I've been working on my parish's stewardship campaign lately. I realize now that I was meant to help with this. If I were employed, there is no way I would've had the time necessary to get it going.
There is a financial piece to the campaign, but the parish has a more critical need to get more parishioners involved in the life of the parish. We are financially stable. We are a small parish but we are not in debt. We are blessed to have several really wealthy members.
I think, sometimes, it's easier to ask Catholics for more money than for their time. I know, Catholics can be notoriously tight-fisted. But, our parish relies, heavily, upon only a few who seem to do all the parish activities.
We have critical needs for: a Sacristan, Funeral lunch volunteers, a Parish Festival Chair and a Holiday Bake and Craft Sale Coordinator.
As I was calling around the "regulars" were saying "This is the last year I'm leading this!" or "I'm getting too old and crippled to do it. Let the young people step up!" or "I'm tired of doing it."
Some of these folks have been doing these ministries, leading these minitries, for years-even decades.
God bless them for their efforts.
The stewardship process emphasized to me the importance of our retired parishioners to parish life. Also, the parents who are home during the day are critical as well. Without them, our parish has nothing to offer outside of the Sacraments.
Don't get me wrong. The Sacraments are the primary reason for Church. Sacraments are critical. However, I think the parish used to be the social life or the community as well. Maybe as more of us moved away from the parish of our registration we quit relying upon the parish family to be our family.
I don't hear the younger folks in my parish expressing great enthusiasm for being at the Church outside of the Mass. I think it's great that more of the young people are engaged and excited about the Sacraments. They go to Mass, but, that's it. People have more demands for their attention these days.
Someone said; "Well, maybe we just will not have funeral luncheons. We'll just recommend some nearby restaurants." I don't know about you. But, I'm in no shape to drive immediately after attending a loved one's funeral.
I pray that maybe it takes the absence of things people take for granted to bring people around. Since the Sacristan put his foot down, there are times the Sanctuary Lamp is dark and the Church is locked.
If we don't have a Parish Festival this year (which happens to be our biggest fundraising event), then people are going to have to dig deeper into their wallets. If we don't have a Holiday Bake and Craft Sale, people that don't bake will not have those homemade goods to serve at Thanksgiving or the homemade item to give at Christmas.
I have some hope that the Stewardship campaign will work. Even though our parish numbers are small, most of our parish live in the neighborhood. It's alot easier to persuade someone to give of their time, when they don't have to drive over 1/2 hour to get to Church. A great deal of the parishioners live within walking distance.
What I worry about is that without the active parish life it can be harder to attact new people. Yes, many are drawn to a Mass appropriately celebrated, but in this neighborhood (Thanks Be To God) almost all the parishes nearby are solid. So, we are competing against other solid parishes. Without the activity draw, what do we have?
We have a lovely building, but the interior was wreckovated in the 70's. It's nice, but not what people expect from the exterior.
We need something to differentiate ourselves in order to stay viable. I'm not sure, yet, what that is.
In the meantime, we need volunteers!
The parish does not run itself. Father, certainly, can not and should not be doing all the work. If you are not involved in your parish, outside of showing up for Mass (great!), please consider it. If the Church is your life, then, make it so.
