Where else have you been to Mass lately?

Where else have you been to Mass lately? Have you been during your travels for vacation or business, or just visiting friends or relatives for the weekend? What did you like about the experience of praying in a different church? Was there something that helped you feel welcome, at home, or included in their community? Was there anything that made you feel left out, out of the loop, or even excluded? What did you learn from that experience? Is there anything you can do with what you learned there, now that you are back in your home parish? I think it’s important that we consider these things as individuals, as well as in our collaborative leadership teams and committees. Each one of us has opportunities to influence the experience of others each Sunday by the way we observe, interact, and reach out to those around us.

I’m happy to report that our Sunday Experience Team (SET) has been making some good progress in considering just these kinds of ideas and experiences.  You may recall that one of the top three priorities in our Local Pastoral Plan is strengthening and growing the Sunday experience at the Masses in our parishes and everything that surrounds them. Our Pastoral Team (staff) and I have been gradually working on this, and the SET
was formed last December to help us plan and move this priority forward in a more structured way. They have begun their training in Catholic liturgy and consideration of
the needs of our parishes. To guide this work the SET has established a team charter, which is being posted on a new SET page of our website. This summer, this team is
brainstorming and researching ideas and best practices to enhance our experience of the Mass and draw people into the communities of our parishes. The SET Co-chairs, Sal-
ly Winslow (St. Martha) and Ken Fiorelli (St. Mary), are joined by other faithful members of both parishes: Anna DeGuzman, Harry Forbes, Sean McGuire, Kathy Parker, Sandy Pearl, and Sharon Summers. Pastoral Team members Jeff Johnson, Jillian Carelli and myself are also members of the SET. Ideas for the Mass itself will be proposed to the pastor for discussion with our other clergy, and significant initiatives beyond the Mass will be presented to the Collaborative Pastoral Council and implemented in conjunction with existing groups and new volunteers in our parishes. If you have questions about the work of the SET or you would like to share some of your positive experiences and ideas to add to the brainstorming, speak to any of our members or visit the website.

Finally, on a personal note, I am taking my own vacation the next two weeks, leaving you in the good careof Fr. Lambert and the rest of our Pastoral Team. I know you will be patient and considerate of them while we have one less priest around, and I look forward to returning rested and refreshed as we prepare for another ministry year together!