18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 31, 2011
From the Pastor's Desk
Recently, we conducted a parish survey at Holy Cross. We asked parishioners about the effectiveness of our many ministries, and we welcomed suggestions as to how our parish life can be improved. The results of this survey are available on the tables at the church exits. Please be sure to take a copy of the survey responses with you and read it.
An organization called CARA (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate), which is based at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, conducts parish surveys across the country. A recent CARA study found that 56 percent of Catholics are registered parishioners, 33 percent of Catholics attend Mass in any given week, and 24 percent of Catholics attend Mass every week or more often.
Although the introduction of more parish programs would help to improve Catholic participation in parish life, what is needed in our time is to personally engage people and invite them to know and love Jesus Christ. After personally engaging them and listening to them, we invite them to join the parish family. The mission of reaching out to others who do not come to church is the responsibility of everyone.
Recently, we have had groups representing our parish going door-to-door in our neighborhood, inviting people to know and love Jesus. Members of the Neocatechumenal Way at Holy Cross went door-to-door last winter, and the John XXIII group did the same in East Newark for St. Anthony's. I believe that these personal encounters are what attracts people to parish life.
Young people find connections with the internet. Hopefully, we will reach many as we continue to work on improving our parish website.
