By: Kaitlin Larson
The Parish Survey Results are in! This week the Parish Transformation committee reviewed the responses from the survey and discussed how it will propel our thinking as the transformation process progresses over the remaining weeks. A big thank you to the 167 of you who took our survey!
We collected 368 collective comments that gave us valuable feedback about the parish community. For context, we have ~750 registered households and about 525 parishioners that attend Sunday mass between the two locations on a given Sunday. Overall, the results of the survey were positive and we have identified many gifts our parish has to offer, including liturgy and music. The demographics of those who answered the survey questions included 67% female and 33% male, with a variety of age ranges. 60% of the survey takers are married and 61% have no children in the household.
As a teaser, here are some quick facts:
- 93% believe that our parish inspires us to grow closer to God.
- 90% of survey takers value diversity.
- 92% say that their Catholic faith influences decisions and relationships in daily life.
- Themes from the comments describing our parish community were: sense of community, welcoming, hospitality, and spiritually enriching.
- Over 80% of survey respondent’s spiritual needs are met through prayer and service work.
- Over 80% of survey respondents believe that the preaching in the parish inspires him or her to actively live out their faith and that the music at mass enriches their worship.
- Of the survey takers, 83% responded ‘always’ or ‘sometimes’ to setting aside time for daily prayer.
- 82% identify with having either a ‘strong’ or ‘fair’ personal relationship with Christ.
- 84% understand that the Catholic education provided by ICSJ school is a direct part of the overall parish mission.
- 83% of the survey takers understand the current financial status of the parish.
Here are two sample graphs from the survey results:
The Parishioner Survey is designed to help the Parish Transformation Committee identify ways to create more connected opportunities for service, reflection, social justice work, and faith sharing, as well as spiritual opportunities and resources for prayer.