Viking Voice

A Message from Our Principal

Dear Families, 

Over break, I was talking with someone, somewhere, about something, when he remarked how crowded it was at Easter Mass. He chalked up the packed pews to the onslaught of the Chreasters--those who report for duty twice a year on the biggest feast days of the Christian calendar, and then go dormant in the interval between them.

There is maybe a joke in here about how the Chreasters might just be saving themselves up strategically for two epic feats of holiness every 6 months, like boxers sharpening themselves for a title bout. Too much joking, though, would sell short the seriousness of the trend and its implications for the future of our faith.

According to the Pew Research Center--a reputable, nonpartisan source of sociological data--fewer than one-third of U.S. Catholics attend Mass weekly. There has been a persistent downward trend since at least the 1970s. 

Scholars have posited numerous explanations for this decline. Our purpose here is not to dissect them. Instead, our goal is to gather information on the decisions that you, our Queen of Peace parents, are making about Mass attendance. 

It is no secret to say that we want our school parents to take their kids to Mass every week. Faith formation works best when this happens. This is not just a theory. We see it firsthand. It is what the Church means when it describes parents as the primary teachers of their children in matters of the faith. 

A few years ago, I sent out a survey about Mass attendance and school/parish stewardship in relation to school tuition. This was right after Beacons of Light brought us into a family with two other schools (St. Pete, St. Joe) that were factoring these variables differently, and with whom we needed to sync our own practices. Shortly thereafter, EdChoice wildly expanded and made this whole system an afterthought. 

Anyways....on this survey, one parent commented that there are some very good reasons why her family does not attend Mass, but that no one had ever bothered to ask why. 

So here we are, coming off the holiest Christian feast day of them all, finally asking the big questions. If you go to Mass once or more per week, why? If you are a go-to-Mass-here-or-there family, why? If you are Chreasters, why? If you never go to Mass, why not? 

It is important to us that you understand certain things about these questions:

1) They are not motivated by accusation or self-righteousness, but by curiosity and a sincere desire to understand.

2) They are designed to generate responses that we can use to better meet the needs of our Catholic learning community.

3) They are not intended to target individuals. If you think we decided to ask these questions because we know for a fact that you--that's right....YOU!--don't go to Mass and, well...

"We want some answers."

"You want answers? YOU WANT ANSWERS?!"

"We want the TRUTH!"

"YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!" 

.....then you are mistaken. We come in peace. 

You will be doing a great service to the cause by completing this survey: https://forms.gle/n5wyR2p9FcHuLJT46

*No more than one response per household. This is an anonymous survey. 

Christ in Self. Christ in Other. 

Sincerely,

Josh

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