May 14 - "Mass Survey Results" & Summer Seminarian

I am happy to tell you that Cardinal Wuerl has assigned Joseph Salser, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Washington to our parish for eight weeks or pastoral training and service this summer.  Joseph will arrive on Wednesday, May 17.  While he is with us this summer, Joseph will be ordained a deacon.  Cardinal Wuerl will ordain him a deacon on Saturday, June 10.  Joseph will be what is called a transitional deacon.  That is, he is expected to be ordained to the priesthood in 2018.  After he arrives I am going to ask to write up something for the bulletin so that he can introduce himself to you.  Please welcome Joseph when you see him.
As you know I announced at all the Masses last weekend that we will soon phase out the 1:00 p.m. Sunday Mass.  I did this light of several things.  The survey that was administered online and in church in March asked parishioners whether they preferred to keep the 8:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. Mass.  53% of respondents favored keeping the 8:00 a.m. Mass and 47% preferred retaining the 1:00 p.m. Mass.  I decided to accept the Parish Pastoral Council’s recommendation to phase out the 1:00 p.m. Mass.  The change to a five-Mass schedule will go into effect on Sunday, July 2.
The 10-question survey additionally asked questions regarding why people attend the Mass they do, what changes to Mass times they might take, and what do they like best about the parish’s weekend worship experience. Some of the other survey results are summarized here:
Which Sunday Mass do you normally attend?                
Twenty-four percent of respondents to this question typically attend the 9:30 a.m. Mass, according to the survey results. Attendees at the 11:15 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday Mass took the next largest shares of the pie, with 21 percent and 20 percent of respondents attending those Masses, respectively.   Those attending the 8 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Masses on Sunday made up more modest shares, claiming 13 percent, 12 percent and 10 percent of total respondents.
Is there any personal or family reason that drives your decision to go to the Mass you normally attend?
In this open-ended question, respondents were invited to express their reasons for attending the Mass they normally attend. Of 604 respondents who answered this question, people cited some of the following reasons:

• Convenience or time availability (101 people)
• Music, regarding either their liking of a particular musical style played at a certain Mass or their need to fulfill a music ministry at St. Francis. (55 people)
• Family, with respondents citing spending time with their families (40 people)
• Religious education (55 people)
• Work Schedule (18 people)

If you could, what changes to Mass times would you make? Please explain.
On this question, 411 people answered the inquiry. Responses fell across the board, but a number of respondents (18 total) stated the 1 p.m. Mass should be eliminated.
What is your age?
Of the 760 respondents who answered this survey question, 40 percent of them fell in the age group of 56 to 70. People between the ages of 41 to 55 made up another significant group, with 26 percent of them responding to this question. 
What is your gender?
The sample was majority female, with 60 percent of them identifying as women. Forty percent identified as male.
Additional survey results will be published in the bulletin throughout May. For more information about the survey results, please contact our St. Francis Communications Coordinator, Melissa Egan, at [email protected].
Until next week,
Fr. John