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Connections
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| Posted: July 10 2008 at 5:14pm | IP Logged
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I am trying to decide on a Catholic parish to join. Although it is individual, I would love to hear what you think is important in a Church.
(I have recently reverted after being a cradle Catholic and I have 6 and 7 year olds - and a husband who is a cradle Catholic and isn't quite where I am yet. I am praying!)
(If you have seen posts from me before and are tired of the brief summary about me, sorry!)
I have a Church down the street from me. I have another one a short drive away. I have attended both and am trying to figure out how to make the decision about which one to join.
What is the best way to find out about each Church (in addition to attending Mass)? How long should I take to make the decision? Should I wait to bring my children until I have decided?
Advice, please!
___________________
Blessings,
Tracey
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Loren
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| Posted: July 10 2008 at 9:23pm | IP Logged
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First of all, congratulations on your re-dedication to the faith. 
Second of all, I think that all children should be attending Mass every weekend, whether as members or as visitors.
As to what is important, that differs. I asked a similar question before we moved just over a year ago. In some cultures, and in the past in the US, each parish has physical geographic boundaries; everyone who lives within those boundaries is a member at that parish. In the current American culture (I can speak for no other), that practice has passed by the wayside.
Since we get to choose, I'll tell you about making our choice. The first thing I did was look up the diocese we would be moving to and found a list of parishes around the town my husband's job would be.
I eliminated a few right off the bat because their Masses were all in Vietnamese or Spanish and we speak neither. I mentioned the others to my husband and we narrowed it down to two parishes that did everything in English all the time. After perusing their websites, I called those two and spoke to both the secretaries and the DRE's.
The parish that had a picture of a warehouse on their homepage had actual religious sisters assigned to them and offered different styles of Masses including traditional, contemporary, and youth. They were willing to work with home schoolers and let me teach religion at home, but suggested that I enroll my kids for "socialization" or at least use their program at home. The order of sisters was one that allows the individual to choose whether or not to wear a habit.
The other church actually looked like a church. The secretary mentioned many activities and opportunities for service for the entire family. The DRE said that they had a small but active home school group, some of whom teach religion at home and some of whom were enrolled in CCD. She told me about their VBS program, which would be held just after we got to town and included both a Theology of the Body class and a Bible study for parents who weren't volunteering. Someone there even put me in touch with a realtor who could help us find a home.
We chose the more traditional parish that looked like a church and encouraged parishioners to learn and follow Church teaching, even in the case of being our children's primary educators.
I hope that little peek into our process helps you define your place.
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K&Rs Mom
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| Posted: July 11 2008 at 1:25pm | IP Logged
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My opinion - go to the one down the street and drag dc & dh along starting this weekend. That really sounds harsher than what I mean, but I can't seem to come up with better phrasing! I think you could spend a lifetime searching for the "right" parish, because they all have their pros & cons. Even if you find the right one, they change over time, and whether they are "good" depends who you ask. Our church is 2 blocks away, so we walk there, and we appreciate the good things and try to fix or ignore any problems. Unless your down-the-street choice has something you really can't live with, go there until you have a really important reason not to. The grass will always be greener everywhere else, but that thinking can leave us paralyzed, kwim?
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Aubrey
Mom to K (7.5yo) & R (5yo)
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MaryM
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| Posted: July 12 2008 at 2:57pm | IP Logged
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Tracey,
Again expressing great joy in your journey home. From your other post today, I see you have made a decision (for this weekend at least  ). Aubrey's points above are a generally good option if there is not something you are looking for in particular.
You haven't expressly indicated if there is anything you are looking for in a parish but your request reminded me of one in the past that came up with a member moving to a new area and looking for a parish that was orthodox. There are some suggestions of what people considered signs to look for (including a tongue in check - but helpful list from Crisis magazine). And some suggestions are geographically speficic and wouldn't apply to your question.
Finding a new church
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Mary M. in Denver
Our Domestic Church
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SusanJ
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| Posted: July 12 2008 at 9:44pm | IP Logged
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I would also vote for the one down the street unless there are big, obvious problems with it. I know the parish boundary thing isn't as big a deal now but I do think that part of being Catholic is taking the community you are in--the good, the bad, the whatever--and dealing with it. I wouldn't push this to the absolute limit. I wouldn't expose my children to heresy or anything.
You might want to check if parish boundaries matter, too. Some pastors are sticklers about stuff like that and when it comes time for the sacraments it can be an issue. I've been in two different parishes in two different states where the pastor checked addresses against parish boundaries.
Susan
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Mom to Joseph-8, Margaret-6, William-4, Gregory-2, and new little one due 11/1
Life Together
[URL=http://thejohnstonkids.blogspot.com]The Kids' Blog[/UR
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4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Topic: Choosing a Parish
