Guardian Angels News

From Father Joe - Listening Session Update

On Sunday July 30, after the 11:00 a.m. Mass we held a listening session at the parish to hear what parishioners’ thoughts were on the proposed reconfiguration of our church. The three proposals are moving the crucifix from the side wall to the sanctuary, removing the projector screens and using hymnals, and the building of a partition between the gathering space and the worship space (4 designs of the partitions were in the entrance  way of the church for the month of July).

I was happy with the large turnout of parishioners, there were over 150 people in attendance, and around 40 people were able to speak during the session. I thought the listening session was insightful and was an opportunity for people to voice what they believed, and it helped me to understand where some of their thinking is coming from.

Following are some comments that were shared at the listening session and by email in response to the proposals.

Here are some of the comments for not moving the crucifix:

• Young people don’t care about the Cross.
• I believe in the “Christ of “NOW.”
• “No to Dogmas”
• Christ was on the cross for three hours… he did other things too… don’t focus on just His death, we are people of the resurrection not of the cross.
• Our sanctuary is also a fundraiser, we can’t fundraise or have talent shows if Crucifix and/or tabernacle is there.
• Our culture at GA is not to have cross.
• It’s not very Vatican 2

Comments for moving the crucifix into the sanctuary:

• Almost all Catholic churches have crucifix in sanctuary. Confusing for visitors to not have the crucifix in center.
• Reminds us of Christ’s love for us.
• Reminds us that Christ suffers with our sufferings.
• You can’t see the cross in most of the seats of the church.

Some comments for those who want to keep the open space:

• I like hearing the noise before/during/after Mass, it reminds me of life.
• Reminds me of Trump building walls on border… we should build bridge not walls.
• Our parish has no barriers. It’s not very Vatican 2
• Our culture at GA is not to have wall.
• No to Dogmas

For those in favor of the partition:

• It is the people that make the space inviting. A partition does not make us less inviting.
• Clearer distinction between where we sell tickets/advertise and where we worship.
• If you want to talk, go to the gathering space, I like silence to get ready for Mass.
• I can’t hear Mass or speakers when people are talking in the gathering space.

For those who want to keep projection screens:

• It takes too long to find page numbers in hymnal.
• The screen helps those disabled to participate.
• Limits our ability to have variety of hymns.
• Easier to look at screen than to open hymnal.
• Hymnals are too heavy.
• Our culture at GA is to have screens.

For those who supported removal of screens:

• We have too many screens in life, can’t we put them away for an hour?
• I learned a lot from reading hymnals as a kid, they are a great teaching tool.
• Mass Responses and advertisements before and during Mass are distracting.
• I like the traditional hymns that everyone knows and can sing.
• I like to have the music for the songs I’m singing.
• They’re awkward to follow if you don’t know the hymn.

In conclusion, I express my sincere gratitude to everyone who attended the listening session and to those who actively participated by sharing their thoughts. Your input and viewpoints have been invaluable, and I view this as a fantastic opportunity to further deepen our understanding of our Catholic faith and the way we worship.

With the valuable information gathered during this session, I eagerly anticipate continuing the conversation with parish leadership and determining the next steps forward.

In Christ, Father Joe