. We share in the peace f Christ. At the sign f peace we reach ut t thers and experience the kind f peace that the wrld cannt give. 8. We receive a special blessing. The priest blesses us and cmmissins us t bring the lve and peace f the Lrd int the wrld. But there s mre! Ging t Mass is gd fr yu. Studies shw that ging t Mass every week: Increases life expectancy. Imprves yur dds fr a "very happy" life. Grunds us with a slid sense f right and wrng. Reduce the tendency tward rebelliusness. Make us less likely t suffer frm depressin. Imprve attitudes and reduces stress. If yu re already ging t Mass every week, cngratulatins! If nt, maybe yu shuld think abut cming back t Mass. Yu wn t be srry!