The only term that came to mind when this was announced at Mass on Sunday was a slang term, introduced to me by a long-distance friend with a love of odd not-quite-words: "sadface."
There is something seriously wrong when a church has to close. There is something even more wrong when the rest of the community is not even registering the fact that, "Oh, hey. We should go to Mass more often so our church doesn't close either." I consider Mother of Sorrows to be a particularly lucky church, since it has so many registered parishioners that it only takes a fraction at each Mass to seem well-attended.
Ink's new goal after college: build the Catholic church in Rochester from the inside out.
We're praying for you, OLM. Sadface.
5 comments:
10 years ago, when OLM's weekend Mass attendance was in the 800 range, the children's Liturgy of the Word would routinely draw maybe a dozen kids. While there were families with kids, there just weren't that many. It's that demographic, I think more than anything else, that has done them in.
OLM's school closed in the early '80s and the median age of the congregation has been inching up ever since, as the families with kids sought out other parishes or, in some cases, other denominations.
ugh, children's Liturgy of the Word...we'd always play that dadgum awful "Let the children come to me, let the children come. never hinder them, never stop them, o let the children come" song when we bid them adieu....blech!
Thanks for the reminder of those days. we also had illiturgical prancing for quadriplegics, lay homiletics for dummies, and a nice game of "let's break the world record for EMHC's" Oh OLV, how I prefer thee!
Matt,
10 years ago I was one of OLM's adult leaders for the children's Liturgy of the Word. When we left for our own room, we did so in silence.
However, this being DOR, I'm not surprised at what you report. I can only say that little, if any, of those shenanigans were going on at OLM 10 years ago.
I'm familiar with kids being sent off to "Salt of the earth" week after week after week. It never changed, it was always that hymn!
~Dr. K
Ink, it is our job build the Catholic church in Rochester NOW.
Recall your patron saint from your Confirmation. There are lots of little things you can do.
Keep encouraging your friends to go to Mass.
Keep inviting them to come along with us or to meet us at Mass on Saturday nights before you have a social activity.
Keep talking up the Latin masses.
Create a Saint of the Day game: Challenge your friends to find out odd/interesting things about the saint whose feast day it is.
Throw a party for your your friends in honor of your patron saint on his/her feast day.
OK, I'm getting carried away...
I love that you are on fire in Christ. Keep those embers burning.
Love,
Mommy
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