The Church and the Census

In 2010, the United States conducted a census, just as it has every ten years since 1790 as required by the Constitution. This is important because the results determine the number of seats in Congress that each state receives, as well as the number of electors in the Electoral College. It also determines the distribution of billions of dollars in federal funds.

Census-taking has been around since Biblical times, beginning in the book of Exodus, when the Israelites were camped at the base of Mount Sinai; the men over twenty years old were numbered at just over 600,000. The 4th book of the Bible is actually called Numbers because it includes not one census but two. The purpose of taking a census then was not for market research or for purposes of representation, but primarily to get an accurate number of able-bodied men. The last Biblical census mentioned was during the Roman Empire’s occupation, at the time of Jesus’ birth, for the sake of assessing taxes.

According to our database, we have over 3500 families registered in our parish. Many of you are numbered among those. But many others are not. Some of you are actively involved in ministry and are here every week for Mass, but are not in our database, for whatever reason. And many who are registered are registered only nominally.

Our database should be an accurate reflection of our parish population, so Risen Savior is embarking on a census of our own. To that end, we are asking all of our registered parishioners to update their information. To those of you who are not registered but really are part of our parish community, we are asking you to register. Our goal is to accomplish this by the end of January 2012.

As a parish, we offer so much: spiritual and social support ministries; sacramental preparation and reception; formation opportunities; and pastoral care to those in need. While these services are not usually denied to non-registered people, in the interest of good stewardship, especially in these difficult economic times, these resources should be available primarily to our registered parishioners.

If you receive mail from Risen Savior or use the collection envelopes, you are registered. You can sit back and relax - we’ll be working with you in the coming weeks to update your registration. For those of you who know you are not registered, do not receive our mailings, or who aren’t sure, there are cards in the pews for you to fill out and put in the collection basket today.

Prepare to stand up and be counted!