The case of the boundary hoppers

The Case of the Boundary Hoppers

In the town of Vista del Mar, there are two parishes, and the pastors are not happy with one another. Both feel that the other is stealing his sheep.

The one parish is St. Aloysius. It is the older parish in town, and the pastor is nearing retirement age. St. Aloysius is the town’s first parish. The debt is retired. The older parishioners are fiercely loyal. The choir has been together for 30 years and has even toured Europe. The traditional devotions, such as Benediction, rosary after the First Friday mass, and the annual May Queen crowning, are alive and well. The Ladies’ Guild and the Men’s Club have a well-established order, and have raised thousands of dollars over the years in support of the parish school.
But at St. Aloysius there are also problems. The Church was hit three years ago with a scandal over an associate accused of pedophilia. Many of the young families feel that the liturgies are ponderous and that noisy children are not welcome. The pastor, Monsignor O’Flaherty, is getting on in years and less active.
Monsignor O’Flaherty fears that many of his younger parishioners are crossing parish boundaries to attend Santa Maria, the newer parish in town. There a young pastor, Father Nguyen, has dynamic liturgies with a contemporary choir and musicians. At Santa Maria, children are noisy but welcome, and the P.A. system pushes the sound of the presider, lectors, and musicians over the voices of the children. The average parishioner is younger and better educated. There is no parish school, and children meet for religious education in homes. The feel is upbeat, contemporary, youthful.
But Father Nguyen has problems as well. In his new Church, there is a reservation chapel, which the older parishioners do not like. They ask Father Nguyen, “What have you done with our Jesus?” The parish faces an enormous debt, and many of the older parishioners--those with extra income to give to the building campaign--have gone to St. Aloysius. Father Nguyen feels as if Monsignor O’Flaherty is “bleeding off” his older contributors.
Canon Law describes the parish as a stable community, and in the town of Vista del Mar, there are two communities, whose borders are permeable. Should the pastors negotiate to make the borders tighter, so that younger families will stay at St. Aloysius and more affluent parishioners will stay at Santa Maria? Or should the pastors work with their parishioners, knowing that it is ultimately the parishioners who will make or break the communities?

Parish Demographic Profile

Church of _______________________________ Completed by __________________

Question: ____Estimate 2010 Census

1. 
   How many people reside in your parish’s census area?
   

2. 
   What is the median age of the population?
   

3. 
   How many people are 65 years and over?
   

4. 
   How many Black or African American people?
   

5. 
   How many Asian people?
   

6. 
   How many people of Hispanic or Latino origin (and of any race) live in the parish’s census area?
   

7. 
   Average family size:
   

8. 
   How many housing units are owner-occupied?
   

9. 
   How many housing units are renter-occupied?
   

10. 
    How many people over 18 years?
    

11. 
    What is the population enrolled in primary and secondary school?
    

12. 
    How many of those 25 years or older have a bachelor’s degree?
    

13. 
    How many people over 15 years are divorced?
    

14. 
    What is the size of the labor force?
    

15. 
    What is the median family income?
    

16. 
    How many individuals live below the poverty level?
    

17. 
    Of the labor force, how many are unemployed?
    

18. 
    What is the median of monthly homeowner mortgage costs?
    

19. 
    What is the median home value?
    

How to Find the U.S. Census Profiles for Your Parish Area

People can find the U.S. Census statistics for their city or town on the internet. Parish ministers can discover, by means of the U.S. Census, whether they really know the demographic characteristics of their parish as well as they think they do.

The “American Fact Finder” is the best way to find information about your parish area. It includes the actual census 2010 information. To find census information about Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo, for example, take the following steps:

1. 
   Go to the US Census Bureau, factfinder2.census.gov/.
   

2. 
   In the left-hand column, click on “Geographies.”
   

3. 
   Where it says, “Enter a Geographic Type,” enter the following:
   

• 
  Type: Census Tract
  
• 
  State: California
  
• 
  County: Ventura
  
• 
  Census Tracts: 53.03, 53.04, 53.05, 53.06
  

4. 
   To find the census tracts for Padre Serra, I googled “Census Tracts, Ventura County, California.” Then I went to the website http://www.ventura.org/rma/planning/pdf/demograghics/maps/2010_Census_Tract_Map.pdf.
   

5. 
   After you have set the parameters for “Geographic Type,” you must search for data about that census tract. Go to “Topics” and select:
   
   • 
     People
     
   • 
     Basic Count/Estimate
     
   • 
     Population Total.
     

That narrows your search to 22 different tables for census tract 53.03. Choose the table, “Profile of General Population and Housing Characterists: 2010.” That will give you (for that tract) the total population, the breakdown in age, the median age, etc.

6. 
   Most answers to the questions about the Parish Demographic Profile can be found on the American FactFinder for your city and state. Other answers can be found by entering filtering terms, such as “enrollments,” “bachelor’s degree,” “labor force,” and “mortgage.”