Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church

Dear Good People of Saint Mary,

At the welcome and introduction of each Mass, you may have heard the Lector say “We are not complete without you.” These are words of true longing, but also theological words: we  miss people who were once with us; we recognize our lack of diversity when we know that our baptized brothers and sisters are divided up all over Sunday according to bad decisions in the past, both personal and churchwide; we also know that Jesus’ prayer on the night before he died was clearly that we get it together and realize that we are not here for ourselves, but for something much bigger, which we call the Body of Christ.

It is time to go to work, once again this year.

It is the responsibility of each member of the Body of Christ, which has literally taken place in God’s plan at Saint Mary in Fredericksburg, to “come to Christ’s full stature,” to recognize  God’s call and be thankful, then to do something about it. Parish Life Weekend is the time for each and every person in this Body to take their place, to learn and to teach, to feed and to be fed, to reach out in healing and to be healed, to comfort and to find peace in the work that God, in his Mercy, has given us to do. There is no doubt in my heart that at this moment, God has no other plan for us than that we grow together in prayer and loving service and know God’s plan in each of our lives and the life of Saint Mary. To be reconciled, to be holy and wholly his. The knowledge of God is the science of the saints, and we are all called to be saints.

By now you surely have received your Parish Renewal Handbook and Annual Report  which contains a catalog of ministries and contact information, as well as a spiritual development of our parish theme, “People of Thankfulness, Sowing Seeds of Mercy.” If you haven’t  already, I ask you to read it and prepare your hearts to make a commitment to God and the life of this parish in the year to come with a plan: how are you going to express your thanks  to God in the coming year? How much time do you plan to pray? In which ministry do you plan to serve, using your special talents to build up God’s kingdom in the way that is unique to your gifts? And how much are you willing to give to support financially the mission of this parish and her many works? Ultimately, it is a question of how much you are willing to give your own heart to God, because where your heart is, there is your treasure.

Hearts only grow through thankfulness. Gratitude is the secret to just about every aspect of the spiritual life and the growth of community. Without it we are drawn into ourselves, trapped in self-centeredness and isolation. The kind of individualism that we see so common today is exactly what could ultimately destroy culture, families, and churches. It is already happening.

One who is forgiven much loves much. And this person is one who realizes the secret of self is that we give ourself away in love and service. How important are your things in life? For what are you most thankful? We realize that the best things in life aren’t things. They aren’t things we have earned, or bought, or found. They are gifts—grace, relationships, love, faith and hope— that are given to us by God, gifts that won’t wear out or decay. We want to return them to him a hundred-fold. Honestly, it isn’t possible to be truly a Christian and not be a person who gives. We are made in the image and likeness of God, who pours himself out for us.

Every family, please, return a card and get involved. We will place our commitment cards in the offertory baskets at next week’s Masses.

God will certainly bless you.

 Dear Good People of Saint Mary,

As you know, school is started now at Holy Cross Academy and final preparations are underway by our parish staff to begin the year for Religious Education—on Monday, September 14, one week away.

Today I must remind all parents of your moral and sacramental obligation to provide formation for your children in the faith. As your pastor I must remind you of this commitment.

Registrations this year are only 74% of where we were at this time last year. So far, only 711 children are registered in the program beginning next week, down from 965 last year.

What has happened? I haven’t heard of your dissatisfaction, in fact, only that our program has gotten better every year. Our dedicated catechists are always seeking more formation and certification, our facilities newly renovated. What has happened?

Karen Sturtevant, our Assistant Director of Religious Education, provided me with some figures for this year:

I include all of these here because they are startling. 40% of the children/youth in our parish are involved in a form of faith formation. 60% are not involved. At all.

I am hoping that the main reason for this is simply that school begins a week later this year and people are slow to get in and register, though registration has been underway since June.

National averages, however, seem to be trending  in this direction. From 1965 to 2014, estimate Catholic population in this country has increased by 30 million, to about 80 million total. There are half as many Catholic elementary schools today as in 1966, and only a relatively small number fewer Catholic high schools and universities.

The number of primary school-age children in parish religious education programs has dropped from 3.4 million in 1965 to 2.7 million today (79%), though the number of Catholics today is 160% compared to 1965. Likewise, 43% of teens are registered in secondary school-age religious education today, .6 million compared to 1.4 million in 1965.

These effects are seen in sacraments received, too. The number of baptisms in 1965, 1.3 million, has dropped to .7 million today; marriages in the Catholic Church have dropped by 57%. Mass attendance in 1965, 55%, dropped to a low of 22% in the year 2000, and has returned to 24% today.

I believe that the most serious obligation we have as a parish community is to provide Catholic education and formation. I wish we could develop a culture where Catholic education could be provided to all who seek it through the support of the whole parish, but that is a dream that will require a lot of prayer and generosity that simply doesn’t exist today. We provide financial assistance where possible, but Catholic schools remains a wish that most people cannot afford. Thanks to those of you who make the sacrifice.

Religious Education, then, is our next best hope. Why is it not demanded by parents of their children? Still, I hear from people every day who, now in their later years, wish they had done something different with their children that might have helped them hold on to their faith, stay in the Church, live by a better set of values, get into heaven. It requires a perspective of the future looking back, to see that these are not choices that children can make for themselves. If you have registered, thank you. If not, please, please, consider registering your children.

God bless you.