Grading on the curve is a tool that educators sometimes use to ensure that a test or assignment has the proper distribution of grades throughout the class. What constitutes a C, for example, is not the objective number grade but the point where most of the student grades fell. We sometimes use the phrase “grading on the curve” to describe something that may not objectively speaking be all that great, but looks good in comparison with something else. For example, a couple of weeks ago, a story making headlines was that high-speed rail was coming to Illinois. As a result of the $1.96 billion investment in the infrastructure in the State of Illinois, Amtrak trains would now be able travel at 110 miles an hour between Chicago and St. Louis. As a fan of passenger trains, I was excited; but then I began to wonder if these high speeds were really all that fast. And the answer is: They are really fast only if we are grading on the curve.

According to Amtrak’s new schedule, there are five daily trains between Chicago and St. Louis. The fastest train southbound takes 4 hours and 46 minutes. The other trains take up to 5 hours and 16 minutes. The fastest train northbound requires 4 hours and 55 minutes. Is this a significant improvement? Most definitely. The new schedules reduce travel time by 30 to 40 minutes over Amtrak’s most recent offerings. But is it really all that speedy? I own a January 1949 edition of The Official Guide of the Railways, a monthly publication that listed all the train schedules in North America. In 1949 there were four railroads providing passenger service between Chicago and St. Louis: the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio, through Bloomington and Springfield (the route Amtrak uses); the Illinois Central, through Kankakee and Springfield; the Wabash, through Decatur; and the Chicago and Eastern Illinois, through Danville. The C&EI had the longest route, but its trains passed through such melodious sounding towns as Watseka, Goodwine, and Dollville. All four railroads offered passenger trains that made the trip in better time than some of the slow schedules Amtrak has provided over the past ten years, and they probably also had a better on-time record than Amtrak. The fastest train was GM&O’s Abraham Lincoln. While making about the same number of stops as Amtrak, the Abe Lincoln completed the journey in 5 hours and 10 minutes. So, technically speaking one can travel on Amtrak’s fastest trains faster than you could travel by train 75 years ago. The new “high speed” service is a sign of hope for the future and an important weapon in the battle against climate change. But only in a country with generally mediocre passenger train service would this be considered “high speed.”

What does this have to do with Assumption? As I continue to share with you the results of the Archdiocesan survey that 17% of you took back in March, it is important not to jump to a conclusion based on raw data. For example, one of the basic building blocks of Renew My Church is hospitality: making visitors and newcomers feel welcomed and included. In response to the survey question, “My parish helps me connect with the Catholic community by making me feel welcomed and accepted,” 65% of us marked “strongly agree” and 27% marked “agree”. 92% agreed or strongly agreed that Assumption is a welcoming community. No one marked “strongly disagree.” That compares favorably with the national average (43% strongly agreed) and with the Archdiocesan average (50% strongly agreed). Looks great on paper! Before we announce that we have accomplished one of the goals of Renew My Church, we need to look at who responded to the survey. 85% of respondents were age 45 or above, which does not reflect the present demographics of the parish. 75% of respondents had been members of the parish for more than five years; and 90% of respondents attend Mass at least once a week. In other words, the responses are heavily weighted toward the welcome-ers and not the welcome-ees. We think of ourselves as a welcoming community, but do the people who come here once or month find it welcoming and accepting? What is the first impression of visitors and newcomers? Do young adults, who may be in our neighborhood for only a few years, feel welcomed and included? It is great to discover that most of our regulars feel closely bonded to this faith community, but there is a lot that the raw data does not tell us. The company that produced the survey, Catholic Leadership Institute, has provided us with tools to isolate subgroups and study their responses. However, the sample size may be too small to really be helpful. The best thing is for each of us to continue to be conscious of newcomers and visitors in our midst and greet them warmly. Know that our Leadership Group and our Pastoral Council will keep at this too.

                          Fr. Joe