Mass Schedule 9/26

Suggestions for Adapting to the Future

“Collaborative Mass Schedule”

It’s finally decided: a new schedule that both of our collaborative parishes can call our own. Before I offer some requests and suggestions as we transition to the new schedule, allow me to briefly explain the key reasons for choosing four Masses for all people in our Plainville and Wrentham parishes to choose from, and why these are located evenly across both churches.

Based on our total weekend Mass attendance this past year, a four Mass schedule can provide some variety to choose from while also increasing the attendance at each Mass so we can serve the most people in a reduced number of Masses. In addition to respecting the limited number of Masses a priest can offer in one day (generally two, Sundays three), these changes will put less stress on weekend assistant priests (most of whom are semi-retired), as well as on our volunteers serving at the liturgies and the whole pastoral team.

Our Archbishop supports the goal of collaborative parishes working to strengthen each other. Long gone are the days of parishes competing against each other. As Catholics, we are “one body and one spirit,” sharing “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Eph. 4:4-5) This new “Collaborative Mass Schedule” was designed so that all of the Masses are for all of us - not just for the parish in whose church it is celebrated. This will require flexibility from all of us as we grow into this new way of worshiping together, but as many of you have seen, in the sister church you will recognize the same clergy and more and more people from your home parish, and vice versa.

Each home parish needs your ongoing participation and financial support if you want it to be there for you well into the future. Because our parishes continue to have separate finances, each parish’s income must cover its own expenses. Therefore, we encourage those attending Mass at the other church to take an envelope for your home parish as you enter and place their offertory in that envelope. In this way, as our collaborative worship together we will continue to support the parish community to which we belong.

Several of you have emphasized the need to move to this new schedule as soon as possible, so we will start this new collaborative schedule on the weekend of Oct. 10-11:

Please note: All Sunday Mass times have changed. While this requires change and flexibility for many people, it was considered the most fair approach overall. Sadly, this includes the end of our 5pm Mass that served our Faith Formation families and others. If you sometimes need a late Sunday Mass yourself, you can try the new 5pm at St. Mary Franklin.

While it will be a challenge to get the word out and prepare everyone for these new times before October 10-11 (especially for our volunteer liturgical ministers), our councils and pastoral team believe two weeks is enough time for most people. 

In closing, let me remind you that we have good reasons to believe this transition will go well. First and foremost, we have called upon the Holy Spirit to guide us from the start. We have done extensive consultation to take as many factors of parishioners lives into account as possible. We have also been greatly blessed in how many parishioners have chosen to worship in each other’s church when that Mass time was better for their schedule - which is a beautiful sign that our St. Martha & St. Mary parishioners are becoming more like brothers and sisters!