Thank you for your interest in partnering with Saint Meinrad to invigorate children’s participation at Sunday Mass! To help you prepare your application, we have listed the questions as they appear in the online application.
Please email us before beginning the application to see if spots remain for additional partner parishes. Use this link to access the online application. We recommend composing the longer responses in a word processor and pasting them into the online application. It is possible to save progress online before submitting, with or without creating an account. For full consideration, please submit your online application as soon as possible.
Enter the full name of your parish.
If your parish is not in one of the following dioceses, please contact us before proceeding with your application:
Street address of the church in which your parish celebrates its largest Sunday Mass.
Indicate if your parish has a single church location, multiple church locations, or is organized in some other way.
Mailing address of the parish office.
Enter the main phone number for the parish office.
Enter the general email address for the parish.
Enter the web address for the homepage of the parish website.
How many households are registered in your parish? (Approximate if necessary.)
Summarize any demographic data you have about the members of your parish, such as racial and ethnic diversity, educational and economic indicators, and the relative size of different age groups.
Example: Based on data from registration forms and a 2015 parish survey, we estimate that approximately 75% of our parishioners are non-Hispanic white, 20% are Hispanic/Latino, and 5% are Asian Americans. A majority of Hispanic/Latino parishioners are first or second-generation immigrants from El Salvador or Mexico. Almost all of the Asian American parishioners are first or second-generation immigrants from Vietnam. Approximately half of the households in our parish include school-age or younger children. The proportion of children is larger among the Hispanic/Latino members of our parish. We have no direct information about household income, but census data for our area indicates a median household income of $48,000.
What languages are spoken at home by members of your parish?
Enter your parish’s annual operating budget in dollars. (Approximate if necessary.)
Include Masses celebrated on Sunday and Masses celebrated on Saturday evening in anticipation of Sunday.
List all weekend Masses by time and location (if relevant).
Example: 5:00 PM Saturday (St. Mary’s); 7:30 AM (St. Vincent); 10:00 AM (St. Mary’s); 12:00 PM (St. Vincent); 6:00 PM Sunday (St. Mary’s)
Indicate any weekend Masses that your parish regularly celebrates in a language other than English or that intentionally serve a specific group within the parish (e.g., children, youth, young adults, older adults, people with disabilities, etc.).
Example: 12:00 PM (St. Vincent): Spanish Mass; 6:00 PM Sunday (St. Mary’s): Youth Mass
Describe the usual music ministry at each of your weekend Masses (e.g., cantor, adult or children’s choir, organist, other instrumentalists).
Example: 5:00 PM Saturday (St. Mary’s): choir & piano/guitar; 7:30 AM (St. Vincent): cantor & organ; 10:00 AM (St. Mary’s): choir & organ; 12:00 PM (St. Vincent): Spanish choir & guitars; 6:00 PM Sunday (St. Mary’s): youth choir
List the homilists who regularly preach at weekend Masses, along with the approximate frequency.
Example: Fr. Murphy (three or four weekends a month); Fr. Rodriguez (every weekend); Deacon Martin (two weekends a month)
List parish ministries that directly serve children and youth, including religious education, spiritual formation, liturgical, and social outreach ministries. For each, indicate the age range of children served and, if relevant, the approximate number of children involved.
Example: Religious Education, ages 5–18, 200 children; Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, ages 3–5; 30 children; Youth Group, ages 13–18, 50 youth; Children’s Choir, ages 5–13, 15 children; Altar Servers, ages 10–18, 20 children.
Describe any support or resources the parish provides directly to parents or families to nurture the spiritual lives of children at home.
If you have a parochial school, note the grades and total enrollment.
What particular gifts do the children of your parish bring to the whole parish?
What are your parish’s greatest areas of strength in ministry to children?
In what ways does your parish most desire to grow its ministry to children?
Why does your parish wish to participate in the Children’s Revival of Participation at Sunday Mass?
Describe any specific, intentional efforts that your parish already makes to incorporate children’s leadership and children’s ways of worship into any of your regular Sunday Masses.
Currently, what kind of participation do other members of the congregation expect or not expect to see from children at your regular Sunday Masses?
What growth do you hope to see in children’s participation at your regular Sunday Masses?
Why is children’s participation at Sunday Mass important for the children of your parish?
Why is children’s participation at Sunday Mass important for the whole congregation?
Enter the name of your pastor or the person entrusted with pastoral care of the parish.
Indicate official title of the person entrusted with pastoral care of the parish.
Example: Pastor, Pastoral Administrator, Parish Life Coordinator, or other title.
Enter the pastor’s email address, not a general parish email address.
Enter the phone number at which the pastor can be reached most easily.
Include a brief statement from the pastor describing availability to collaborate in the planning process and willingness to implement new efforts to enhance children’s participation at Sunday Mass.
Who will be the facilitator for the Children’s Participation Team at your parish?
Indicate whether the facilitator is a parish employee or a volunteer.
Enter the facilitator’s job title or volunteer role at the parish.
Enter the facilitator’s email address, not a general parish email address.
Enter the phone number at which the facilitator can be reached most easily.
Include a brief statement from the facilitator describing availability and interest in facilitating the parish’s participation in the Children’s Revival of Participation at Sunday Mass over the next five years.
List the names and roles of other people willing to meet regularly as a Children’s Participation Team to plan specific action steps.
List any additional liturgical, catechetical, or pastoral leaders at the parish who will share responsibility for implementing the efforts of the Children’s Revival of Participation at Sunday Mass.