Denver Catholic

10 MARCH 21-27, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC T he majority of the 2,558 Catholics that responded to a questionnaire conducted by the Archdiocese of Denver indicate they pray regularly, say they would like to hear more homilies on how to connect the faith to their day-to- day lives, and believe being married has made them a better person. The 38-question, multiple-choice, non-scientifi c questionnaire was made available on the archdiocese's website from Feb. 9 through March 2 in response to Pope Francis' call for input from Cath- olics for the Oct 4-25 Vatican synod on the family. Archbishop Samuel Aquila will also use the information to better serve his fl ock in Colorado, according to David Uebbing, chancellor. "People really appreciated the chance to say something and be part of the synod on the family," Uebbing told the Denver Catholic. While he was pleased with the response rate for the questionnaire, the fi rst of its kind for northern Colorado Catholics, he hopes future versions will reach a wider audience, including more young people and men. Seventy-two percent of respon- dents were 45 and older, and 65 percent were female. "We need to improve this tool's reach among a younger demographic, espe- cially teens, and men," he said. "We heard from a cross-section of people that go to Mass weekly and that are participating in their parishes—a snapshot of the person in the pew." Nine in 10 respondents said they attend Mass at least once a week, 75 percent are married and 95 percent have children. Nine in 10 responded that, if asked, they would be able to tell the story of their relationship with Christ. "That's a great testimony to the priests and clergy," Uebbing said, "that people are being well-formed and are in tune with their rela- tionship with Christ." T h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e revealed that marriage preparation and support for couples after marriage needs to be improved. More than half reported their marriage prepara- tion did not adequately prepare them for mar- riage and about the same amount said they didn't receive enough support from their parish once married. One-third shared that they do not agree with Church teaching on contraception. R e s u l t s a n d c o m - ments generated from an open-ended question "How can the Church better foster stronger and more faithful families?"—367 pages of comments in all—will also be provided to the O¤ ce of Evangelization and Family Life Min- istries. It will give them a better idea of which resources would be most helpful to Catholics, Uebbing said. "(The results) confi rm the need for good marriage preparation," he said, an area that has been a priority for Arch- bishop Aquila, "and improving resources on natural family planning and theology of the body." The information is in the process of being compiled into a report that will be delivered to the U.S. Conference of Cath- olic Bishops by late March. In turn, the USCCB will submit the results from the entire country to the Vatican.³ The uni- versal feedback will be used to prepare a working document to help guide the bish- ops' discussions at the synod. This synod is the second and larger of two such Vati- can gatherings of bishops over the course of a year. The focus will be "the vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the modern world." Once the USCCB report is compiled, a summary of the questionnaire results will be prepared and made available to priests of the archdiocese, as well as posted online at www.archden.org. Around the Archdiocese Archdiocese of Denver Mortuary 12801 W. 44th Ave. Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 (303) 425-9511 Mt. Olivet Cemetery 12801 W. 44th Ave. Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 (303) 424-7785 St. Simeon Cemetery 22001 E. State Hwy. 30 Aurora, CO 80018 (720) 859-9785 • Professional, personalized service • Respectful • Compassionate The Archdiocese of Denver Cemeteries and Mortuary Caring for the faithful in Northern Colorado since 1893 in their most personal time of need. Most believe marriage makes them a better person BY JULIE FILBY 303-715-3123 julie.fi lby@archden.org www.twitter.com/DenCathJulie Archdiocese compiles feedback from family questionnaire America's best choice for aordable travel since 1967! Travel with other Catholics! Call for Details! 877-230-1381 Please mention promo code EC0961 Autumn Leaves Tour Hosted by Father Dan Gerres 14 days from $1649* Departs September 20, 2015. Start in Philadelphia and enjoy a sightseeing tour. Then your scenic journey begins offering colorful vistas through Amish Country to Gettysburg. Travel north with a stop at the Corning Museum of Glass into Ontario and awe-inspiring Niagara Falls for two nights! Return to upstate New York where you will board a cruise through the 1000 Islands; drive through the six-million-acre civilized wilderness of the Adirondack region, stop in Lake Placid and then into the forest area of New England: The White Mountains, including Franconia Notch State Park and New Hampshire. Stop at Flume Gorge then continue east to York county, Maine. Next drive along the New England coast to Boston, with a city tour; visit Plymouth and Cape Cod for two nights. Proceed to Newport, Rhode Island, including a tour of one of the famous mansions en route to Bridgeport, Connecticut. Lastly tour New York City seeing all the major sights of the "Big Apple." Mass will be celebrated some days on tour. Y our Chaplain is Father Dan Gerres from Wilmington, DE, where he served as a parish priest for 48 years. He is currently active in the church community. This will be his 9 th trip with YMT. * PPDO. Plus $159 tax/service/government fees. Alternate September - October departure dates available. Seasonal charges may apply. Add-on airfare available. 2,558 responded about their faith 91% attend Mass once a week or more 91% pray regularly 90% would like more hom- ilies on connecting faith to daily life 83% said mar- riage made them a better person PHOTO BY ANTONIO DIAZ/DPC

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