John Schultz is on to something in his discussion of the “Boutique Parish,” especially the point about St. Astrodome that the same small group always does everything and that the closest most people get to knowing each other is memorizing vanity plates in the parking lot.
That’s one of the reasons why some of the guys at my parish and I came up with the idea of the Scotch and Cigar Society. Most guys, especially family guys in their 30s and 40s, are not going to come to a special Mass or to hear a theological talk. It’s just not going to happen. Meanwhile, those of us who do enjoy that sort of thing and spend some time at the parish, often find ourselves sitting on the rectory porch with the pastor after some event or meeting, smoking a stogie and having a drink, and those are special times.
So why not make that kind of socializing available to everyone? No hard sells, no big evangelization, just an opportunity to gather for conversation that almost always includes discussions of current events, the Church, the parish, and so on. Give people a place to be comfortable discussing such things and perhaps they’ll be more comfortable being a part of the parish. At least that’s the idea.
