Good news: Weekend Mass attendance up 5%

You recently received some positive news about Mass attendance in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Can you reflect on that?

Yes. I was very pleased that Mass attendance throughout the archdiocese went up about 5% this past year compared to the previous year. Every October, we ask parishes to make an accurate count of the number of people attending weekend Mass. We choose the same month – October – because it seems to be a more accurate reflection of Mass attendance. Individuals and families go on vacation during the summer months, which can lower the numbers, and we obviously would not take a count during Christmas or at Easter because those numbers would be higher than normal. The 5% increase in Mass attendance is even more encouraging because we have gone through a lot as a society and as an archdiocese. In 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 restrictions, Masses were celebrated in virtually empty churches and livestreamed. I will never forget celebrating the Triduum in 2020 inside a nearly empty St. Louis Cathedral with just a handful of people present. When the COVID restrictions gradually loosened, we did our best to welcome people back to church. I remember wondering what the long-term effect of livestreaming might be on Mass attendance when the churches were fully reopened. I remember pastors telling me over the ensuing months that they were seeing more normal Mass attendance, but it definitely took a while. Livestreaming certainly was a godsend during an unprecedented time in our nation’s history, but I am very encouraged that people seem to be returning to their normal way of participating in the Eucharist and receiving the body and blood of Christ on Sunday. Gathering the people of God in community is the best way to celebrate the Eucharist. When the Mass is “ended” and we “go in peace,” we are all sent to bring Jesus and the Gospel message to others.

There was also an increase in the number of men, women and children entering the church at the Easter Vigil.

This year, we know we welcomed at least 450 new Catholics at the Easter Vigil (their names are on a scroll on page 5 of this issue of the Clarion Herald). The real number is probably higher than that because some people enter the church at different times of the year. In 2023, we had 294 people enter the church. This is a sign that God continues to call people to faith in the Catholic Church. It’s also a testament to the wonderful work of our parish priests, deacons, religious and RCIA directors who help people make that faith-filled journey into the Catholic Church.

Are there any other encouraging signs you’ve seen lately?

Absolutely. I’ve been amazed by how the Women of Manresa retreats have really taken off at The Cenacle on the Lake. For many years, women have been asking for a Manresa-style silent retreat that the Jesuits provide for men at Manresa Retreat House in Convent, Louisiana. The Jesuits’ retreat staff has partnered with our Cenacle on the Lake Retreat House in Metairie to make that option available to women, and more than 800 will have attended one of the retreats. We also had more than 700 men attend the Archdiocese of New Orleans Men’s Conference at St. Catherine of Siena Church in February. As I stood in the sanctuary at the end of the closing Mass that afternoon, I told the men, “I wish you could see what I am seeing now. Over 700 faith-filled men, living their faith and having the willingness to share it with others. It’s a great, great view from here.”

Questions for Archbishop Aymond may be sent to [email protected].