Families in Faith Catholic Parishes Newsletter — November/December 2020

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020

A Letter From Our Pastor

THE RESULTS OF OUR RECENT PARISH SURVEY Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

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s part of our ongoing commitment to develop stewardship as a way of life in our Families in Faith community, we recently conducted a comprehensive parish survey. The survey gave all our parishioners an opportunity to express their views regarding worship, parish life, religious education, outreach, and stewardship.

Thanks to your response, our survey was a success! The parish office received 151 completed surveys. This is a 34-percent response rate, which is more than three times greater than the national average of 10 percent. I thank you for your honesty, as well as the time and commitment you made to complete the survey and help our parish become better and spiritually stronger.

The results of the survey are included in this newsletter, and I hope these results will give you a clearer vision of how the parish as a whole responded to each specific question. We also asked you to respond to a few open-ended

questions. Because of space constraints, we could not include each response in this newsletter, but they have been read, reviewed and grouped together based on likeness so that we could determine the top responses for each open-ended question.

As your pastor, I am confident that the information we have gathered through the survey will help guide our parish leadership as we continue to develop stewardship in the Families in Faith community. In the coming year, I hope we all can work together to meet the needs of our parish community and make parish life more rewarding for us all.

Sincerely yours in Christ and His Mother,

Fr. Antony Pastor

2020 Parish Survey Results I am a registered member of...

33% Sacred Heart 58% St. Michael’s 8% St. Theresa’s

Liturgy Which Mass do you most frequently attend?

51% Saturday 5:00 p.m. - St. Michael’s 9% Sunday 7:00 a.m. - St. Michael’s 29% Sunday 9:00 a.m. - Sacred Heart 11% Sunday 11:00 a.m. - St. Theresa’s How often do you attend Mass at your church?

64% Every weekend 24% Every weekend and some weekdays 3% Every weekend and every weekday 8% Occasional weekends (once or twice a month) 0% Seasonally (Christmas, Easter, etc.)

1% I no longer attend Mass Please indicate how well the following liturgical ministers enhance your prayer and worship.

Needs

Excellent Good Fair Improvement Fr. Antony Thekkekara 40% 42% 11% 7% Hospitality Ministers 37% 56% 5% 2% Altar Servers 36% 51% 9% 5% Lectors 42% 50% 7% 1% Cantors 36% 48% 14% 2% Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion 52% 45% 2% 1%

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The music at the Mass I attend enhances my prayer and worship.

32% Strongly agree 39% Agree 20% Neutral 5% Disagree 4% Strongly Disagree Do you have any suggestions to help enhance our Sunday liturgies?

Suggestions for Homilies (9) Have a Simple Mass (5) Suggestions for Music (4)

Adult Enrichment Have you attended an Adult Enrichment program in the last three years?

39% Yes 61% No If you have attended an Adult Enrichment program in the last three years, was it a good experience?

73% Yes 27% No If you haven’t attended an Adult Enrichment program in the last three years, would you consider attending one in the future?

37% Yes 63% No If you would like to attend an Adult Enrichment program, in which areas would you be most likely to participate? (Multiple responses allowed) 30% Church Teachings 56% Scriptures/Bible Study 20% Ethics and Morality 28% Marriage 33% Small Faith Sharing Groups 63% Practical Ways of Growing in Faith and Prayer 23% Retreats 8% Other

Religious Education (CCD) (Grades 1 - 12)

The following questions were answered only if one’s child/ children are currently enrolled in our Religious Education program.

How would you rate the quality of instruction that our students receive in our Religious Education program?

39% Excellent 36% Good 18% Adequate 6% Fair 0% Poor Do you feel that the instruction provided by our Religious Education program is in line with the teaching of the Catholic Church?

88% Yes 0% No 9% Somewhat 3% Unsure What do you like most about our Religious Education program? (Multiple responses allowed) 59% Director, staff and catechists 45% The families involved 79% The children/families learn about their faith 17% Meeting times 3% Other How do you think we can improve our Religious Education program? (Multiple responses allowed) 61% Get the parents more involved 26% Change the time 13% More training and support for the teachers 17% Improve the curriculum 22% Other

Youth Ministry Do you have children in 9th through 12th grade living in your home?

10% Yes 90% No If you have children in 9th through 12th grade living in your home, do they attend youth ministry activities/ programs?

64% Regularly 27% Occasionally 9% Never The following questions were answered only if one’s child/children regularly participate in our youth ministry program.

How would you rate the quality of the youth ministry program?

17% Excellent 43% Good 30% Adequate 4% Fair 4% Poor What do you like most about the youth ministry program? (Multiple responses allowed) 42% The commitment and dedication of the staff 21% The variety of activities offered 58% It involves the youth more in church life 42% The Christian atmosphere in which they

socialize 5% Other How do you think we can most improve the youth ministry program? (Multiple responses allowed) 71% Involve the youth in the church more 35% Inform the parishioners more about the program 65% Get more youth involved 41% Offer more activities 47% Improve the current activities 29% Increase the service opportunities 0% Other

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Spalding Academy Catholic School (K - 12)

Having a Catholic school is a vital part of Families in Faith’s mission.

53% Strongly agree 19% Agree 19% Neutral 8% Disagree 3% Strongly disagree Do you have children in Kindergarten through 12th grade living in your home?

16% Yes 84% No If you have children in Kindergarten through 12th grade living in your home, where do they attend school?

42% Spalding Academy Catholic School 0% Other Private School 53% Public School 5% Home School If you currently have children in Kindergarten through 12th grade in your household and they do not attend Spalding Academy Catholic School, what is the reason that they don’t attend?

(Multiple responses allowed) 17% Transportation is a problem 50% More academic options at other school 17% Catholic education is not a family priority 8% Cost (I would rather put my money to use in other ways) 8% Cost (I cannot afford to send my child[ren] to Catholic schools) 25% Other

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Are you aware that Spalding Academy Catholic School has a tuition assistance program for those in need?

96% Yes 4% No The following questions were answered only if one’s children are currently enrolled at Spalding Academy Catholic School.

How would you rate that students currently Catholic School?

57% Excellent 29% Good 10% Adequate

the quality of EDUCATION receive at Spalding Academy 0% Fair 5% Poor

How receptive is the FACULTY to meeting your needs?

59% Very receptive 29% Somewhat receptive 12% Neutral/no experience 0% Unreceptive 0% Very unreceptive Do you feel that the children who attend our Catholic school are receiving good Catholic moral development?

71% Yes 10% No 14% Somewhat 5% Unsure What do you like most about our Catholic school?

(Multiple responses allowed) 61% Great teachers 78% The daily emphasis on Christian life 61% Catholic education 72% Builds community 17% Other How do you think we can improve our Catholic school?

(Multiple responses allowed) 63% Increase the communication with the parents 50% Improve the curriculum 56% More training for teachers 38% Increase the emphasis on Catholic Faith 44% Other

Parish Life What is your perception of your role as a member of your church? (Multiple responses allowed) 99% To attend Mass 68% Participate/volunteer in ministries and social activities 88% Support the parish financially 61% Share my faith with others 4% Other In your experience, how responsive is our PASTOR to your needs and requests?

45% Very responsive 30% Somewhat responsive 20% Neutral 4% Unresponsive 1% Very unresponsive In your experience, how responsive is the CHURCH OFFICE STAFF to your needs and requests?

61% Very responsive 29% Somewhat responsive 9% Neutral 1% Unresponsive 0% Very unresponsive What methods of communication work best for you and your family to receive church information?

(Multiple responses allowed) 91% Bulletin 11% Website 29% Facebook 0% Twitter 18% Email 15% Newsletter 43% Church Mailings 42% TYCO 44% Announcements at Mass Did you enjoy receiving our Families in Faith’s bi-monthly newsletters?

79% Yes 21% No

In what medium would you prefer to receive the bimonthly newsletter: 77% Print (current medium used to deliver newsletter) 23% Online (via email or some other form of electronic delivery) What information do you want included in our bi-monthly newsletter? (Multiple responses allowed) 78% Articles about church groups and activities 61% Comments from our pastor 50% Highlights on various parishioners 45% Information on the finances of the church 20% Diocesan-wide News 53% Articles of general Catholic interest 42% Explanations of specific Catholic teachings 9% Other Do you use our website?

34% Yes 66% No If not, why not?

No Computer/Internet (17) Use Other Sources (12) No Need/Don’t Think About It (10)

Outreach Do you feel that your church does a good job reaching out to the following groups:

Yes No Unsure Active Parishioners 77% 6% 17% Inactive Parishioners 13% 32% 55% New Parishioners 42% 14% 45% Shut-in Parishioners 52% 9% 40% Non-Catholic Spouses 7% 20% 73% The Local Community 43% 13% 44% The Poor 41% 7% 52% Other Christian Churches 14% 9% 77% Twinning Parish Ministry/Haiti 81% 0% 19% Other Religions 7% 15% 78%

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What more can we do as a community to reach out to those in need? (Multiple responses allowed) 39% Increase communications about church ministries 40% Encourage more parishioner participation 50% Be more welcoming 52% Get more involved in the community 16% Other

In addition to Sunday Mass and grace before meals, how often do you set aside time for personal prayer?

80% Daily 13% Weekly 3% Monthly 1% Every few months 3% Never

Stewardship

If you have children, do you discuss vocations (Religious Life, Single Life, Married Life) within your family?

56% Yes 44% No

What is your perception of Stewardship (Time, Talent, and Treasure) when it is discussed?

58% Accept it as a core Gospel value and carry it out in my life 2% Don’t really understand what it means 25% Think it’s important, but find it hard to implement 3% Feel it’s not applicable in my life 12% Feel that it’s just another way to discuss fundraising

Stewardship of Time How often does your family share a meal?

80% Daily 11% Several days a week 6% Once a week 4% Less than once a week Do you say grace before meals?

82% Yes 18% No If you have children at home, do you pray with them on a daily basis (in addition to grace before meals)?

41% Yes 59% No If you are married, do you pray with your spouse on a daily basis (in addition to grace before meals)?

30% Yes 70% No

Stewardship of Talent In how many church ministries, committees, programs or events are you actively involved?

17% 0 16% 1 27% 2 20% 3 20% 4 or more Beyond participating in weekly Masses, how do you rate your involvement in the church?

15% Very involved 44% Moderately involved 29% Somewhat involved 11% Rarely involved 1% Never involved What single reason (if any) has most prevented you from more participation in church ministries?

7% Not interested in what the church offers 35% Health issues 5% Usually unaware of opportunities within the church 42% Not enough time due to family and work responsibilities 1% Transportation 7% Haven’t yet made the effort to get involved 2% Lack of babysitting services Are you satisfied with your PERSONAL level of involvement in church ministries?

92% Satisfied with my current level of involvement 8% Would like to become more involved

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Are you satisfied with your FAMILY’S level of involvement in church ministries?

89% Satisfied with current level of involvement 11% Would like to become more involved At what times would you most likely be able to attend church functions? (Multiple responses allowed) 5% Saturday mornings 30% Saturday evenings 45% After the Sunday Mass 23% Sunday evenings

I attend 12% Weekday mornings 33% Weekday evenings 7% Weekday afternoons

Stewardship of Treasure Each parishioner is responsible for supporting our church financially.

57% Strongly agree 36% Agree 5% Neutral 1% Disagree 1% Strongly disagree How often do you make financial contributions to your church?

66% Every week 3% Every other week 15% Once a month 9% Monthly (for all the weeks in the month) 1% Never 5% Other How do you determine the amount you contribute in the offertory collection?

20% I give a certain dollar amount based on a percentage of my income.

55% I have chosen a certain dollar amount in some other way.

2% I base the amount on what I think the church needs.

8% I give whatever I can afford that week.

15% I don’t have a system that determines how much I give.

1% I don’t financially support the church.

My household’s gross annual financial contribution to the church offertory represents: 1% 0% of my annual income 20% 1% - 2% of my annual income 23% 3% - 4% of my annual income 24% 5% - 6% of my annual income 13% 7% - 8% of my annual income 17% 9% - 10% of my annual income 1% 11% or more of my annual income What is your perception of our church’s current financial position?

8% We are easily able to pay our operating bills and put aside money in savings.

27% We are easily able to pay our operating bills.

30% We barely generate enough revenue to pay our operating bills.

8% We are not generating enough revenue to pay our operating bills.

26% I am unaware of the state of our church finances.

Demographics Gender 13% Male 48% Female 39% Husband and Wife Completed Together Marital Status (Check one) 12% Single 69% Married 17% Widowed 2% Divorced 0% Separated What is your annual household income?

4% $0 - $9,999 16% $10,000 - $29,999 31% $30,000 - $49,999 27% $50,000 - $74,999 17% $75,000 - $99,999 5% $100,000 - $199,999 0% $200,000 and above

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Non-profit organization US Postage PAID Permit # 32993 Spalding, NE 68665

Families in Faith 150 W. Marguerite St.│P.O. Box 310 Spalding, NE 68665│308.497.2662 www.families-infaith.com

Return Service Requested

Age (You may check more than one box if husband and wife completed the survey together) 0% 18-29 8% 30-39 6% 40-49 24% 50-59 33% 60-69 37% 70+ How long have you been a registered parishioner at your church?

1% 0-1 year 2% 2-3 years 2% 4-5 years 4% 6-10 years 91% More than 10 years

General Information The things I like best about my church are...

Welcoming/Friendly Community (27) Clergy (20) Parishioners (14) I wish my church would…

Suggestions for Mass (11) Suggestions for Clergy (9) Be More Welcoming (7)

Mass Schedule: 5 p.m. Saturday - St. Michael in Spalding│7 a.m. Sunday - St. Michael in Spalding 9 a.m. Sunday - Sacred Heart in Greeley│11 a.m. Sunday - St. Theresa in Ericson