In the spring of 2013, we conducted a parish wide census. Our goal was to clean up our database so that we might have a more accurate picture of who we are and a more efficient way of communicating with our parish community. Now that the census information has been collected, we are beginning to get a better sense of who we are as a parish.
When we sent out the census packets we had 1932 families in our database. Over the summer months 847 families returned their census forms (44% return rate) so we were able to verify their information. Below are some interesting facts about who we are as a parish:
Registered Households (as of 10/13) = 1752
Registered People = 5387
Age Breakdowns of Active Members:
Age 1-20
1677
33%
Age 21-35
564
11%
Age 36-50
919
18%
Age 51-64
962
19%
Age 65+
606
12%
Median Age
39
New Members (over a 1-year period 9/1/12-13) =70
Children in Religious Education = 628
Parish Count by ZIP Code: 80% Simsbury / 20% other towns
One of the benefits of the census thus far has been the collection of email addresses. We have been able to increase our email distribution list from 230 email addresses to more than 900 emails, and we now send out weekly emails that include the Sunday readings, my weekly column, and reminders about upcoming events here at St. Mary’s. (If you are not receiving these emails you can add your email to the distribution list by clicking here.)
Over 1000 families did not respond to our census so we examined this group more closely to see who they are. We were able to determine that 430 of these families are active either by providing financial donations and/or having children in our Religious Education program. If they had returned their form they most certainly would have checked off the “active” box. This leaves a total of 655 families that we have no information about.
As I stated when I arrived at St. Mary’s I said that I wanted to focus my ministry on the theme of Faith and Evangelization. I knew that there were many families who no longer attended Mass, and I wanted to invite those families back into our faith. The hard part was identifying who those families are. The responses we received from the census were very important, but the people who did not respond are equally important to us. This group of 655 families represents the group that I have wanted to reach out to since I arrived here at St. Mary’s.
As Catholics we are called to evangelize. Do you have a family member who no longer attends Mass? Is there someone in your neighborhood who has fallen away from the church? Evangelization is an ongoing process that can take months, weeks or even years. We are all called to do our part in sharing our faith and evangelizing those who have drifted away from the church and lost the deep meaning of life. Pope Francis has described the church as “the house where the doors are always open not only to welcome everyone in to breathe love and hope, but also so we can take this love and hope outside.” Let us all do our part in taking God’s love and hope outside our church.