Canadian Martyrs Church

Report on the Parish Survey (May 2009)

Progress Report from the Pastoral Planning Team

(and Report on the Parish Survey)

Canadian Martyrs Parish

For the Pastoral Council and Finance Committee Annual Retreat

June 6, 2009

 

 

1. Introduction

The Plan and the Process: In the fall of 2008, the Pastoral Council created a planning team and gave it the mandate to develop a pastoral plan of action for Canadian Martyrs Parish. If a Catholic parish is the ‘People of God’ alive in our community, then a pastoral plan of action is our road map, setting out where  and how we would like to grow over the next few years, what we see as our priorities and objectives, and what we intend to do to reach them.

 

The planning team is using as a guide the handbook Making Your Pastoral Council Work by Ron Cork, which details a five phase planning process as follows:

 

• Phase I: develop a parish mission statement,
• Phase II: study and assessment,
• Phase III: goal setting,
• Phase IV: implementation, and
• Phase V: evaluation.

 

Phase I had already been completed in early 2008, when the parish adopted a mission statement:

 

Holy Canadian Martyrs Parish is a welcoming Christian community reaching out to all who seek God. We joyfully live, renew and share our Catholic faith through worship, prayer and service, especially to those in need, under the leadership of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and our laity.

 

The planning team is now engaged in Phase II, study and assessment, which is aimed at determining the priority needs of the parish. To date, this phase has included an open-house strategic planning session for parishioners (March 2008), mapping parish ministries to the mission statement, collecting and organizing demographic information, issuing a call for input to ministry leaders and administering a parish-wide survey instrument (Fall 2008 / Winter 2009). The retreat with Pastoral Council and Finance Committee for which this report is prepared is also a Phase II study and assessment activity.

 

Following the retreat, this phase will continue with activities such as town halls, further deliberations and analysis with a view to arriving at a final proposal containing a list of the priority needs of the parish, for consideration and approval by Pastoral Council.

 

In Phase III, Goal Setting, the approved list of priority needs will be used as the basis to set achievable, measurable goals and action plans associated with those goals. These goals will form the basis for the Parish Pastoral Plan. Once produced, Implementation and a cycle of Evaluation can take place under the leadership of Pastoral Council.

 

The Survey: The purpose of the Parish Survey was to collect information about Canadian Martyrs in support of the study and assessment phase of the above process. The survey consisted of two parts: Section A asked parishioners five ‘qualitative’ questions: what attracted them to Canadian Martyrs, what its strengths/weaknesses were and what to do about them, and what their aspirations were for the parish; Section B asked some ‘quantitative’ questions about their age, gender, family status, frequency of church attendance, etc. 

 

At three weekend Masses in late January and early February, 2009  approximately 225 parishioners were individually handed a copy of the survey; by the end of February, 85 questionnaires had been received. Given that many parishioners were not familiar with a survey of this nature at church, and perhaps unsure about what the end product would be, a 37.5% response rate is enough to consider the survey a success. 

 

The Pastoral Planning Team is comfortable with taking the information obtained as a reasonable reflection of the views of the majority of parishioners. There will be open houses in the fall of 2009 to inform parishioners about the results of the survey, answer their questions, and elicit further input to the preparation of the Plan. Hopefully, after parishioners have received this feedback and seen the Pastoral Plan itself, there will be an even better response rate to future surveys.

 

This Report to Pastoral Council and Finance Committee consists of two sections:

 

• ‘What Our Parish Looks Like’: a summary of the demographic data gathered in Section B, plus a table detailing the findings (Annex 1);

 

• ‘What Our Parish Thinks’: a summary of the major issues that emerged from the responses to Section A which the Team identified as priorities affecting parish life as a whole  --  essentially ‘what we make of what we heard on the big questions,’ plus  an annex (Annex 2- ‘What was Said’) with comments made by parishioners in the Survey that relate to those issues.

 

In the parish survey, many respondents made comments that were directly related to the activity of one ministry or committee. Comments expressed appreciation for their work as well as specific suggestions for future activity. As the Pastoral Plan will address the general priorities and broad directions for the parish, and not the specific activities of each ministry, Pastoral Council will receive pages with the comments for each ministry, to be passed on to the ministry in question for its consideration. 

 

2. What Our Parish Looks Like

 

The purpose of Section B in the Survey was not to attempt a census of Canadian Martyrs parishioners - that would have required a more rigorous approach to tallying both Mass attendees and those who might not have attended Mass during the survey period. Nonetheless, about 225 questionnaires were given directly into the hands of individuals attending Mass on three consecutive Sundays in late January and there were 85 responses (37.5%); used with caution, this data can provide a rough picture of the make-up of the parish. 

 

Working on the assumption that those who responded to the Survey were likely to be the more active and/or committed members of the Parish, the Planning Team was looking for a partial picture of this ‘dynamic segment’ of the parish, and data that would give them a context for the ‘qualitative questions’ in Section A.

 

Age: Of the 85 respondents, the majority (40%) were  in the 40-60 year bracket. This is what might be expected for a group who are mature, professionally established and probably more able to get involved in the parish because they are not as limited by the demands of young children as those with younger families - the 20-40 group (18%). The next largest segment consisted of people in the 60-80 year range (26%), many of whom are retirees with the flexibility to invest their time and skills in the parish. Approximately 10% were under 20 and 6% above 80.

 

Gender: Approximately 2/3 of the respondents are female, which would seem to correspond to the proportions both of registered parishioners and weekend Mass attendees. It is interesting to note that six of the eight youth (<20 years) respondents are male.

 

Marital Status: Roughly 60% of the respondents are married, which confirms the parish’s identity as a family church; 25% single and 15% ‘other’ (which most indicated as being divorced or separated). Given that there are a fair number of the >60 population of either sex who are widowed, and that youth (<20) account for 10% of the respondents, it would seem that the number of singles in the parish between 20 and 60 is rather small (or that only a few of them responded to the Survey).

 

Years in the Parish: 42% of respondents have been in the parish for over 15 years, 36% from 5 to 15 years, and 22% for less than 5 years (of whom 5% for less than a year). It is probably safe to assume that most of the first group are middle-aged and senior parishioners and that young parishioners make up most of the <5 year group. If that is the case, it would indicate that the renewal process in Canadian Martyrs is alive and on-going.

 

Household Size: Data from this question really has to be correlated to the other questions to be meaningful. For example, the data shows that 33% are from families of 4 or more but not whether all family members were regular or active church-goers, and that 35% are from two-person households but not whether they are empty-nesters or young couples without children yet.

 

In conclusion, Section B can be seen as a useful first step in getting a clearer picture of the make-up of Canadian Martyrs. The Planning Team suggests that Pastoral Council may wish to consider the merits of conducting a more carefully formulated parish census every 3-5 years, using an approach that would get responses from a significant majority of the parish population.

 

3. What Our Parish Thinks 

Section A of the Survey clearly shows that the majority of parishioners have a great affection for Canadian Martyrs as a community and as a centre of worship and a strong commitment to its current and future health.

 

The review of the strengths of the parish provided some very consistent and encouraging messages about Canadian Martyrs:

 

• seen as a 'neighbourhood church'
• exhibits a welcoming, friendly, environment
• strong sense of community 
• Fr. Robert a real source of strength
• satisfaction with the connection to Oblates and to St. Paul's

 

As regards 'hopes for the future', there was a subtle but nevertheless consistent concern threaded throughout the survey responses about the future of Canadian Martyrs Parish. The perception of an aging population and precarious financial position of the parish concerns many. There was a strong message that the parish needs to grow while retaining the closeness and sense of community that is one of its strengths. Indeed, ‘growing the Parish’ can be seen as the ‘overarching theme’ that emerges in the survey.

 

Fostering Long Term Growth - Issues to be Addressed

 

While creating the conditions for growth was the dominant theme of the survey, the Team identified four major issues as priority areas for consideration, each of which support this overall objective. Parishioners expressed specific ideas and suggestions (see attached Annex 2) regarding these priorities, which are:

 

a) Building Our Community

 

While many saw Canadian Martyrs' strong sense of community as one of its assets, it was also recognized that improving upon this is one of the ways that the parish can strengthen itself.

 

Suggestions included enriching the atmosphere of the parish, improving and strengthening social activities as a way of encouraging more and greater participation in parish life (particularly by youth), increasing the number of parishioners, etc. Many respondents also saw an opportunity and a need to strengthen the parish's links with the broader community, e.g., Immaculata, St. Paul's, ecumenical outreach etc.

 

b) Living Our Faith

Many made comments about the need for the parish to constantly mature as a Christian community by enriching the many aspects of our liturgy, providing more spiritual guidance, deepening our prayer life and understanding of the Catholic faith, sharing our faith with others, and serving the poor and the needy. Closely linked to this were suggestions for more, and longer, sermons from Fr. Robert as well as innovation in the children's liturgy and the family Mass.

 

c) Improving Our Finances

 

While strengthening the parish's financial position was a significant concern, beyond a suggestion to develop a fundraising team and strategy there were in fact few ideas or suggestions as to how this might actually be accomplished. 

 

d) Running Our Parish

 

Closely linked to the concept of building community was the importance of promoting greater participation by parishioners in the life of the parish and of improving communications with the parish and between the parish and the community, e.g., by means of an improved bulletin, a website, ‘open house’ meetings, etc. Related to this was a sense that Pastoral Council itself needs to be more active in its relations with the parish, including a specific suggestion that Pastoral Council members be given individual liaison responsibilities with individual ministries. 

 

4. Expectations  for This Retreat

 

The Planning Team would like to see the following outcomes from this meeting with Pastoral Council and Finance Committee:

 

• a substantive discussion of the ‘big issues’ raised in the Overview which would provide the Team with guidance and a clearer idea of Council’s expectations for the Pastoral Plan in these areas

 

• agreement on the next steps in the pastoral planning process

 

• agreement on a communications strategy

 

 

The Pastoral Planning Team

McE Galbreath, Joanne Heffernan, David Mulcair, Allan McGillivray, Michael Oster, Damith Silva, Tony Winston, Pierre Beemans (coordinator)

 

 

 

Annex 1: Summary Table of Demographic Data

Age respondents# respondents% Years in Parish             #   %

 

Under 10:  2   2.4 Less than one year:   4 5.1

10 - 20:  6   7.2 1 to 5 years: 13 16.7

21 - 30: 4   4.8 6 to 10 years: 13 16.7

31 - 40: 11 13.3 11 to 15 years: 15 19.2

41 - 50: 14 16.9 16 to 24 years: 19 24.4

51 - 60: 19 22.9 25 years and up: 14 17.9

61 - 70: 16 19.3 N/A:   7

71 - 80: 5   6.0

81 - 90: 4   4.8

Senior: 2   2.4

90+: 0        0

N/A: 2  

 

Size of Household # %

1: 11 14.3

2: 27 35

3: 14 18.2

4: 11 14.3

5: 7 9.1

6: 7 9.1

N/A: 8

 

Frequency of Attendance # %

More than once per week: 7 8.8

3 - 4 times per month: 63 79.8

1 - 2 times per month: 9 11.4

Rarely: 0

N/A: 6

Gender # %

Male Adult: 29 34.5

Female Adult: 48 57.1

Boy: 6 7.2

Girl: 1 1.2

N/A: 1

Marital Status # %

Married: 45 57.0

Single: 21 26.6

Other: 11 13.9

No Response: 2 2.5

N/A: 6

 

 

Annex 2

“What was Said”

 

Verbatim Tabulation of Specific Suggestions for the Parish 

 

Encouraging Growth of the Parish

 

Attract new parishioners

Attract more families

Attract more parishioners

More concerts in the church to attract new people

A team of greeters to make new people welcome

Discern the needs/expectations of 30-45 year-olds who are the future of the parish

Create a team to carry out a complete census of households within CMP’s boundaries, leaving a brochure for any interested

Look at what other parishes are doing right (e.g., Blessed Sacrament)

Greater involvement of young adults & teens

 

Building Community

 

Forge stronger ties with Immaculata (new chaplain)

Get the Deaf community more involved in the parish, but with their mass at 12:00

Develop our ecumenical links to nearby churches, especially in social ministries

Make the diocese more present in CMP

More emphasis needed on outreach to the poor

Opportunities to get to know other parishioners with the same needs (e.g., families with young children) 

Publicize the parish in local newspapers and bulletins

Get Saint Paul’s more involved

Ecumenical events with neighbouring churches (e.g., invite pastors to speak)

More opportunities to celebrate community (e.g., hospitality, cleanups, coffeehouses, retreats)

More events like parish family get-togethers

Encourage people to stay for coffee

Expand the after-Mass coffee into the Parish centre

Evening events with dynamic speakers

Invite challenging speakers for events open to general public

Invest in big annual Parish anniversary party

More social gatherings like coffee house/pizza

Spring/summer family-oriented outing

Neighbourhood BBQ during the Main Event

Support group for young married couples

More family-oriented activities/events

 

Running the Parish

 

More readable and comprehensive bulletin 

A suggestion box for Fr. Robert’s homilies

Improve communication/interaction with Saturday and Sunday mass-goers

More workshops on the mission, plans and future of CMP

Greater outreach via the Internet and social media

Improve website; Facebook, etc.

Encourage more participation in parish activities

Communication about/by Parish Council

Give Pastoral Council members liaison responsibility with ministries

More transparency and involvement in Finance Committee

‘Honour’ parishioners in ministries (e.g., by inviting them to the altar for the consecration or Our Father)

 

Living our Faith

 

More spiritual guidance on daily living as a Catholic in the modern world

Improve our understanding of our faith

Parish is not oriented towards growth through Evangelization

Too few activities aimed at ‘spreading the Good Word’

Deepen our understanding of our faith

Greater coherence and maturity in the liturgy

More adult faith formation

Assume our evangelizing responsibilities as Christians in our neighbourhood

More and longer sermons by Fr. Robert

More emphasis on adult faith development

Add variety to liturgy

Discussion group on Catholic life

Year-round RCIA with continuous entry

Strengthen and expand the RCIA program to both teach and reach out to potential converts

Build a core team of 5-6 long-term RCIA people and link up with RCIA in other parishes

Make RCIA development the #1 priority for CM and allocate the needed resources to it

Talks/discussions on our Catholic faith

A bible study group

Continue innovations in children’s liturgy & family Mass

More evening talks/discussions about our faith

Work with OMI to diversify liturgy & support pastor

Strengthen the choir & music

Greater parish involvement in singing

Youth/children’s choir

Professional development for the music ministry

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