Where is Everyone?

This blog was suppose to be my views on being a parishioner in a Catholic parish. All summer long I feel as if I have no material on which to write. Our parish seems to disappear during the summer. I find it odd. I would think most people don’t take three months of vacation from their jobs. Sometimes, my mind works overtime, and I think that a big aircraft hovered over the parish campus and beamed up all the people in the vicinity. Although, if that happened, I think it would have made the local newspapers.

I’m an Eucharistic Minister. Usually we are assigned to minister one or two Sunday masses during the month. In the summer, I perform the duties of Eucharistic Minister almost every Sunday because the assigned people aren’t present. My daughter is an altar server, she has served almost every Sunday. Neither of us mind serving because we both enjoy participating more fully in the mass. I usually tend to arrive about 10-15 minutes before mass. The last several weeks, there have been only 2 or 3 people in the pews when I arrive. Even right before mass starts, one looks around and wonders where all the people are. Of course, it amazes me that at Communion, there is a fairly steady stream of people coming towards the altar. I’m not quite sure when they arrive.

If you look in our weekly bulletin, there is almost nothing happening in the parish during the summer. There is a sports program for children run by our wonderful physical education teacher. We don’t have a vacation Bible school. July and part of August is about the only time that the Council of Catholic Women takes a break. Although, I forgot the CCW book club is in a couple weeks. Our parish, in general, seems to have given up on any adult education opportunities in the evening for working people. So, there isn’t a lot of opportunity to see others outside of mass.

Doesn’t it seem odd? I don’t remember this when I was a child, but then again summers are different when one is a child. I just wonder where everyone is, and why aren’t I there too?

We did get a new associate pastor, Fr. M. He seems nice. My husband was happy that Fr. M didn’t give a long homily. We have a couple priests who seem to like the sounds of their own voices. My husband is part of a toastmaster’s group and it drives him crazy to hear the poorly put together homilies that run on too long. Even my youngest daughter who has no patience at all in mass (she’s usually asking “Is it over?” about 2 minutes after mass starts) thought the priest was ok. I haven’t met Fr. M yet because nothing is going on at the parish, except for mass. He’s always outside chatting after mass, but now he is bombarded by those parishioners who are big talkers. I’m hoping that once the parish is back to being active in the fall, I will have a chance to meet Fr. M.