A Plea for Parishes

It seems in recent days the parish has been neglected, forgotten, trivialized. There is probably blame to go around. In urban and suburban parishes, there is the temptation to become nomadic Catholics, wandering in search of a convenient Mass time or a more reverent priest. Sometimes this is necessary for the preservation of our souls or those of our children, but what should have been our home, our parish, is always harmed. ...I don’t think they get it. But the people do. They heard “your parish isn’t really that important” and took it to heart. They stopped coming. Why get out of bed for something that isn’t that important? Why sacrifice money for something not that important? Why join the Ladies Altar Sodality of a random grouping of people cobbled together by a consulting firm in Minnesota? ...And so I plead: save our parishes. Our parishes are the homes that people come back to after years of wandering lost in the wilderness.  Read Full Article »