Crisis...
Dear Parishioners,
The new Mass and Confession schedule is now available. Some will be fine with it, while others will express the 'why did...' sentiment. We surveyed all two parishes and all three churches, and used those results to create the new schedule. St. Paul has become a non-parish church. This means that St. Paul Parish has merged with Assumption, but the actual church is to remain open.
A couple of weeks ago I highlighted the shortage of priests. The issue is more complex than just a lack of vocations. There has been a significant drop in Mass attendance over the decades. In the late 1950s, approximately 62% of Catholics attended Mass on a weekly basis.
In 1970, that dropped to about 60%. In 1974, attendance fell to 47% and remained around that level in the mid-1980s. Currently, about 24% of Catholics in the United States worship weekly, i.e., going to Mass.
The crisis, I believe, lies in loving and believing in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Loving Jesus Christ and worshipping God go hand in hand. If you think you love God but don't worship God, it would be comparable to a spouse skipping birthdays, anniversaries, etc, to watch a football game with their friends. We need to worship to sustain and renew our relationship with God. God needs nothing. We choose to love God by worshipping at Mass. At every Mass, we are mystically present and participate in the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ at Calvary. We give praise and thanks in the manner Jesus gave us, the Mass. We encounter Jesus Christ most excellently and intimately this side of death, in the Eucharist.
Please don't cut off your nose to spite your face. In other words, please don't hurt yourself out of anger towards whomever or whatever. In the Catechism, we read paragraph 2181, ‘The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason, the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.119 Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.’
Peace, Father Maassen
