Imagine that the highest-rated “fix” is doing something about a Saturday evening Mass that’s dying on the vine. Perhaps no one sings (find out why). Saturday is qualitatively different from Sunday morning; it’s the end of what may be a long day, not the energetic beginning of one. Try beginning more quietly, as Evening Prayer does. (Sounds like Advent to me.)

Don’t be afraid to ask folks from other parishes what works for them!

In one parish, the Saturday night Mass was pretty quiet. Someone commented, “Well, Sunday morning has coffee and doughnuts, but Saturday night has … nothing.” So the parish leadership decided to try a one-shot Saturday night potluck supper. The naysayers said, “But no one’s going to stick around for that.” They were wrong—not only did people stick around, but they wanted to do it every month, not just once. It made a huge difference in the liveliness of the Mass; people got to know one another better, they sang better … it was a win-win situation.

And, if the highest-rated “fix” is replacing worn-out missal or hymnals, some thought is required. Make sure the music ministry leadership is involved in the choice—they know the community’s repertoire and can see the good and bad points of various options. Fundraising is crucial; hymnal companies usually have good strategies for that.

Choose carefully. I know one parish that foisted upon the community and the music ministry a new hymnal that eliminated some of the community’s best-loved hymns, and was completely out of the mainstream of what was being used in the region. This made inter-parish celebrations such as Confirmation much more difficult to plan. Eventually the parish had to scrap the hymnal and replace it with one better suited to the parish.

One dream at a time, one fix at a time, and you can make amazing progress, you really can.