May 1, 2022

Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever ~

This pastor’s column is a follow up on the one I ran last week about a change in the weekday Mass time. Currently weekday Masses start at 7am. To find out why its’ being moved at all, please read or re-read my pastor’s column from last week, found on our website here.

As of this Monday, May 2nd, the weekday Masses will start at 8:30am (rosary at 8:10am) – this means that we will have Mass at 8:30am every day of the week! Easy enough to remember. I chose 8:30am over 8am because it is just as popular as 8am, and works a little better with parish calendaring and events than 8am. Here’s the breakdown.

For interested parties, through a survey on our website, I asked for your feedback as to whether you preferred 8am or 8:30am. Out of a 131 on-line responses: there was an even number of people preferring one time over another (55-56); 20 people who were fine with either time; 107 people who could attend Mass at both times 8 or 8:30; 19 people who were unsure if they could attend Mass at either 8am or 8:30am (depending on which one was chosen); and 5 people who could not attend a time later than 7am, presumably because it would conflict with their work schedule. I have heard from some others who didn’t take the survey, but the net gain of moving from 7am to 8:30am is about 40 more people. Roughly speaking, that’s about a 50% gain in weekday Mass attendance!

Because of the change in the weekday Mass time, office hours are changing too. As of this Monday, May 2nd, the new office hours will be from 9am-4pm, Monday-Friday.

So as of this Monday, May 2nd, this will be our liturgical schedule:

Sunday Masses: Saturday at 4:30pm, Sunday at 8:30am & 11am. [No change]
Weekday Masses: 8:30am Monday thru Saturday morning.
Mass times on Holy Days of Obligations (minus Christmas): 8:30am, 11am, and 7pm.
The rosary will be prayed 20 minutes before the start of every Mass, as we currently do on Saturday and Sunday.
23 hour Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Friday 9am to Saturday 8am (with Benediction).
Confessions: Friday from 4-5:15pm; Saturday from 2:30-4:15pm; Sunday from 7:45-8:15am & 10-10:45am. [No change]

Some closing thoughts . . .

Attending weekday Masses is the greatest of all devotions. Devotions are religious practices that are not required but assist the faithful in their walk with God and neighbor. If you can make it to a weekday Mass once a week, please try to make that a part of your life. If you can attend weekday Masses all the time, then please try to do that. Your spiritual life will grow substantially and so will God’s grace in your life and the life of others because of you.

My heart goes out to those 7am Mass goers who can’t attend weekday Masses anymore because their work schedule won’t allow for a later Mass. I have spoken to some of you. Some of these people are the holiest ones in the parish and beyond. Because we were the only parish in Clark County with a weekday Mass time before 8:30am, some people came to Mass here during the week from all around Clark County. If there is any consolation in losing the ability to attend weekday Masses, it is this: knowing that more people will now be going to Mass because the time has changed.

And finally this. This change in the weekday Mass time will help me greatly, expanding my ability to function in the evening when most people have free time. For me, this change feels like a new lease on life and ministry.

In Christ, the Creator of Time,