ParISh census and QUESTIONNAIRE- JUNE 2019
Part 1 – Census
The Parish Census and Questionnaire was introduced by the church on Sunday 5thMay 2019 when parishioners were asked to participate on a voluntary basis by completing a 3-page document and return their completed form into a sealed post box at the church. The Census is now into its 8thweek of returns and a preliminary analysis of responses has been carried out. It is hoped that further returns will be received and the responses will be built in to this preliminary analysis.
As at 28 June a total of 48 returns have been received providing information regarding 74 parishioners. This probably represents approximately 49% of the number of parishioners who regularly attend either the Vigil Mass on Saturday evening or the Sunday Mass, (based upon an estimate of a total of regular Mass attenders of approx.150).
The gender breakdown of these responses is Females 46, (62%) and Males 28, (38%).
As at 28 June a total of 48 returns have been received providing information regarding 74 parishioners. This probably represents approximately 49% of the number of parishioners who regularly attend either the Vigil Mass on Saturday evening or the Sunday Mass, (based upon an estimate of a total of regular Mass attenders of approx.150).
The gender breakdown of these responses is Females 46, (62%) and Males 28, (38%).
With regard to ‘preferred method of communication’ from the church, 62 respondents, (84%), indicated that email is their preference. There are 12 parishioners that did not supply an email address and the assumption is that they also do not have access to computer facilities. This will have an impact on the means of communication from the church.
Children
The total number of children recorded by responders is 71, however of these there are only 18 children who are 25 years of age or younger all of whom are baptised Catholics. 2 children have yet to receive their 1stHoly Communion, and 3 children have not been confirmed into the church.
Information regarding the 53, ‘adult’ children, (those over 25 years), is minimal, however 44 are baptised Catholics who have also passed through 1stcommunion and confirmation, 23 of whom received these Sacraments at St. Lawrence’s. The inclusion of ‘adult’ children in responses has a significant impact on the analysis of family attendance at Mass in Part 2 of the questionnaire. Because of this a further analysis of ‘adult’ children has been conducted regarding their state within the catholic church.
Children
The total number of children recorded by responders is 71, however of these there are only 18 children who are 25 years of age or younger all of whom are baptised Catholics. 2 children have yet to receive their 1stHoly Communion, and 3 children have not been confirmed into the church.
Information regarding the 53, ‘adult’ children, (those over 25 years), is minimal, however 44 are baptised Catholics who have also passed through 1stcommunion and confirmation, 23 of whom received these Sacraments at St. Lawrence’s. The inclusion of ‘adult’ children in responses has a significant impact on the analysis of family attendance at Mass in Part 2 of the questionnaire. Because of this a further analysis of ‘adult’ children has been conducted regarding their state within the catholic church.
No doubt there will be a portion of these ‘adult’ children who no longer live within the St. Lawrence’s parish. But, equally, there will probably be others who do still reside within the parish, may even now be married themselves and have children and who, therefore, may be considered as ‘Lapsed Catholics’ given that no Census Return has been received from them.
Where our parishioner’s live
The residence of the respondents covers 12 townships within Ross & Cromarty with 56% of respondents living in Dingwall or Strathpeffer. The breakdown of townships from which parishioners are resident is as follows:
Where our parishioner’s live
The residence of the respondents covers 12 townships within Ross & Cromarty with 56% of respondents living in Dingwall or Strathpeffer. The breakdown of townships from which parishioners are resident is as follows:
Part 2 – Questionnaire
The questionnaire is focussed on the ways in which parishioners manifested their faith in terms of Mass attendance patterns; barriers to Mass attendance; faith background and aspirations concerning faith development initiatives for both adults and children; and social aspirations.
The questionnaire is focussed on the ways in which parishioners manifested their faith in terms of Mass attendance patterns; barriers to Mass attendance; faith background and aspirations concerning faith development initiatives for both adults and children; and social aspirations.
86%, (59 parishioners) of respondents reported weekly attendance at Mass, with only 1 person opting to report ‘Occasionally’. There were 9 respondents who did not respond to this question.
Barriers to Attendance
The majority of returns, (26), do not indicate that there are any barriers to attendance at Mass. Of the remaining responses the biggest barrier is Family and/or Work commitments with a total of 20 responders. Mass Times and Transport were recorded by 3 respondents each.
The majority of returns, (26), do not indicate that there are any barriers to attendance at Mass. Of the remaining responses the biggest barrier is Family and/or Work commitments with a total of 20 responders. Mass Times and Transport were recorded by 3 respondents each.
The analysis of this response will have been affected by whether the responder has used a wider or narrower definition of the term ‘Family’. A wider definition (all children of the responder including ‘adult’ children), would probably mitigate against the frequency of ‘Family’ attendance at Mass.
This, to some extent, can be seen in the analysis of ‘Barriers to Family Attendance’ below:
This, to some extent, can be seen in the analysis of ‘Barriers to Family Attendance’ below:
Faith Development – Children
Respondents were asked to indicate, from a list, which activities would be of interest to further the development of their children’s faith. They were also encouraged to offer other suggested activities not covered by the list. There were only 6 respondents who offered opinions on this.
The activities suggested were as follows:
Faith Development – Adults
As with the question on Faith Development for children, Respondents were given the opportunity to indicate which, from a list, of activities they would like to see being introduced and were also asked to submit other activities that they considered appropriate. 32 respondents provided opinions on this area. The range of activities which received the most frequent approval, together with the number of times they were put forward was as follows:
Respondents were asked to indicate, from a list, which activities would be of interest to further the development of their children’s faith. They were also encouraged to offer other suggested activities not covered by the list. There were only 6 respondents who offered opinions on this.
The activities suggested were as follows:
- Children’s Mass 4
- Children’s Pilgrimages/Outings/Faith Youth Camps 3
- Children’s Choir 2
- Children’s Bible School
- Altar Server’s
- Social Events
- Swim Lunches
- Christmas Party.
Faith Development – Adults
As with the question on Faith Development for children, Respondents were given the opportunity to indicate which, from a list, of activities they would like to see being introduced and were also asked to submit other activities that they considered appropriate. 32 respondents provided opinions on this area. The range of activities which received the most frequent approval, together with the number of times they were put forward was as follows:
All of the above activities were presented on the questionnaire, as were Altar Server and Sacristy each of which recorded 1 nomination.
Other activities put forward by respondents were:
Social Activities
In a similar manner, respondents were asked to consider what, if any, type of social activities they would like to see being introduced to the church by both ticking suggestions provided and by offering other activities. 18 respondents took the opportunity to engage in this and the most popular activities were as follows:
Other activities put forward by respondents were:
- Rosaries
- Devotions
- Teaching Children RE
- Church Unity & Cooperation
- Day Retreats
- Fund Raising
- Extra-Ordinary Minister of the Eucharist.
Social Activities
In a similar manner, respondents were asked to consider what, if any, type of social activities they would like to see being introduced to the church by both ticking suggestions provided and by offering other activities. 18 respondents took the opportunity to engage in this and the most popular activities were as follows:
There were a wide range of other suggested activities which drew 1 nomination only.
These included:
Informal meetings in the Presbytery; Consultations/Counselling Sessions with Parish Priest; Family Fun Days; Annual Public Open Doors; Church Fair; Craft Clubs; Interaction with other Churches; Bus Trips; Family Weekend Get-Togethers; Historic Day Trips; Home Visits to Elderly, Infirm, Sick Parishioners; Ladies Curry Night; Charity Raffles; Repository Selling Mass Cards; Musical Gatherings; Walking Pilgrimages and Annual Beach Picnic.
These included:
Informal meetings in the Presbytery; Consultations/Counselling Sessions with Parish Priest; Family Fun Days; Annual Public Open Doors; Church Fair; Craft Clubs; Interaction with other Churches; Bus Trips; Family Weekend Get-Togethers; Historic Day Trips; Home Visits to Elderly, Infirm, Sick Parishioners; Ladies Curry Night; Charity Raffles; Repository Selling Mass Cards; Musical Gatherings; Walking Pilgrimages and Annual Beach Picnic.
This page will in due course link to an embedded form that will give everyone an opportunity to further participate.