Dear Parishioners:
The Last Judgment was painted by Stefan Lochner in the 15th century.
We begin a new Church Year with the Season of Advent upon us. It is a time of preparation for Christmas as we remember the First Coming of the Son of God. We also prepare in anticipation for the Second Coming of Christ at the end of time. St. Bernard of Clairvaux says: "We know that the coming of the Lord is threefold. The first coming was in flesh and weakness, the middle coming is in spirit and power, and the final coming will be in glory and majesty."
St. Bernard explains that The First Coming was Jesus' birth at Bethlehem. The Second Coming is the Spiritual coming to each believer. And the Third Coming is Jesus coming again at the world's end. This "middle" coming is Jesus' arrival into our own lives. The Church often explains this through the sacraments, particularly through Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It is not a "physical" coming but a spiritual one, where Christ comes to dwell within our souls. Each Advent, we are challenged to prepare for all three comings of Christ, celebrating his birth and preparing our hearts to receive him now and at the end of time.
As we begin the new Church Year, we can look back over the last year at his coming. Each year, we submit the Status Animarum report to the Bishop. This "State of Souls" is a report on our parish's spiritual and sacramental life. All parishes submit this report, and then the Bishop submits one final report of the entire diocese to the Holy Father in Rome.
The Status animarum at Our Lady of Mercy Parish reports that we are a parish of 1,812 families with just about 600 actively supporting the parish. We had twenty-seven baptisms, sixty-one children made First Communion, and fifty-four young adults were Confirmed. There were just five weddings. Sadly, we had fifty-one parishioners who died and for whom we celebrated funerals. Included in the bulletin this week is a copy of the Annual Financial Report that was approved by the Parish Finance Council, Parish Trustees, and the Parish Auditors.
The report indicates we are financially viable and on good fiscal ground. However, it reports a $45,000 decrease in our weekly budget collection last year. This is attributed to the death of a few very generous parishioners and a decline in support by many families since the COVID-19 pandemic. Our expenses are up due to the increased utilities, insurance, and supplies costs. Also, our diocesan assessment increased by $10,000. However, the subsidy to the school was reduced by $28,000 due to an increase of twenty-six new students enrolled at OLM School.
Our 'State of the Souls" and Annual Financial Report highlight the facts and figures of parish life, both the spiritual and the fiscal. There has been a decline in the spiritual life and the financial support of our parish since the pandemic. Many Catholics in general and many OLM parishioners, in particular, have not returned to the regular practice of the faith.
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Lockdown Turned to Boycott in Our House: Once interrupted, the habits of religious worship can be hard to re-establish, the paper's deputy editorial features editor, Matthew Hennesey, comments on the effect of the pandemic lockdown on his family's attendance at Sunday Mass. He writes about his 17-year-old daughter, who has Down syndrome. She now refuses to go to Sunday Mass.
He explains that during the lockdown when public Mass was stopped during the pandemic, his family did what many did: watch the livestream Sunday Mass. However, transitioning back to regular attendance at Sunday Mass has been a challenge or, as he described it, a "spiritual disaster" for his family. His experience is very common among our Catholic families across the country. He comments: "Attendance at my parish has since rebounded modestly. It isn't anywhere near pre-pandemic levels."
As we begin this new church year in this Advent, may it be a time of hopeful, joyful, and prayerful renewal for our parish family. Pray those who have drifted away from parish life may return. If you know them, invite them to come back to Sunday Mass. Prepare the way for the coming of Christ. Do good. Be well. God Bless.