For three consecutive weekends in October, every Massgoer at
every parish and mission in the Diocese of Arlington was counted. The results
were reported to Bishop Michael F. Burbidge and analyzed by diocesan staff. On
average, 37 percent of registered parishioners attended Sunday/Saturday vigil
Masses, representing around 49 percent of a parish’s capacity.
Knowing how many people regularly attend Mass, which Mass times
are most popular, and the other pieces of information gleaned from the census
will be useful for individual parishes and diocesan staff, said Billy Atwell,
chief communications officer. “This information is the baseline and it will be
extremely helpful to compare to future years and see trends form,” he said.
The results will be used by Bishop Burbidge in consultation with
the priests. Ways in which the Mass count will be used include church construction
and renovation plans, and for religious education, financial, and school
planning. Additionally, it will be used to assist in the process of assigning
priests and the number of Sunday Masses at a given parish.
The results were sent to all priests Jan. 6, and will be reviewed
at length by the Presbyteral Council in late January. “We are only beginning to
appreciate the value of the data we have collected and its possible
interpretation and use,” said Father Thomas P. Ferguson, vicar general and
pastor of Good Shepherd Church in Alexandria. “As vicar general and as a
pastor, I see the importance of the October Count as a tool in the church’s
evangelizing efforts.”
According to the Mass count, 50 percent of churches have six or
more Sunday/Saturday vigil Masses. Fifty percent of parishes offer at least one
Sunday Mass in Spanish, 14 percent in Latin and three percent in other
languages such as Korean and Vietnamese. In general, churches in the outlying
counties of the diocese have the highest percentage of parishioners regularly
attending Sunday liturgy.
“When we see how many people actually are going to church versus
how many people are registered parishioners, we see the work we have to do to
encourage increased participation in Sunday Mass,” said Bishop Burbidge. “On a
practical level, we also learn things such as trends in Mass attendance and how
— on a positive note — at times our churches are consistently filled to
capacity at certain Masses.
“This information provides
us with a renewed opportunity to rededicate ourselves to the work of
evangelization; to be active in inviting others to return to Church with the
assurance of God’s love and mercy,” he said.
No matter how high the number of average attendees, said Atwell,
the work of the church is never truly completed. “The Mass count is an
opportunity to ask ourselves, what can I do to bring people closer to God?
Could I have an effect on the diocese and on an individual’s life?”
