Christmas is one of two times each year (the other being Easter) that our churches witness a significant boom in attendance as visiting families and twice-a-year Catholics make their way home to celebrate the most important feasts of the Church year. Most every parish in the Diocese of Rochester experienced a sizable boost in attendance for the Christmas Masses, often in the 1,000s range. Sadly this significant boost did not take place at St. Anne.
Before women’s ordination heroine, Sr. Joan Sobala SSJ, was assigned to be the pastoral administrator back in June of 2008, St. Anne was a healthy and orthodox parish in the city southeast. Attendance averaged in the 600s each Sunday, and Christmas attendance was well north of that. Enter Sr. Joan. Attendance at the start of her tenure was in the 600s, but then plummeted down to the lower 500s by the end of 2008. As of 2010, attendance at St. Anne has been in the lower 400s and shows no sign of stopping its downward spiral. Perhaps the Christmas season would produce the 1,000 visitors that other area parishes enjoyed?
Not quite.
Here are the attendance figures for the past two Sundays, as well as Christmas:
On Christmas Day, all the Sr. Joan-led St. Anne church was able to muster was 633 worshipers. 633 is basically what St. Anne was averaging on a normal weekend before her arrival. Check out the December 26th numbers. 282? I realize the 26th was the day after Christmas, but come on. Our Lady of Victory downtown, an orthodox parish which many St. Anne exiles have made their home because of Sr. Joan’s in-Mass antics, was beyond capacity for their two December 26th Masses (so roughly 600+ people).
I wonder if this was the last Christmas Mass to be celebrated at St. Anne. If the attendance situation gets any worse there, it just may have been.
By the way, St. Anne had a measly 598 attendees for Easter this year.
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When Seton Catholic School becomes a parish based school again, Sr. Joan will be running this school too. How long will it last and what heresy will it inflict on our innocent children? This is a frightening thought for sure!
At what time in the future will she cease to have influence on these decisions?