The associations known as “altar society” or “altar and rosary society” grew out of a world-wide movement called the Confraternity of the Holy Rosary. Like many renewal movements in the history of the Church, associations were formed to foster holiness of life, do good works for the needy, and to attend to the needs of the parish. The praying of the rosary as an individual, a family, or a parish, along with other devotions and acts of charity, was part of this movement. In particular it was an answer to Our Blessed Mother’s plea at Fatima to pray for the salvation of the world by reciting the rosary.
Often these renewal movements incorporated other objectives to meet some of the liturgical and temporal goods of the parish. Very common in parishes were groups that were dedicated to certain parts of the parish mission, one of which was for the beautification of the church and the betterment of the liturgies. The societies provided funds, through various money raising events, dues, and collections, but also provided volunteers for the parish’s mission. In previous times, parishes were organized a bit differently. Often there were several priests in the parish. There was often a group of nuns in the school. There was rarely a full time secretary. In some parishes, the Altar and Rosary Society took on the function of a bookkeeper. The Catholic school’s finances were managed by the principal, often a nun, and the salary of the priest would come in the form of Mass stipends and stole fees. Many women did not have careers outside the home and were able to gather for prayer and fellowship during the day when children were at school.
The administrative structure of parishes have changed. There are rarely professed religious to provide leadership in the parish mission, especially in faith formation and devotions. Fewer priests mean that the parish must rely on volunteers or paid staff to do what the clergy might have done before. For example, in one of the largest parishes in our diocese, for many years the pastor himself counted the collection on Sundays from the six Masses celebrated with only the assistance of his housekeeper. And speaking of changes, very few if any parishes these days have a live-in housekeeper who might have assisted in managing the “household” of the entire parish.
The altar and rosary societies played an essential role in the life of a parish. While the two objectives of supporting the liturgical life of the parish (altar) and the devotional life of the family (rosary), guided the activities of the society, there were other goods that were part of their mission. Community and charity were important duties of the society. In many parishes, the Altar and Rosary Society was a beneficial social organization for the women of the parish, providing mutual support for women in their roles in the family and the Church. The societies provided a group of ready volunteers to provide funeral dinners, to launder the sacristy linens, and to manage other liturgical requirements.
In general, social clubs and societies have experienced a marked drop in membership. People socialize differently, volunteer differently, and find their identity in different ways. A significant challenge is to find leaders for these organizations who will commit to the time and responsibilities required. That has been consistently the biggest challenge to our local Altar and Rosary Society. People are willing to help as asked for specific tasks and occasions, but it is hard to find someone to step into an officer's role. Simply finding a time for all the women of any age to gather together is extremely difficult.
One thing is certain, the duties that these societies and groups performed remain as important as ever. Making the rosary a core devotion in the life of a Catholic is needed now more than ever. The consumables pertaining to the liturgical life of the parish continue, if not increase. The need to beautify the church and arrange for the seasonal celebrations remains. The importance of folks getting together and sharing faith is fundamental to our understanding of Church. The witness of faith that is part of the tradition of offering funeral dinners to families is as meaningful as ever. The role of food and hospitality in the community is essential. And today as ever, the core mission of the Church continues and the challenges to that mission also continue to change and grow.
But having witnessed the drawdown in civic organizations in recent years, we also recognize that new methods of communication and collaboration have allowed people to accomplish more with less management overhead. A hundred years ago most communication was face to face, the infrequent telephone call, or snail mail. People needed to meet in order to organize their activities. People needed to meet in person to consult and make decisions. Modern means of communication have changed everything. There is no need to read the entire minutes of a previous meeting for approval because the information could have been provided in an email shortly after the meeting took place. Tools for collaboration like SignUpGenius or GroupMe can dispense with major parts of group meetings. Our Diocese has recognized all these challenges and opportunities to our mission and has chosen the model of stewardship to respond. Central to stewardship is gratefully accepting God’s gifts and sharing them generously with others so that they may give an increase to the Lord. Our parish has certainly lived good stewardship through the years. Our school continues to be a mission funded by our entire parish. People give generously to the offertory collection and support the church when special needs arise. There are many parishioners who generously serve in volunteer roles and ministries, giving of their talents to the good of the Church and the benefit of others.
And this is where we stand today. The material goods of our parish are provided for. We can maintain what we have built. But what about our mission? Are we able to share the light of Christ with others to the best of our ability? How do we support each other in our different vocational states? We know that faith and conversion comes through a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. That personal encounter happens most effectively when we ourselves share our faith with others. We have something, faith, which is the greatest gift we can give away. Our mission will be best served when we are able to engage all parishioners in the task of evangelization. Fundamentally stewardship is not a sharing of things, it is a sharing of self. One of the essential functions of a Stewardship Council is managing time, talent and treasure information. The parish will have a group of individuals constantly attentive to the number one challenge to any parish organization: How do we get people involved?
And this is where we can discern what is the best way forward for our parish. How can we most effectively invite, affirm, and support parishioners in their own duty to take part in our parish mission? What are the leadership structures that are the most efficient ways to manage participation? What must be in place to ensure that everything is attended to and all can participate? How can we provide the spiritual and personal support that women need to live out the call of discipleship?
From maintenance to mission, that is one of the touchstones of the new evangelization. Pope Francis has recognized this dynamic and in his exhortation promoting the joy that comes from evangelization, says this, “I dream of a ‘missionary option’, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make them more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open, to inspire in pastoral workers a constant desire to go forth and in this way to elicit a positive response from all those whom Jesus summons to friendship with himself.”
I have been discerning with Krista Llewellyn and Kathy Westhoff the best way forward for meeting the needs of the parish, with particular attention to the spiritual and social benefits that the Altar and Rosary Society has provided for so many years to our parish. They will be asking for your input and that of the Parish Pastoral Council. Please take the time to reflect on this important mission and ask for Our Blessed Mother’s guidance in acting according to the will of God and fulfilling the Lord’s commandment to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth and pray for the salvation of the world.