We are, always have been and always will be a missionary church.
We are, always have been and always will be a missionary church. Thank you to everyone who participated in our last four town hall meetings on parish renewal, structural changes and possible church closures. We had almost twenty meetings last Fall, and with these four last meetings will guide us now into our next steps. What are our options going forward? How do we grow the Catholic Faith in North Glengarry. Please stay tuned for another survey hoping for your feedback on these options.
Below are the stats and details that were shared at our last four meetings. It was emotional, and difficult. Please take time to read it, and send me an email, or call me with your questions and/or concerns.
The next phase of this process continues in prayer. The Parish Renewal Committee will be meeting May 10 to recap and summarize the last four meetings at each of our churches. We are planning to prepare a document to share with all of our parishioners, along with the Archbishop’s Office. Our team will be proposing different possible options in order to grow the Catholic Faith in North Glengarry!
The goal of the Parish Renewal Committee is not to close churches, but to grow the Catholic Faith, to create communities that are vibrant and dynamic, and in a position to extend a sense of welcome and belonging to all.
We are called not only to care for the souls of the churched, but also to invite others into the community Christ established on earth. God is good! Come Holy Spirit.
Stats shared on the
Catholic Faith in North Glengarry
- There are 4710 families in North Glengarry,
- 63% of this population have indicated that their first language is English,
- Surveys indicate that 31.4% of citizens who responded to the census identify as Catholic,
- Mathematically, if we had 100% of these families attending our churches, there would be 933 families,
- However, our 2022 attendance is 385 people per Sunday versus 560 in 2019,
- Society now competes with us … Sunday is no longer a day of faith. Shopping and sports tournaments are often during our traditional mass times.
- The number of envelope users in North Glengarry in 2022 was 272 down from 375 from pre-COVID,
- There were 9 Baptisms in 2022 compared with 40 in 2019.
- Marriages average 6 per year,
- There were no vocations in the last 5 years coming from our parishes,
- The Archdiocese has more retiring priests over the next 5 years than ordinations. After the three ordinations this year, there are no seminarians studying in the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall,
- Several retired priests are no longer able to substitute for weekend masses and several have passed away in the last few years,
- 2022 Collections in North Glengarry Parishes totaled $257,565, versus $253,400 in 2019
- Our combined annual net income was $60,926,
- 2022 heating costs alone for our properties exceeded $50,000
I look forward to sharing more with you in the coming weeks, but until that time, I
ask you to please join me in keeping the needs of our parishioners in your prayers.
