“Da Rulz” of the Mass found in the Roman Missal indicate that right before the final blessing is the time for necessary, brief announcements. This, of course, is wholly optional and in fact ought not become too wordy or lengthy. The Bulletin you’re reading – as well as the Parish website and Facebook page! – are the usual places in which information about special activities and general Parish life is conveyed.

There’s an art to knowing how many announcements to make, and how to word them. In fact I sometimes cringe when, visiting other churches for Mass, I hear announcements made that include phone numbers or complicated schedules, like Parish Fair hours. I mean, nobody is actually writing this information down, and can’t be expected to remember such details! It’s also important not to use that time to make general public announcements which really aren’t relevant to the whole congregation: informing everyone about a group’s officers’ meeting is kind of pointless, after all!

In general, what the Missal says is absolutely on target: only those announcements which are absolutely necessary ought to be made, and then kept brief and memorable.

But this of course leaves us all with the responsibility – and honestly I think it’s an important one – of staying informed and current with “what’s happening” in the Parish. It’s heartening when someone comes up and says they noticed something in the Bulletin – sometimes I wonder if anyone ever really reads it! But don’t worry: we’ll keep publishing it and putting it out in church for you. In fact, we’ll email it to you early if you just ask!