The fact is that on any given Sunday approximately one fourth of the potential congregation of any given church will attend a service. The Catholic Church is included in this statistic.

Obviously, there are multiple reasons why people stay away from church. Within that seventy-five per cent who aren’t here today, for example, there will be some who have given up entirely on the church. There will be others who will be with us for Christmas and Easter, and perhaps a wedding or funeral. There are others who will come by more regularly: perhaps once a month or so.

There are still a lot of people who want us to be here when they need us for a funeral, wedding, baptism, communion or confirmation. However, they do not seem to appreciate the fact that without their support, we may not be here when they need us. As the ranks of the “faithful” decrease, the burden of support increases, and has been known to so overwhelm some communities that they have not been able to sustain themselves.

Now I am not suggesting that we are anywhere near being forced to close. There is still a good deal of support for the parish from our parishioners, registered and non-registered.

However, I would like to suggest to you that we do need to keep trying to strengthen ourselves for the future. One way is by having a good base of parishioners. If you have been coming here for some time, but are not formally registered, perhaps this is the time for you to do so. There is strength in numbers and no substitute for a full complement of parishioners who are registered, receive envelopes and are on record as supporting the parish financially.

There is also the witness that comes from regular attendance at Mass. When the church is full and the liturgy is engaging and includes the active participation of the congregation, any visitors, or stragglers, are impressed, and may well come to join us permanently. Allied with this is the quality and quantity of liturgical ministers. When there are well prepared and vibrant proclaimers of the Word, sincere and deliberate Ministers of Communion, and spirited choir members, cantors and music ministers, the liturgy works and this  purpose of our being church is fulfilled.

Now we cannot do more than encourage the part time and peripheral parishioners to increase their participation. Gaining new members through the “convert” process of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults is another avenue that we use to strengthen the parish.

The ultimate strength of a parish, however, rests upon the soldiers of the regular parishioners. We have had the splendid example over the years of a solid group of men and women who have made the parish and its endeavors a priority in their lives. They continue to participate in parish events as long as they possibly can, and their work has been, and continues to be, greatly appreciated. However, as we begin a new academic year, I would like to encourage each of us to take a good look at ourselves in terms of our commitment to the parish. At the heart of the survival of any parish community is the witness of parishioners to their faith. When “ordinary” parishioners can tell others why God is in their lives, and why this reality makes a difference for them, then others are forced to take notice. It is easy enough for those on the margins to write off the preaching of priests and deacons, because it is expected that we are going to “give the party line” and come out in favor of church. But when people show in their lives, by the deliberate and vocal witness to the faith, along with the observable behavior mentioned above, then we have active apostles for the church. This apostolic activity reflects the work of the original apostles and reminds us that the Holy Spirit continues to be active in the community today we strive to live the message of the gospel in our world today.

I hope we can all renew our dedication to the faith, and the parish in this new academic year.