Fr. Hans' Pair o' Dimes

Hi everybody! This week I want to take a look at something very practical: our selection process for attending Mass here at Holy Trinity.

As many of you are aware, my background is in mathematics and engineering, and I happen to be very good with Excel spreadsheets, so I have taken this on. Many of you have asked me about how our Mass Selection System works, and I’m happy to share.
 
The point of the Selection System is to keep it fair and relatively simple. The Archbishop specifically encouraged us to avoid a “first come, first served” process, and to make sure people without email could still sign-up. Our system is primarily by online sign-up and email notifications, and there are a few people who have signed up by phone and are notified by phone.
 
Sign-ups include your name, how many people are in your family, and which Mass time(s) work best for you. Once you are signed up, I enter all of that information into a giant Excel spreadsheet, as well as a randomly generated “Family Number” between 0 and 1. The selection process is not truly a “lottery” because there’s almost no luck involved beyond that first random number. Once you have a Family Number, that number remains the same every week. The spreadsheet keeps track of how many times each family has attended Mass, as well as what “round” you first entered the system.
 
The actual selection of people to attend Mass factors in all of these numbers using the following formula:
 

Mass Selection Number  =  10 – Round Joined – Total Attendance + Family Number
 

The number ‘10’ is arbitrary, so I end up with positive numbers which are easier to understand. Every time a family is selected to come to Mass their “Mass Selection Number” is reduced by 1, and they are moved to the bottom of the list. Then, whenever families in front of them are selected, they gradually move up the list until they reach the top again. The entire rotation currently takes about three weeks.
 
Every Wednesday, I execute the selection process. I sort the spreadsheet based on whether a family said they can attend the 5:30pm Mass, and by their Selection Number. I then invite the top 100 people to that Mass. I repeat the process for the other three Masses. If a family is unable to attend for whatever reason, they remain at the top of the list for the following weekend.
 
This system also allows me to accommodate special requests. Multiple families have asked if they can be selected for the same Mass as their friends. I simply make their Family Numbers the same, and they’re always selected at the same time. Another family has each parent signed up individually, with Family Numbers exactly 0.5 apart, so they are never selected for the same Mass. One parent is always able to stay home with the small children. I’d be happy to make similar accommodations if anyone would like — just call or email me! If you haven’t signed-up yet and would like to, the link is on our homepage.
 
 
Blessings to Crista Babu, Kenzie Donnelly, and Elisa Monkuzhy, who were baptized this weekend!