St. Cecilia’s “Far-Flung Flock” Draws A Global Crowd
During the darkest days of the global pandemic many church-goers took to the Internet to meet their liturgical needs. As stay-at-home bans lifted and folks started returning to the pews, staff at St. Cecilia Parish in Boston noticed their number of online viewers wasn’t decreasing. In fact, even after church pews were filled to capacity, the parish was still receiving a few thousand live streamers every week. As the online participation remained strong, a remote attendee suggested starting an “online coffee hour” for other remote Mass attendees to share fellowship and conversation. The staff responded by placing a notice in the weekly bulletin. Would anyone be interested in a monthly online coffee hour? If so, would anyone be willing to facilitate such a group? The response was overwhelmingly positive. A small group of volunteers offered to facilitate monthly meetings via Zoom, with groups ranging from fifty to one hundred participants. Over the past four years the online monthly coffee hours have continued to foster community and conversation, connecting parishioners across the miles.
In addition to online liturgy and the monthly coffee hour, the leadership team meets every week for faith sharing of their own as well as to plan upcoming events. From these leadership meetings the Spirit has inspired the group to extend its ministry to include faith-sharing groups, book clubs, and even a yearly parish retreat. The first Far-Flung Flock retreat took place in person in 2023, and over 100 members of the Flock traveled to Boston for the event. This year, as a reminder that the Far-Flung Flock is not a subgroup of the parish but an active and included ministry, the retreat will integrate both local and long-distance parishioners.
When asked about the benefit of belonging to the Far-Flung Flock, representatives of the leadership team could not have expressed more gratitude for what the group has given them. One benefit of the ministry that was echoed by all is that it includes so many people who have been hurt, disappointed, or have completely given up on the Church. According to leadership team member Annette Smith, joining all the way from the UK, the challenge isn’t the desire to attend Mass, but to find an inclusive church community. “There is a whole pool of people who want to go to church,” she shared. “The Church isn’t dying. The Church is alive–but people don’t know where to find it.”
With ministry groups created specifically for LGBTQ+ persons, as well as climate justice ministries, youth faith formation, and older adult ministries, a ministry for adults who leave prison, and more, St. Cecilia boasts being an open and inclusive parish community. And the Far-Flung Flock extends the reach of St. Cecilia’s value of inclusivity across the country and around the world. For many, this access is priceless.
In online spaces organized by the leadership team and other volunteers, members of the Far-Flung Flock share the importance of an inclusive Catholic space. They share burdens and setbacks, and through their sharing they realize they aren’t alone. Though they admit that an online and global faith community is an unconventional one, there is a strong and vital sense of community nevertheless.
“It’s a gift,” shared leadership team member Ann Van Damm, “to receive the Eucharist from Fr. John and from the community.” Fellow leadership team member Betty Anne Asaro nodded along, sharing that being a member of the Far-Flung Flock has not only helped her want to deepen her spirituality, but even became a catalyst to relocate from New York to Massachusetts so she could live closer to St. Cecilia.
So what’s next for this virtual community? The leadership team couldn’t say for sure, but demonstrated a clear trust that the Spirit that led them here will continue to show them what to do next. And when She does, they’ll continue to be ready to say yes.
Do you know of or belong to a community that you would like to see highlighted? Reach out to Martha at martha@futurechurch.org.