Letter to the Editor

Published: September 27, 2007

To the Editor:

While my initial reaction, as I’m sure was that of most other diocesan Catholics, to the headline “Catholic Population Officially Leaps To 650,000” in the Sept. 6 issue of The Bulletin was of prideful satisfaction, there remain concerns as to the veracity of that statement. Simply put, when a consultant (and presumed expert) is quoted as saying “unregistered parishioners equaled registered” in many parishes, what substantiated basis is used to make that factual? Granted the statement most likely reflects reality, but let us not proscribe this assumption as “official” regarding numbers of Catholics in the diocese.

My purpose in writing, however is ... to address the problem ... that half of the Catholic population has not registered within their respective parishes. Msgr. Zarama categorizes several reasons for “new arrivals” not registering, including the idea of church membership being “different” in our culture or the fear of “illegals” being subject to immigration enforcement ... In my view, this rationale reflects more on our clergy and their “registered parishioners” than on those who resist official participation.

Do priests mention registering in their homilies or incidental conversations with “non-registered” churchgoers? ... When church services such as baptism, marriage, first Communion, etc., are requested by non-registered families, are they encouraged to register? Most importantly, are parishioners interested in and active in promoting the full participation of these non-registered? Is there separate accounting of offertories from Anglo and Hispanic Masses? Are church activities promoted equally to each segment? Is there concern as to who provides more (or less) financial support or utilizes a greater proportion of church assets?

This issue needs to be examined as catholic, whose definition is “all-embracing.”

Ted Maznicki, Mt. Airy