Parish Membership Database. The normal way we keep track of who is active and who is not active in the parish is by way of “parish envelopes”. When an envelope is received during sunday collection, it is coded in our computer for proper tax credit which also verifies that the family is still in the parish. For families with children in school and RE, it is also mandatory to use the parish envelope, regardless of the amount of contribution inside, to verify “parishioner status.”

Every year in January and June, I go through our parish membership list with Julia, our parish Business Manager, to see who among the names listed are still active in the church. Many times people move out of town or out of state, transfer to another parish, and forget to update their parish registration. When parishioners pass away and their funeral is celebrated outside of the parish, we have no way of updating our records unless the matter is brought to our attention.

It is important to have an accurate parish registration because: (1) it allows us in the pastoral staff to get the most accurate information about the family especially when we are needed to administer certain sacraments, and also (2) we are assessed a “newspaper tax” (Observer) by the diocese based on the number of families we have on our database, therefore a list that includes inactive parishioners inflates the list and translate into a higher assessment. For those with children in school and Religious Education program, maintaining a current record allows them to (3) continue receiving “discounted/parishioner rate” in the program. (Posted 1/3/12).

 

With his Apostolic Letter of October 11, 2011, Porta Fidei. . . , Pope Benedict XVI declared that a "Year of Faith" will begin on October 11, 2012 and conclude on November 24, 2013. October 11, 2012, the first day of the Year of Faith, is the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. . . (Vatican II) and also the twentieth anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. During the Year of Faith, Catholics are asked to study and reflect on the documents of Vatican II and the catechism so that they may deepen their knowledge of the faith.

 

In the Acts of the Apostles, we learn that God has opened the door of faith for the early Church. But did you know that God has opened the door of faith for each one us and he invites us to step through the threshold into a deeper relationship with him.The upcoming Year of Faith is an opportunity for every Catholic to turn towards Jesus Christ, encounter him in the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and rediscover the Faith and Church.

 

The upcoming Year of Faith is a “summons to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the One Savior of the world” (Porta Fidei 6). In other words, the Year of Faith is an opportunity for Catholics to experience a conversion – to turn back to Jesus and enter into a deeper relationship with him. The “door of faith” is opened at one’s baptism, but during this year Catholics are called to open it again, walk through it and rediscover and renew their relationship with Christ and his Church.

 

(From the USCCB website)