20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

08-18-2024Pastoral ReflectionsReverend Bob Poitras

Dear Friends in Christ,

Earlier this year the Parish Pastoral Council and I took up a conversation about our weekend Mass schedule. My concern is the declining numbers for the 12:00pm Mass that our parish has traditionally held between September and May. During my first year as Pastor, I witnessed that our 12:00pm Mass was not only our lowest attended Mass, but it is also a Mass with the smallest collection as well as the hardest Mass to find Liturgical Ministers for service.

I think you would agree all three of these difficult realities made it worth our Parish Pastoral Council discussion on whether or not to return to the 12:00pm Mass this September.

I am announcing today that after discussion and consultation with our Parish Pastoral Council and upon their advice, I have decided that St. Mary’s Parish will suspend the 12:00pm Mass for the immediate future. Therefore, our Weekend Schedule will remain 4:00pm on Saturday and 7:30am and 10:30am on Sunday.

To those who were regulars at the 12:00pm Mass, I know this will be frustrating news, and I apologize for the inconvenience this change presents for you. However, we must, like all things, be unafraid to continue to move forward into the future together. When one season ends another begins. So, I pray we as a parish will find new blessings in this new season of Mass schedules at St. Mary’s.

Also, I have created a Subcommittee of the Parish Pastoral Council which also includes members of our Parish Finance Council that will work on creating a new weekend Mass schedule for St. Mary’s Parish in the future. This Subcommittee will research, review, and present to the Parish, options for what a new St. Mary’s Parish weekend Mass schedule could be in the future. Please keep this Subcommittee’s work in your prayers and look for more information on how to include your input on these matters in the coming months.

Peace and Blessings.