“Shameless plug, we’re here every week. We’d love to have you” 

These words, issued by our very own Fr. Francis on this year’s Ash Wednesday 9pm mass, are ones I’m sure all of us who go to church have heard before.  

Last year at Christmas, I remember being squished together in a pew at my home parish hearing the words “Reminder, we’re here every week” bounce from the altar all the way to the people in the standing room at the back of our church, countered with a collective chuckle.  

Why is it that days like Ash Wednesday and the Christmas Vigil attract so many of the faithful, when other Holy Days of obligation –let alone ordinary time masses, seem so slim in numbers in comparison?  

I know that this topic may lend itself to feeling like a bit of a scolding, so let’s move away from that and focus on the importance of going to mass regularly, not because I told you to, but because the Church needs you and your PARISH needs you.  

Home parishes are often struggling for finances. They rely on the generosity of their parishioners. On the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) website, they state: 

“Catholics financially support their Church primarily through the Sunday offertory collection; annual bishops’ appeals, which support diocesan-sponsored causes; and 10 national collections approved by the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.” 

These 10 national collections are Church in Central and Eastern Europe, Catholic Relief Services Collection, Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Catholic Communication Campaign, Catholic Home Missions Appeal, Church in Latin America, Peter’s Pence (Collection for the Holy Father), Retirement Fund for Religious, Black and Indian Missions, Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa, and The Catholic University of America.  

I encourage you to go to the USCCB website to read more on what these collections specifically mean and do. None of these national collections directly take care of your home parish. Your home parish relies on the Sunday offertory collections and donations. You may be familiar with hearing “the first collection today is for the parish maintenance fund.”  

The regular upkeep and maintenance of a parish may be more than you realize. Luckily for our case, sometimes parishes post a yearly fiscal report on their website. My parish, for example, in their 2023-2024 fiscal report, noted that grounds maintenance and snow removal alone cost $47,605. The basic upkeep to make sure service is available and presentable for all parishioners is a great expense.  

Beyond the scope of finances, your parish needs your attendance. A 2024 Gallup article reported that 2021-2023 averages saw that 23% of Catholics attend church every week. A stark 21% of U.S adults attended a religious service every week. Compared to their data for 2000-2003, Catholics have decreased in weekly attendance –12 points. The general U.S adult attending a religious service also saw a –12 point decrease. They also noted that young adults are the least likely to attend religious services. 

At my parish, I have noticed that the majority of weekly parishioners are elderly, and the second largest group is families with young children. There is a noticeable lack of teens and young adults at the weekly mass. This raises the question of what percent of children raised in the Catholic church find themselves estranged in their teenage and young adult years? And at what point do they enter back in? Is youth/college culture the largest reason for the lack of young adults? How would an increase of young adults in their local parishes benefit the community of the parish as a whole? 

Without stable participation and attendances, in some cases, parishes may be forced to close. Catholic parishes have wonderful opportunities to get involved. Most parishes have a children’s group, men’s and women’s groups, and OCIA offered. Some additional activities that some parishes offer may be knitting/crocheting groups that donate their goods and other service/charitable ministries orchestrated by your parish.   

I implore you to consider participating in the community of your parish. Keep it alive, it’s there for you.