The Ushers Ministry: Upholding the Pillar of Hospitality for Our Vibrant Faith Community

We’ve learned a lot of new ways to do things during the COVID-19 pandemic, from electronic clinic visits to livestreamed Masses and much more. We’ve also learned that an important part of our faith is celebrating with one another. The Mass is to be experienced in person, alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ. So, what could be more important than making sure every single person seated around us knows they are truly welcome in God’s house?

Here in our Antigo Area Catholic Churches, we are blessed with a dedicated group of ushers who make sure everyone feels welcome. They are there to open the door, lend a smile or answer a question.

Greg Rusch and Florian Baginski have both served as ushers for more than 35 years — Greg serves at St. John’s and Florian serves at Sts. Mary and Hyacinth. While this way of serving isn’t complicated, there’s something special and essential about this ministry.

“I just help out where it is needed,” Greg says.

“More people should get involved in the parish and volunteer to do things,” Florian says. “We should all do our part.”

So, for more than 35 years they have done their part, greeting everyone with a smile and ensuring that people are seated, the collection is taken, and that bulletins are distributed at the end of Mass. Another one of the ushers’ key tasks is finding parishioners to take up the gifts — both Greg and Florian try to find family members of those for whom the Mass is being offered.

Greg’s wife, Kathy, also helps after Mass to make sure the missalettes are put back and everything is put away and clean.

For those with busy schedules, the Usher Ministry is an ideally simple one — it takes place during Mass, and there are no extra meetings or training sessions to attend. Florian and Greg invite others to get involved and be trained as ushers. After all, having a wider number of available ushers can only strengthen the ministry and, in turn, hospitality in our wider faith community. It’s particularly helpful to have people step forward who are willing to usher if one of the scheduled ushers can’t be there. Any adult can step forward to be trained as a backup, in the event they are needed.

And, you never know when you might make a new friend. Being involved in a ministry, like the ushers, can introduce us to new faces. Plus, it’s a way to give back to our Lord who gives so generously to us.

“I usually talk to the people about the weather when they come in,” Florian says. “You can always talk about the weather, but you can’t change it!”

Florian Baginski serves at Sts. Mary and Hyacinth.

Here in our Antigo Area Catholic Churches, we are blessed with a dedicated group of ushers who make sure everyone feels welcome. They are there to open the door, lend a smile or answer a question.

St. John’s also has an automated external defibrillator (AED) on-site, which ushers have been trained to use. In the event of a medical emergency, ushers also step in to call 911 or direct medical personnel once they arrive.

Both Greg and Florian agree that ushering helps put a friendly face to the parish.

“It makes a big difference when someone greets you when you are visiting a different church,” Greg says. “You want to know where to go when you arrive.”

Greg and Kathy Rusch enjoy being involved at St. John’s.

You are invited to help usher and put a friendly face to our parishes! Please call the parish office at 715-623-2024 if you would like to get involved in this wonderful ministry of hospitality.