NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD
The Parish Pastoral Council has been reviewing the priorities for our Parish articulated by Parish Organization Leaders in consultation with members of their ministries or groups. There are two – representing opposite ends of life’s experiences – that are important, difficult and high on the agenda.
The Parish’s ministry to our senior parishioners is the Pastoral Council’s first discussion.
If you look at the activities of our Parish, you find many things and you also find a gap. Organizations for parents of younger children, mothers, the School and Religious Education programs, ministries and organizations that welcome people of all ages, young adults and all sorts of events are very evident. Some are specifically aimed at a particular age group. There is nothing with a specific senior focus.
Let’s look at a brief analysis of the situation. Just over 10 years ago, a prayer and social activity program for seniors called Golden Diners ended at Queen of Angels. There was an 11 a.m. Mass Monday through Friday often preceded by other types of prayer sponsored by the Parish, followed by an inexpensive seniors hot lunch served in the church basement sponsored by the City of Chicago. In its strongest years, 70 people came to lunch. In its final two years, Mass attendance and lunch participants never exceeded twelve. At times, as low as three. The City of Chicago discontinued the lunch program and the Parish ended the 11 a.m. Mass.
Around that time, the City greatly expanded the Levy Senior Citizen Center and the Japanese American Center created a number of programs for seniors of all nationalities. These two Centers became the hub of senior activities. As these two Centers expanded, senior activities or senior clubs at our Parish and in our neighboring parishes declined or ended. These two Centers offered services that no parish could equal in financing or quality. Of all our neighbors, only St. Matthias Parish, our neighbor to the north, has a seniors club. It is small in number with a few of our parishioners participating in its activities.
Along with that, the number of seniors has declined in our neighborhood for a variety of reasons: unaffordable taxes, moving to smaller homes either on their own or living with one of their children not in this parish, or they have gone to the Lord. Demographics change.
Even with that history, the Parish Staff and Parish Pastoral Council feel we cannot simply say, “Seniors are served at City or Social Centers and their numbers have decreased so we don’t have to worry about this age group.” Many seniors built and helped create much of what this Parish is and still contribute to its holiness, life and financial stability.
“What does the Parish do?” Or perhaps the first question is, “What is needed?” The Parish Pastoral Council is developing a way to pursue these questions with our senior parishioners. What could this Parish offer to senior Catholics? Prayer? Gatherings? Support? Trips? Health guidance? Spiritual reflection? Key to this is what is doable, what is affordable and what should the Church do that no one else can do or is doing? And then, there must be participants.
We are asking our senior parishioners to begin thinking about this. Please watch for further information on how opinions will be gathered and possible action steps developed. Non-seniors, please also think about this. All of us will be there one day!
The Parish’s ministry to our high school age parishioners is the Pastoral Council’s second discussion. Both discussions are going on simultaneously. Both with the same two questions in common: What does the Parish do? What is needed? More on this in the future.
Father Bill O’Brien
