Diary of a Parish Priest

Poll: St. Michael the Archangel Prayer

There is a new poll available on our webpage: 15 second yes/no answer to whether we should say the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel after all the weekend masses at Holy Cross.

As you know, the prayer was composed and added to the "old Latin mass" by Pope St. Leo XIII after he had a personal revelation about the need for the church to be protected against the power of Satan. This so-called Leonine Exorcism prayer was added to the prayers at the end of the Latin mass along with three Hail Mary's, The Hail Holy Queen, a prayer to God for assistance for his church and three aspirations to the Sacred Heart. The mass after Vatican II did away with these prayers.

The pope has asked the laity to say the St. Michael prayer and pray the rosary more frequently and to ask God's protection against Satin, especially since the recent revelations of the ongoing abuse crisis. Bishop O'Connell has asked us to consider praying it after masses.

The advantages are obvious and the need is great. Critics have warned against the multiplication of prayers at mass (e.g. we remember the Renew Prayer and others added by the bishop after mass.) They cite past history as evidence that the number of such prayers will proliferate. Others have observed the lack of effective action by church leaders since the pope made the request and criticized the pope's request as hypocritical and a distraction.

What do you think we should do?

St. Michael Prayer Survey

Survey as of 9/1, N=78

Yes	85%
No	15%

Sunday 5 PM Mass

Thank you to all who took part in our survey. The comments were helpful, but too varied to include here. 

We're planning on the 5 PM Sunday mass for the Fall/Winter Mass Schedule to begin in the gymatorium and continue in the new church.

This is not replacing the 7 PM Latin Mass, which will also continue.

Catechetical Preaching After the Year of Faith

Here's the poll result so far:

 

Click here to take survey

Survey: The Sustainability of Our Catholic Schools

In the 2011-2012 school year, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., created a Commission for the Study of the Sustainability of Our Catholic Schools.  Among the tasks, members of the Commission were charged to  investigate the short and long term viability, vitality and vibrancy of our Catholic schools and to develop clear and consistent criteria to be used in an ongoing analysis and evaluation.

The Commission is being guided by Dr. John Convey, consultant and professor at The Catholic University of America.

To gain perspective and to learn the views of the broader public, surveys are being  forwarded  to stakeholders.  Your input and perspective are valued and important as the tasks of the Commission move forward.  Your assistance is requested in completing the survey which can be accessed at the link below:

Catholic Schools in Trenton Survey

 

Thank you for expressing your thoughts relative to Catholic schools in the Diocese of Trenton.

First Communions Before Construction ?

Parents of next year's first communicants are being asked to respond to a survey. The question is whether they would prefer to celebrate First Communions early so that they may be done in our Church, or at the usual time  in May in the Gymatorium, after construction has been scheduled to begin.

The results of the survey are interesting, even at the preliminary stage. So far, a majority are expressing an interest in First Communions early, in the Church.

 

 

Holy Thursday Foot Washing Poll

The results of the Holy Thursday foot washing poll are interesting. In retrospect, I wish I had included questions about whether or not respondents have had their feet washed, or whether they attend the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday. There is always a balance between making the surveys quick to take and informative at the same time.

Somewhat suprisingly, the foot washing is not looked upon with universal appeal, despite the fact that it has been restored to the liturgy in one form or other since the 1950's. Those who are charged with recruiting volunteers to have their feet washed may have expected as much, since it seems a difficult privilege for people to accept in some parishes.

A majority were neutral or opposed to the foot washing. Anyone who answered that the washing sould be eliminated would also refuse to be washed, while those who advocate it should be retained answered they would agree to be washed.

I doubt we would ever eliminate it since there is a tradition at Holy Cross, at least in recent years to include this option. However, exhaustive efforts to recruit twelve persons might be missplaced.

Liturgical experts generally agree that substituting other "washings" is wrong-spirited and a majority of our respondents agree. While it's true that we generally wash our hands before meals, and foot washing isn't part of our contemporary practice, neither is hand washing generally performed for us by a servant, so the substitution falls a bit flat. (Let's not even think of Purell!)

The liturgy committee won't take up the matter for another year, so there is plenty of time for prayerful reflection on the matter.

 

Parish Internet and Parish History Survey (as of 10/25)

 

Poll on Use of Internet Church Sites

We're considering transferring some or all of the contents of our parish history archive to a blog or webpage setting.

There are many photographs, articles and stories we were unable to feature in our 125th Anniversary Booklet and many would make interesting material to explore on the web.

Tell us how you like the idea and whether or not you would view such a site by taking our quick questionnaire by either clicking here or on our parish webpage.

Click Here to take Internet survey