Parish vitality can begin with hospitality

At St. Mary's Church in Clinton Heights, newcomers get a taste of southern Rensselaer County hospitality when they come to Mass.

Greeters welcome visitors at the church entrances, and Rev. Jerome Gingras, pastor, makes sure he's there early enough to meet people. He publicly welcomes out-of-state visitors at the beginning of Mass and encourages congregants to introduce themselves to people sitting near them.

If newcomers decide to join the parish, welcoming committee members visit their homes with gift baskets; Father Gingras also blesses new families during a monthly Mass and gives each family a statue of Mary.

Welcome to church

These acts of hospitality are just some of the ways in which St. Mary's lets visitors know that they are welcome in the parish and shouldn't feel like strangers, according to Father Gingras.

"I like to help them feel they can talk to each other in church," he said. "They can laugh, smile, celebrate. They're there to enjoy Mass, and you can sense parishioners are nice people."

A little bit of hospitality can go a long way in making newcomers and parishioners feel at home in church, and the Diocesan Pastoral Council is encouraging all parishes to follow the example set by St. Mary's in reaching out to people who come to Mass.

Hospitality

In February 1997, the DPC began exploring ways in which parishes could encourage and facilitate hospitality. The action was in response to a request from Bishop Howard J. Hubbard. A committee was formed to consider the issue and report back to the Bishop.

Members of the committee visited nearly 30 parishes across the Diocese to observe how each parish showed hospitality, from the exterior and interior of the church building to the demeanor of lay ministers and people sitting in the pews.

The DPC printed their observations, along with major points contained in writings on hospitality, in a special edition of "The Mustard Seed," the newsletter for the diocesan Office of Pastoral Planning.

Findings

Hospitality already is present in some churches, but "parishes should make it a priority and help all parish ministers make people feel wanted, needed and welcome," said Patricia Mousaw, administrator for the DPC. "It fulfills the mission of Jesus and our baptismal call, and we need to welcome new people so they'll come back."

Mrs. Mousaw offers workshops on hospitality for lay ministers, but "hospitality is something that must go beyond greeters and ushers," she pointed out.

Visitors should feel a sense of hospitality "when they move into a pew, when the presider welcomes them, when the cantor invites everyone to sing, and by Eucharistic ministers' facial expressions and body language. It really takes an effort because we're shy and want to be with people we're comfortable with."

Friendliness

Father Gingras has been pastor of St. Mary's for two-and-a-half years, and during his time there, "it's always been a friendly parish. People are inviting to one another."

He joins greeters in welcoming people as they enter church for Mass. He asks people to introduce themselves to those sitting near them -- "that seems to be a little ice-breaker," he said -- and greeters are friendly when they distribute bulletins after Mass. Congregants are invited to gather for coffee and doughnuts, and an outside gathering space gives people room to chat before and after Mass.

St. Mary's also shows hospitality through its welcoming committee and blessing of new families. People who request Mass intentions are invited to bring up the offertory gifts during Mass, "another way of letting people participate," Father Gingras said.