Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church

381 Robbins Avenue
Niles, Ohio 44446-2407
Phone: 330-652-5825
Fax: 330-544-1872

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April 28, 2010

Dear Members of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church:

            Since the weekend of August 19-20, 2006, through the weekend of April 24-25, 2010, we have been counting the total number of people at each weekend Mass.  We will continue to count people for the foreseeable future. There are several reasons for this practice.  It provides us with more accurate information over an extended period of time than mere estimates leading to statements like “Big crowd” or “Hardly anyone here.”  It also helps us and our neighboring parishes make intelligent plans for the future.

            You are well aware of the fact that the Diocese of Youngstown has been involved in a Strategic Planning Process.  Its Guidelines stipulate that churches should consistently be filled to  more than 50% of their seating capacity most weekend and Holyday Masses. If Mass attendance consistently falls below this threshold, serious attention should be given to eliminating that Mass or Masses or consideration should be given to combining several Masses at a new time.  The Diocesan Guidelines also strongly recommend staggering Mass times at neighboring churches to enable one priest to adequately cover several Masses at several churches in the event that another priest is sick or away.  More attention will be given to this as Bishop Murry announces new configurations of parishes in the near future.

            Our church seating capacity is listed as 374.  Here is our average Mass attendance from August 19-20, 2006 through April 24-25, 2010:

• 5:00 PM   186.0  (49.7 % of capacity)  (Includes Easter Vigil 8:30 PM Mass.)
  
• 9:30 AM   227.1  (60.7% of capacity)
  
• 11:30 AM   190.9  (51.0 % of capacity)

            Now consider some other pertinent numbers for this year (2010) only, spanning from January 2-3, 2010, through April 24-25, 2010. The Saturday evening Mass has had more than 187 people present thirteen of seventeen weekends.  The 9:30 AM Mass has had more than 187 people present fifteen of seventeen weekends.  The 11:30 AM Mass has had 187 or more people present only four times over seventeen weekends.  Its average for this year was considerably swelled by the 506 who came Easter Sunday.  Without Easter in 2010, it averages 176 instead of 196.

            No definite decisions have been made about future Mass schedules.  When decisions are made, I will announce them after consultation with neighboring parishes and the Diocese.  Be assured that between this parish and our neighboring parishes, you will have a variety of times from which to choose without having to drive very far even if it means we all (priests and lay people) must make some adjustments along the way.

                            Yours in Christ,

                             Father Larry Frient