From the bulletin of Feb 27th, 2022
As I announced last week during the Homily, our Sunday Mass schedule will change to 9am starting the Second Sunday of Easter (April 24). The reason is straightforward: we don’t need two Masses to accommodate the number of people who attend on Weekends. We average just under 300 people on a weekend (100/Mass) though we could fit 600. It’s worth reflecting on how necessary the Saturday 4pm really is (don’t worry, I’m not cancelling it, just provoking thought).
I also identified two other possible reasons to have multiple Masses and I wanted to explain how those reasons don’t seem to apply here. First was the cultural/linguistic differences. Spanish Mass is provided just down the road at Lydia and I don’t know of another group with other linguistic needs, nor could I provide that anyway.
Then there was the point about offering times for people’s whose schedules were outside their control and could not make available times. I did say I am willing to offer an Sunday evening Mass if someone can show me both the need for it and that it would be supported. What I mean by this is that I would like to see evidence that adding a Sunday evening Mass would increase total attendance on a weekend and that it would provide a Mass option for those who do not have any other option. That second half is important because, at the moment, there are Sunday evening options. In fact, there are three of them within 15 miles of Jeanerette: Sacred Heart in New Iberia, St. Jules in Franklin, and St. Peter’s in New Iberia at 5, 5:30, and 6, respectively. Were these farther away, I’d be more likely to add an evening Mass to meet that need.
While belonging to a parish means you generally attend Mass there, give to the collection there, and get involved there, it doesn’t mean you can’t ever go to Mass elsewhere. Convenience should not be our goal, but we also don’t have to go too far out of our way to make things inconvenient. There is nothing wrong with occasionally going to Mass elsewhere when certain needs and interests make attending the usual time and place overly difficult. I’m not offended (more importantly, I don’t think God is offended) if the occasional trip or sporting event means you go down the road for evening Mass or catch Mass wherever you happen to be. Please make sure to prioritize getting to Mass when you do travel!
Regarding work: Ideally, we’d have a culture that didn’t make farmers (or anyone except emergency workers) work on Sunday at all. Still, I get that such things are often beyond an individual’s control, so going to evening Mass on Sunday during busy seasons is reasonable, so long as you are going to Mass and also making sure to get sabbath rest in some way. And for those of you in a position to change that situation, I invite and challenge you to look for ways to significantly reduce how much work you expect from people on Sundays or to eliminate Sunday work altogether if possible. Some things can’t be paused, but profit margins alone are not a good reason to pressure people to work. If it’s not truly necessary, we shouldn’t even allow employees to work Sundays even if they want to. But that’s a topic for a different homily.
Still, I’m open to a good argument. Do you think we need another Mass or a different time? Please make your case. I promise I’ll listen. In the meantime, keep praying for me and all of us here at St. John’s. We are a Spiritual Family and the family that prays together stays together.
– In Christ,
Fr. Albert