A quality control expert has turned his attention to the Mass in a Co Sligo village. Mr Bob Kennedy, a quality control lecturer at Sligo Institute of Technology, has asked parishioners for their views on the best and worst things about Mass in Grange.
Last weekend parishioners were given a 58-question survey on the quality of the sermons, comfort, the altar servers' performance and the choir. It also sought views on the level of coughing, sneezing and crying in the church.
To encourage a frank response, the survey was anonymous. The results will be known next week.
This is not the first time Mr Kennedy has sought to define excellence in Grange. He believes quality control principles can and should be used at community level to improve people's lives. He has set up an office called Grange CEARN (Community Excellence Assistance and Research Network) with the support of FAS, Leader and Sligo IT.
CEARN has already worked with schools, shops, farmers, factories and sports clubs to seek excellence in their activities.
"I thought that there might be some resistance from the church, but Father Haran [Grange parish priest] has been very enthusiastic," Mr Kennedy said.
Father Cyril Haran said he was delighted with the idea. "I feel that it's good for the people, good for me, and good for the Mass," he said. "If there are opportunities to improve the Mass, then I would welcome them." He pointed out that similar surveys are carried out regularly in some US parishes.
"But this is the first time it has been done like this here. We'll see how it works out."
The Catholic Press Officer, Mr Jim Cantwell, said that if an initiative like this improved the Mass and encouraged dialogue within the parish then it was a good thing.
"The only way to improve anything is by studying it," Mr Kennedy said. "Excellence is a journey of improvement. People must be open to that and we can see it happening in Grange. It's my hope that some day when you drive into the village you will see the slogan, `Grange - a community pursuing excellence'."
