The Key is ..................

St. Mary's Center now has new energy efficient doors. New doors require new keys. The Facilities Committee had to decide how best to distribute the new keys to its parishioners. One member wondered aloud how many old keys were 'out there'. Were there forty, fifty, or even more than sixty?? Enough keys were then ordered for staff and all committee heads. If more keys were needed, then more would be ordered at a later date.

As the expected remarks were made to me about how one was deemed worthy enough to get a key, I went to Father to discuss the issue. He asked for an example, but before I could finish my sentence he quickly asked, "Why do they need one?" Taken aback, I said as quickly, "I don't know why they might think they need one." The discussion was over. I left the office remembering how simple most problems can be dealt with. Yes, there were a lot of reasons someone may have wanted a key, but the basic issue was "Why did they need one?"

I spent the next few days floating that phrase in my mind. Only I wasn't associating it with those keys now, but with our church. "Why do they need one?" Why do we need our church? During all of the consolidation headaches, many, many parishioners wanted to keep their church. But could they actually answer that lightning round question, "Why do you need it?"