ST. JA M E S
ST. ANDRE W
ST. J OS E PH
Holy Family Area CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
A Letter From Our Pastor
THE RESULTS OF OUR RECENT PARISH SURVEY
My Dear Friends in Christ,
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s part of our ongoing commitment to developing stewardship as a way of life, we recently conducted a comprehensive survey of our stewardship parishes. The survey allowed all our parishioners to express their views regarding worship, parish life, religious education, outreach, and stewardship. Thanks to your response, our survey was a success! The offices of our parishes received 215 completed surveys. This is a 36-percent response rate, which is over three and a half 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 parishes 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 our parishes 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 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 the leadership of our parishes as we continue to develop stewardship in our Holy Family Area Catholic Community. In the coming year, I hope we all can work together to meet the needs of our faith community and make life in our parishes more rewarding for us all. Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Paul Timmerman, Pastor
FEBRUARY 2021
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2020 PARISH SURVEY RESULTS I consider myself a member of... 36% St. Andrew 21% St. James 43% St. Joseph 0% Another church
Liturgy Which church location do you most frequently attend for weekend Mass? 35% St. Andrew 19% St. James 39% St. Joseph 7% Other (another parish outside the Holy Family Area) How often do you attend Mass? 47% Every weekend 20% Every weekend and some weekdays 22% Occasional weekends (once or twice a month) 7% Seasonally (Christmas, Easter, etc.) 4% I no longer attend Mass How often do you attend Mass at a parish outside of the Holy Family Area? 21% I do not attend Mass elsewhere 78% Occasionally 2% Always If you attend Mass elsewhere, why? Visiting Family (27) Out of Town (18)
Please answer the following three questions to help us prepare our weekend Mass schedule. St. Andrew: Which of the following are your preferred weekend Mass time(s)? (Multiple responses allowed) 9% 4:00 p.m., Saturday evening 13% 4:30 p.m., Saturday evening 59% 5:00 p.m., Saturday evening 35% 8:30 a.m., Sunday morning 47% 10:30 a.m., Sunday morning St. James: Which of the following are your preferred weekend Mass time(s)? (Multiple responses allowed) 2% 4:00 p.m., Saturday evening 7% 4:30 p.m., Saturday evening 26% 5:00 p.m., Saturday evening 79% 8:30 a.m., Sunday morning 29% 10:30 a.m., Sunday morning St. Joseph: Which of the following are your preferred weekend Mass time(s)? (Multiple responses allowed) 5% 4:00 p.m., Saturday evening 12% 4:30 p.m., Saturday evening 40% 5:00 p.m., Saturday evening 60% 8:30 a.m., Sunday morning 30% 10:30 a.m., Sunday morning When choosing which Mass to attend on the weekends, is location or time more important? 51% Location 49% Time Would you prefer a fixed Mass schedule during the school year, or one that rotates every four months? 80% Fixed Schedule 20% Rotating Schedule
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Please indicate how well the following liturgical ministers enhance your prayer and worship. Needs Excellent Good Fair Improvement Fr. Paul 38% 39% 11% 12 % Greeters 24% 62% 10% 3% Ushers 27% 62% 10% 2% Altar Servers 28% 63% 7% 2% Lectors 35% 61% 4% 0% Cantors 35% 51% 9% 5% Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion 34% 60% 5% 1% The music at the Mass I attend enhances my prayer and worship. 46% Strongly agree 3% Disagree 34% Agree 2% S trongly Disagree 15% Neutral Do you have any suggestions to help enhance our Sunday liturgies? Music Suggestions (30) Homily (11)
Adult Faith Formation Have you attended an Adult Faith Formation program in the last three years? 30% Yes 70% No If you have attended an Adult Faith Formation program in the last three years, was it a good experience? 85% Yes 15% No
If you haven’t attended an Adult Faith Formation program in the last three years, would you consider attending one in the future? 44% Yes 56% No If you would like to attend an Adult Faith Formation program, in which areas would you be most likely to participate? (Multiple responses allowed) 41% Church Teachings 60% Scriptures/Bible Study 18% Ethics and Morality 20% Marriage 27% Small Faith Sharing Groups 58% Practical Ways of Growing in Faith and Prayer 23% Retreats 6% Other
Children’s Faith Formation (K - 11th Grade)
The following questions were answered only if one’s child/ children are currently enrolled in our Children’s Faith Formation program.
How would you rate the quality of instruction that our students receive in our Faith Formation program? 15% Excellent 56% Good 18% Adequate 11% Poor Do you feel that the instruction provided by our Faith Formation program is in line with the teaching of the Catholic Church? 89% Yes 2% No 9% Unsure
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What do you like most about our Faith Formation program? (Multiple responses allowed) 39% Coordinator 49% Catechists 25% The families involved 69% The children/families learn about their faith 14% Meeting times 6% Other How do you think we can improve our Faith Formation program? (Multiple responses allowed) 57% Get the parents more involved 11% Change the time 20% More training and support for the catechists 20% Improve the curriculum 22% Other
Youth Ministry Do you have children in 6th through 12th grade living in your home? 11% Yes 89% No If you have children in 6th through 12th grade living in your home, do they attend youth ministry activities/programs? 14% Regularly 28% Occasionally 59% 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? 8% Excellent 56% Good 25% Adequate 11% Poor
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What do you like most about the youth ministry program? (Multiple responses allowed) 35% The commitment and dedication of the staff 29% The variety of activities offered 65% It involves the youth more in parish life 47% The Christian atmosphere in which they socialize 3% Other How do you think we can most improve the youth ministry program? (Multiple responses allowed) 53% Involve the youth in the parish more 31% Inform the parishioners more about the program 64% Get more youth involved 39% Offer more activities 31% Improve the current activities 28% Increase the service opportunities 19% Other
Parish Life What is your perception of your role as a member of your parish? (Multiple responses allowed) 90% To attend Mass 66% Participate/volunteer in ministries and social activities 81% Support the parish financially 58% Share my faith with others 9% Other In your experience, how responsive is our PASTOR to your needs and requests? 50% Very responsive 24% Somewhat responsive 18% Neutral 4% Unresponsive 5% Very unresponsive
In your experience, how responsive is the AREA OFFICE STAFF to your needs and requests? 57% Very responsive 22% Somewhat responsive 18% Neutral 1% Unresponsive 1% Very unresponsive What methods of communication work best for you and your family to receive parish information? (Multiple responses allowed) 81% Bulletin 48% Newsletter 38% Website 47% Parish Mailings 15% Facebook 49% Announcements at Mass 10% Parish App 51% Email Do you enjoy receiving our parish’s monthly newsletters? 86% Yes 14% No What information do you want included in our monthly newsletter? (Multiple responses allowed) 69% Articles about parish groups and activities 62% Comments from our pastor 44% Highlights on various parishioners 44% Information on the finances of the parish 31% Diocesan-wide news 53% Articles of general Catholic interest 51% Explanations of specific Catholic teachings 7% Other Do you use our parish’s website? 62% Yes 38% No If no, why not? Don’t Have/Use Computer (10) Sometimes (7)
Outreach Do you feel that your parish does a good job reaching out to the following groups: Yes No Unsure Active Parishioners 70% 12% 18% Inactive Parishioners 9% 33% 58% New Parishioners 24% 17% 59% Shut-in Parishioners 31% 14% 55% Non-Catholic Spouses 8% 29% 63% The Local Community 22% 30% 48% The Poor 23% 13% 64% Other Christian Churches 14% 24% 62% Other Religions 8% 23% 69% What more can we do as a parish to reach out to those in need? (Multiple responses allowed) 42% Increase communications about parish ministries 49% Encourage more parishioner participation 58% Be more welcoming 58% Get more involved in the community 8% Other
Stewardship What is your perception of Stewardship (Time, Talent, and Treasure) when it is discussed? 50% Accept it as a core Gospel value and carry it out in my life 6% Don’t really understand what it means 33% Think it’s important, but find it hard to implement 3% Feel it’s not applicable in my life 8% Feel that it’s just another way to discuss fundraising
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Stewardship of Time How often does your family share a meal? 77% Daily 15% Several days a week 4% Once a week 4% Less than once a week Do you say grace before meals? 73% Yes 27% No If you have children at home, do you pray with them on a daily basis (in addition to grace before meals)? 25% Yes 16% No 59% Not Applicable If you are married, do you pray with your spouse on a daily basis (in addition to grace before meals)? 25% Yes 58% No 17% Not Applicable In addition to Sunday Mass and grace before meals, how often do you set aside time for personal prayer? 69% Daily 18% Weekly 4% Monthly 8% Never If you have children, do you discuss vocations (Religious Life, Single Life, Married Life) within your family? 56% Yes 44% No
Stewardship of Talent In how many parish ministries, committees, programs or events are you actively involved? 29% 0 23% 1 23% 2 13% 3 13% 4 or more 6
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Beyond participating in weekly Masses, how do you rate your involvement in your parish? 14% Very involved 51% Moderately involved 28% Rarely involved 7% Never involved What single reason (if any) has most prevented you from more participation in parish ministries? 5% Not interested in what the parish offers 21% Health issues 9% Usually unaware of opportunities within the parish 49% Not enough time due to family and work responsibilities 2% Transportation 14% Haven’t yet made the effort to get involved 0% Lack of babysitting services Are you satisfied with your PERSONAL level of involvement in parish ministries? 81% Satisfied with my current level of involvement 19% Would like to become more involved Are you satisfied with your FAMILY’S level of involvement in parish ministries? 81% Satisfied with current level of involvement 19% Would like to become more involved At what times would you most likely be able to attend parish functions? (Multiple responses allowed) 15% Saturday mornings 19% Saturday evenings 57% After the Sunday Mass I attend 19% Sunday evenings 13% Weekday mornings 36% Weekday evenings 17% Weekday afternoons
Stewardship of Treasure Each parishioner is responsible for supporting our parish financially. 48% Strongly agree 40% Agree 10% Neutral 1% Disagree 2% Strongly disagree How often do you make financial contributions to your parish? 35% Every week 8% Every other week 17% Once a month 11% Monthly (for all the weeks in the month) 3% Never 26% Other My household’s gross annual financial contribution to the parish offertory represents: 5% 0% of my annual income 37% 1% - 2% of my annual income 23% 3% - 4% of my annual income 19% 5% - 6% of my annual income 6% 7% - 8% of my annual income 8% 9% - 10% of my annual income 1% 11% or more of my annual income How do you determine the amount you contribute in the offertory collection? 8% I give a certain dollar amount based on a percentage of my income. 49% I have chosen a certain dollar amount in some other way. 1% I base the amount on what I think the parish needs. 19% I give whatever I can afford that week. 21% I don’t have a system that determines how much I give. 2% I don’t financially support the parish.
What is your perception of our parish’s current financial position? 3% We are easily able to pay our operating bills and put aside money in savings. 15% We are easily able to pay our operating bills. 27% We barely generate enough revenue to pay our operating bills. 16% We are not generating enough revenue to pay our operating bills. 40% I am unaware of the state of our parish finances.
Demographics Gender 18% Male 42% Female 39% Husband and Wife Completed Together Marital Status (Check one) 5% Single 5% Divorced 77% Married 0% Separated 14% Widowed What is your annual household income? 3% $0 - $9,999 18% $10,000 - $29,999 14% $30,000 - $49,999 21% $50,000 - $74,999 24% $75,000 - $99,999 18% $100,000 - $199,999 3% $200,000 and above
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512 Black Oak Ave. Montevideo, MN 56265
www.holyfamilyarea.org
MASS TIMES: Sunday 8:30 a.m. — St. James, Dawson 10:30 a.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo Tuesday 5 p.m. - St. Andrew, Granite Falls Wednesday 5 p.m. — St. James, Dawson
Thursday 12:00 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo Friday 10 a.m. — St. Andrew, Granite Falls
Saturday 5 p.m. — St. Andrew, Granite Falls 7 p.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo in Spanish
CONFESSION TIMES: 30 minutes before daily Mass Sunday 8 a.m. — St. James, Dawson
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Saturday 9:30 - 10 a.m. — St. Joseph, Montevideo 4:15 p.m. —St. Andrew, Granite Falls
Age (You may check more than one box if husband and wife completed the survey together) 3% 18-29 31% 60-69 11% 30-39 34% 70+ 9% 40-49 16% 50-59 How long have you been a registered parishioner at your parish? 1% 0-1 year 5% 2-3 years 1% 4-5 years 6% 6-10 years 14% 11-20 years 73% More than 20 years
General Information The things I like best about my parish are... Parishioners (32) Friendly/Welcoming (20)
FEBRUARY 2021
I wish my parish would… Be More Welcoming (20) Parish Ministries/Activities (13)