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COLLEGE-AGED CATHOLICS

Sunday night Mass draws students and workers

Time suits schedules and needs

Hospital employees with inconvenient hours...teenagers involved in athletics or holding down part-time jobs...college students who sleep late...families who travel or care for relatives. 

Traditional Saturday evening or Sunday morning Mass times can be a struggle for Catholics such as these, who keep busy weekend schedules. Since February, Holy Spirit Church in East Green-bush has offered a weekly Mass at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

"It creates options," explained Rev. Joseph O'Brien, pastor. "We're drawing people from a pretty wide demographic, people who have a lot going on in their lives on the weekends."

The Mass is one more effort to retain and involve young Catholics as they move on to college, near or far. The parish announces special programs to an email list of college-aged parishioners; on Aug. 16, it held a special Mass to bless students returning to campuses. 

Holy Spirit parish also helps help students reconnect with a social event during their Thanksgiving break from school.

The idea of a Sunday evening Mass was introduced when parishes in southern Rensselaer County reconstructed their Mass schedule as part of the Called to be Church pastoral planning process. 

The local planning group, which was charged with coordinating Masses, consists of Holy Spirit, St. John the Evangelist/ St. Joseph's in Rensselaer, St. Mary's in Clinton Heights and Sacred Heart in Castleton. 

University model
According to Father O'Brien, as different Mass options were considered, the group asked, "What can we do to serve people who are underserved?"

The group was inspired by Sunday evening Masses offered at churches located near colleges, such as St. Mary's in Oneonta and St. John the Evangelist in Schenectady. 

St. Vincent de Paul parish in Albany also has an evening Mass that caters to students from the College of Saint Rose. These were incorporated into the diocesan pastoral plan, and the Masses also draw many Catholics long out of college. 

Seeing the success of such efforts, the Rensselaer County group decided to add a Sunday evening Mass to the Holy Spirit schedule. The new Mass has become popular among community members, typically drawing 160-175 people. 

On a recent Sunday, the service drew a crowd of young parents with toddlers, students, middle-aged couples, teens and seniors. The parish reported that the group is younger, on average, than the attendees at its other Sunday liturgies. 

This summer, when churches were asked to submit a report one year after the Called to be Church changes, Holy Spirit's major recommendation was to continue offering the Sunday evening Mass. 

Varied needs
Father O'Brien noted that some blended families favor the evening Mass, since they can attend together after picking up children who may have spent the weekend with a separated or ex-spouse. 

"Families are coming and feeling part of a larger community," he said. "That's what the Eucharist is about. It is a sacrament of unity." 

Although the Mass is held at Holy Spirit, parishioners from the other churches in the local planning group are encouraged to attend - and do. According to Father O'Brien, the service draws parishioners from all churches in the cluster, as well as some from outside the area.

To make inter-parish attendance as convenient as possible, special collection envelopes are also available at all Masses held at churches in the local planning group. Visiting parishioners may write the name of their home parish on the envelope, and their donations are returned to their parishes.

"We don't want something silly like envelopes to keep people from attending," explained Father O'Brien.

Parishioners are also permitted to serve as lectors and assist at neighboring churches' Masses, while still belonging to their home parish. 

"Musicians from other parishes come and help from time to time," said Father O'Brien, adding: "We're thinking less as a parish and more as 'the Catholic community of Southern Rensselaer County.'"

(08/20/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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