Months ago, I began talking with Padre Armando and our deacons about the transition issues we will face, in moving from the current church and into our new worship space. With a seating capacity of the new worship space nearly double that of the current church, all began to think about the new Sunday Mass schedule of SJN.
This Sunday, the 9th of May, SJN will offer seven Masses: five in English and two in Spanish. I will preside at the five liturgies in English and a visiting priest will offer the two Masses in Spanish. We offer seven Masses for one reason only... the limited seating capacity of the present church. One of the key reasons for Building a Legacy of Faith was to face this issue, for today and for the future.
Months ago, I began talking with Padre Armando and our deacons about the transition issues we will face, in moving from the current church and into our new worship space. With a seating capacity of the new worship space nearly double that of the current church, all began to think about the new Sunday Mass schedule of SJN.
This Sunday, the 9th of May, SJN will offer seven Masses: five in English and two in Spanish. I will preside at the five liturgies in English and a visiting priest will offer the two Masses in Spanish. We offer seven Masses for one reason only... the limited seating capacity of the present church. One of the key reasons for Building a Legacy of Faith was to face this issue, for today and for the future.
After the clergy of SJN discussed the issues involved in changing the Sunday Mass schedule, I brought the issue first to the members of the Liturgy Planning Committee (the coordinators of liturgical ministries) and then to the members of the Pastoral Council. I began my discussions with both of these groups of lay-leaders by sharing what the clergy of SJN had seen as the key issues:
- the need to reduce the number of Masses (to enhance the celebrations, with consolidated choirs and musicians, and to create strong congregational singing);
- to allow an hour of time in between the Sunday Masses (to give time for after-Mass fellowship and to help with parking issues);
- to consider the possibility of SJN becoming a “one priest parish", granting that the fine Vocations Program of the Archdiocese cannot keep up with the population growth of metropolitan Atlanta.
In addition to these points, I offered both the Liturgy Planning Committee and the Pastoral Council the following statistics of Mass attendance, measured over a year’s time (after the Masses in Donnellan Hall were eliminated). I did not include the averages for the Vigil or the two Masses in Spanish or the 5:00 pm Youth Mass. The two evening Masses of Saturday and Sunday will not change times; and Padre Armando and I agreed that there should be one Mass in Spanish, after the Dedication of the new worship space. Here are the average Mass attendance numbers I offered the Liturgy Planning Committee and the Pastoral Council, in considering the new Mass schedule:
| Time | Count |
| 8:00 am | 209 |
| 9:30 am | 494 |
| 11:00 am | 544 |
| 12:30 pm | 228 |
After listening to the advice and counsel of the leadership of SJN, I am certain that the new Mass schedule will serve us best. lt will be published next weekend. All of us will be affected by these transition issues. Some will find their favorite Mass time eliminated. I ask all to consider the underlying purpose for the changes... to seek what is best for the parish.
***
Another of these transition issues is parking. Please know this: with the reduced number of Masses and with the hour in between masses, we have sufficient parking for our Sunday schedule. The thing is, you might have to walk a bit more than before. This is why I am suggesting a new tradition at SJN: parking as far away from the new church as possible... leaving the "close in" parking spaces for those that need to be close to the church. Let’s get a bit of exercise each Sunday, allowing our neighbor the better parking place! Remember the Lord’s invitation: Do unto others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12). Please begin this Golden Rule of Parking... and give to the neighbor the better spot!
***
Finally, to all of our moms: Happy Mother’s Day! And remember what our mother said of her son... do whatever he tells you (John 2:5).
Msgr. David Talley
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