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Sharing Your Gift as a Greeter or Usher BY RITA FERRONE
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arishioners who participate in Living the Eucharist during Lent will have high expectations when they come to the Sunday Mass. Many people in the parish will reflect more deeply on the Eucharist by reading the bulletin inserts. Adults and teens will participate in small groups in which they will focus each week on a topic related to the Eucharist and pray over a passage from the upcoming Sunday lectionary readings using the lectio divina method. Families will gather once each week to learn about the Eucharist through its central signs and symbols and to focus on the gospel reading for the following Sunday. Some will prepare for the Sunday Eucharist by reading From Exodus to Easter: My Daily Journey Through Lent. Perhaps even those who come to church only occasionally or as visitors will pick up a sense that something wonderful is happening in your parish— all centered on the Eucharist. You are part of that “something wonderful.” As a minister of hospitality you can meet, and indeed exceed, these expectations as you offer your gift of service with renewed joy, kindness, and care. The following vignettes and reflections are offered to help you.
THE HOSPITABLE THING One day a friend of mine was passing through town. We agreed to meet for Mass and Sunday brunch. She arrived at church carrying a bulky duffel bag, as she was traveling onward after our visit. One of the greeters, seeing my friend’s burden, came up to her quietly and said, “Do you need a place to put that?” My friend nodded and shot her a grateful smile. The greeter placed the bag safely away and returned it to her after Mass was over. She noticed a need… and, without fanfare, did the hospitable thing. We walked into that church feeling welcome, and—quite literally—unburdened. Greeters, ushers, hospitality volunteers: whatever the ministry of welcome is called in your parish, it is an essential one. When people arrive at church, for the first time or the millionth time, how one is greeted at the door is still important. The welcome doesn’t need to be effusive, but it needs somehow to send the message: We’re glad you’re here. REFLECTION QUESTION: When I arrive at church, what makes me feel welcome?
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People come to church with their lives in tow. Rarely do we carry luggage into church. But most of us carry a burden of some kind—a load of pain, sadness, or worry. As we come together for the Sunday celebration, however, we come to meet our loving God. In a very real sense we come to church to lay our burdens down and rediscover the source of our joy and hope. The smile and kind welcome of the greeter or usher is the first signal people see that tells them I am entering my Father’s house, where there will always be a place for me; I am coming home, where I can lay my burdens down.
FROM FIRST TO LAST—CARING FOR OTHERS At the western doorway of Reims cathedral in France stands a famous statue of a smiling angel. There are other graceful statues too, of Mary and Elizabeth, Joseph the husband of Mary, and more. Like a receiving line carved in stone, they greet the faithful as they arrive at the church. When I first beheld these beautiful artworks, they took my breath away. “This is what heaven must be like,” I thought, “With angels and saints to greet us as we come into the presence of God.” My second thought was this: maybe it just seems right to have people smiling at the door—like we always do.
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right from the first step onto church property—tell us how much this community of Christians values each and every person. When greeters and ushers do their ministry well, it makes a difference. The ministry of greeters and ushers is not limited to the doorway. You probably have a number of practical tasks to accomplish as part of being a greeter or an usher. You may give out a worship aid or bulletin, help to seat people, arrange for the gifts procession, take up the collection, assist in the smooth flow of the communion procession, and help those who need special assistance. You might serve refreshments or direct traffic. You might show people the way to the restrooms. From first to last, you are caring for others.
TASKS AND GIFTS Try an exercise right now. Make a list of the things you do, in your ministry of hospitality at church.
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Beneath these tasks and activities there is usually something more basic, a characteristic that belongs to you and gives shape to whatever you do. This is called a gift.
Ministers of hospitality are part of the human capital of a church. Bricks and mortar tell us about material prosperity, preaching and praying tell us about the spirit of a place, but the warmth of welcome and attentiveness to human need—
Each of us has gifts. And our gifts are different. We need to recognize our gifts and their uniqueness. Some of us enjoy organization. Some are good at leading others. Some are detail-oriented and like to keep things neat. Some are “people persons,” who like being with people and are energized by human contact. These and other diverse gifts help the ministry of greeters and ushers to thrive. When our gifts are put into service to build up the Body of Christ, they become a blessing to the whole community of faith.
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BUILDING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST Recognizing our gifts and the gifts of others is important to teamwork, and teamwork is part of being a greeter or usher. The ministry of hospitality is one of the most varied ones in the liturgy, and it requires coordination and humility. Greeters and ushers work together to accomplish their goals. Greeters and ushers are also called upon to welcome new volunteers into their midst. Any ministry that becomes “a club for insiders” not only fails to model Christian hospitality, it also risks dwindling in size. Greeters and ushers can be proactive in inviting new people to join their ranks. They can also help the newbies “learn the ropes” so that they too can give their gifts joyfully, to build up the Body of Christ. REFLECTION QUESTION: Is our group sincerely open to new people? n
Harold had been an usher at St. Mary’s church for forty-five years when he and his wife decided to move to Florida for their retirement. At coffee hour on their last Sunday before the big move, Fr. Tom thanked him for his service to St. Mary’s—a gift he had given since before Fr. Tom became pastor, and even before many of their parishioners were born! “Harold has always been there for us, so faithfully, every Sunday, rain or shine,” he said. “When I think of him, I think of the word ‘steadfast.’”
Finally, it is important to remember that no one ministry creates hospitality alone or in a vacuum. When you serve as a greeter or usher, you are contributing toward an atmosphere of welcome that marks a healthy and wholesome community of faith. Pray for all the people who are making your parish a caring and welcoming place!
Sometimes we come to know our gifts by reflecting on our experience. What is most deeply satisfying to me in the ministry I do? Sometimes other people help us to recognize our gifts. What do others praise or affirm about me? Think about it. n
RECOMMENDED READING James A. Comiskey. The Ministry of Hospitality, second edition. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2004. Paul Turner and Karie Ferrell. Guide for Ushers and Greeters. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 2008.
REFLECTION QUESTION: What is my gift?
AUTHOR n Rita Ferrone is an award-winning writer and speaker about issues of liturgy, catechesis, and renewal in the Roman Catholic Church. She lives in Mount Vernon, New York. Copyright © 2011 by Paulist Evangelization Ministries. Permission is granted to duplicate this article for educational purposes related to Living the Eucharist. Published by Paulist Evangelization Ministries, 3031 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017, www.pemdc.org PH OTOS: RO BERT H A RD I N G PI C TU RE LI BR A RY / SU PER STO CK , PAGE 2; W.P. W IT TM A N LI M ITED, PAGE 3.