Announcing “Together Sunday”

It is no secret that the percentage of Christians in the United States attending weekly Sunday Services at their church has sharply declined in the past fifty years.   Fifty years ago about fifty (50%) percent of the U.S. population attended church weekly.  Now the figure is about thirty (30%) percent and dropping.  For Catholics this is especially troubling as the “first precept” taught by the Catholic Church is attendance at Sunday and Holy Day Mass.  In the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Sunday Mass attendance is down thirty (38%) percent over the past fifteen years.   

I only have twelve years of data for St. Ann, but at Sacred Heart when I arrived in 2006 we saw a modest increase for two years, which plateaued at 1834 per Sunday in 2008.  We dropped slightly in the intervening ten years, but with the COVID epidemic in 2019 and 2020, we dropped below one thousand per weekend.  Only now are we averaging about one thousand again.  This represents about a forty five (45%) percent drop over the past fifteen years.

Part of the reason for this national trend of reduced attendance among all Christian denominations is the secularization of American Society since the 1960s.  Although it is tempting to digress from this discussion to speculating about the reasons and causes for the decline; for our purposes here it is safe to say that there are many reasons and contributing factors involved in the analysis.  Regardless of the reasons, the reality is that fewer people are attending church!

Archbishop Schnurr is asking each Family of Parishes to participate in “Together Sunday” this year on the Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, November 24.  If you build a suspension bridge, each of the cables is made of many small wires.  Each wire making up the cable is weak, but wound together into a cable, the strength of the cable as a whole increases seemingly exponentially.  The same is true with the Body of Christ. The more who come together through the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist, the greater the presence of Christ radiates through us into a needy world.  Sometimes all it takes is a personal invitation to find our strength in the community in which Christ is present to us in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Beacons of Light: Phase Three:  “Culture”

The next step in the Beacons process is to identify and lift up the various cultural adaptations that have evolved in each unique parish and determine how these can be incorporated into and maintained for the combined “Family of Parishes.”  In meeting with the combined Parish Council, it seems that both St. Ann and Sacred Heart have combined cultural aspects unique to each so they are available to both.  The four directors, two principals and certain volunteer coordinators have been invited to the Archdiocese to consider the timing of official canonical consolidation into the Parish Family of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; one parish with two worship locations and two semi-independent parish schools.  As two parish communities becoming one parish in two communities, we do not want to lose the uniqueness of either while we become an even more powerful Catholic evangelical force in the future of the south Butler County region. More to come.

DO NOT FALL FOR SCAMS!!!!

I keep running this article because there are new scams everyday

Remember I NEVER solicit funds, donations, favors, or any request of any kind over the telephone, text, email, carrier pigeon, drone, etc.   NEVER!  Do not allow yourself to be taken in by scammers.  Even if they have my recorded voice, be assured it is computer generated fake!  It is not me!!!  

Reminder for volunteers who work with or around children

Please be aware that failure to register with and complete the requirements of Safe Parish will result in your inability to continue to work with or around children in any parish and/or school setting.  We have been informed by the Archdiocese that there can be NO EXCEPTIONS.

Live Streaming for Precept Masses

Please remember to access the Sacred Heart / St. Ann Pastoral Region You Tube site by clicking on the following link:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVLLqbEY5hKWinwz069MVcg

Reflection on Scripture:

Scandal can influence people to despair.  Scandal plants the seeds of doubt causing others to see evil in good, weakness in strength, and sorrow in midst of joy!    Invoking scandal is the “oldest trick in the book” when it comes to ruining enthusiasm for the truth.  It may be real or contrived, but even the implication of scandal can ruin any perception. 

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us that we must never diminish innocent faith by introducing scandal.  The destiny of one who scandalizes the innocent is a fate worse than confinement in the basement of hell.  Deliberately killing faith in another is a double slap to the face of God.  It is a vicious attack against God and the damage is often permanent. 

But as followers of Christ, we must not only avoid causing scandal (even inadvertently) but we must shield ourselves against the risk of being scandalized.  We must put on the armor of faith in Jesus Christ.  If we are impervious to scandal, our good example will assure others that the purveyor of the scandal is a parasite without a soul, and its lie falls on deaf ears.  Look how Jesus turned the scandal of the cross into the most beautiful image of love and forgiveness ever known to humanity. 

NEXT SUNDAY  Twenty Seventh  Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gn 2:18-24

Heb 2:9-11

Mk 10:2-16

Theme: Respect Life Sunday