I was wandering around the office this morning, wondering what I was going to write about for this column when I was asked to join Trish for a meeting with one of our volunteers.  The woman had taken over one of our more active groups right after I arrived as pastor.  She has been doing a terrific job.  She told Trish and me that she was going to have to step down as president of the organization.

    She mentioned that she had been having some health issues, but mostly because she was feeling a bit burned out.  She feels that she needs to step away from leadership for a while to refresh herself.

    I have had that “kind” of meeting with people a lot.  Really good people, who have been so active as volunteers for so many years, saying that they feel a need for a change.  Many step down from leadership in one group, only to get involved in another.  They just needed a change of setting.  Others have had to step down because of health issues.  Frankly, our volunteers are greying.  God bless Mary, who is in her 90s and still comes to help count the collections on Mondays.  I have told her often how much I appreciate what she does, and she says “as long as I am able.”  I hope that she is able for many more years.

    This is certainly not a “Resurrection Parish-thing.”  When I get together with other priests we all say the same thing, “Where have all the volunteers gone?”  We have all observed that most of our volunteers have been volunteering since the 1970s, when they were the young families in the parish.  Now the kids have grown up, moved out (many away too), and Mom & Dad are still volunteering, but they are wondering where is the next generation of volunteers?

    This isn’t even a “church-thing.”  The Department of Labor Statistics have noted that for the last 20 years the number of hours that people volunteer for anything has been declining.  Despite family size getting smaller, the current generation of young families just feel that they don’t have time to volunteer.

    Where is that going to leave us as a parish community?  We have been getting a lot of terrific ideas for things to do in the parish.  Later this month we are going to have “Pizza, Pins, & Pop” -- a parish bowling night.  We are hoping to have more of these family fun nights.  But we are going to need people to help.

    While I will continue to treasure and appreciate each “Mary” we have, once again I am asking for more younger families to step forward and get involved in something in the parish.  The Casey Club (which runs most of the parish fundraiser and community events, like the Spring Fling) needs some volunteers, especially with Designer Bag Bingo coming up in February, and Spring Fling in May.  The Altar Rosary, and Holy Name Society both have asked to do recruiting drives as their members are “greying” and they need an infusion of new blood.  We continue to look for more Lectors and Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.  I know that both Mike (the Adult Choir) and Rosemary (Folk Group) would welcome new voices.

    A parish cannot just be a place to go to Mass on Sundays.  It needs to be a living, vibrant community of disciples.  In the Acts of Apostles it says that the new disciples sold their property and laid the proceeds at the feet of the Apostles for the benefit of the community.  I am not asking you to sell anything to lay at my feet.  I am asking you to volunteer, to get involved.