2 minute read
Greeters Ministry: Welcoming Parishioners And Visitors As Family
Here at St. Francis Xavier, we receive many visitors for Mass each Sunday who join our community in joyful prayer. We are blessed to have the members of our Greeters Ministry — more than 50 strong — who are present at every Mass to make sure all who enter our doors are welcomed and made to feel part of our community.
Angela Weiser coordinates the general ministry, while Fay Cypret coordinates the Greeters at the Spanish Mass. There typically are four to six greeters at each Mass on Saturdays and Sunday mornings, and at the 1 p.m. Spanish Mass on Sunday afternoons. Not only do they welcome everyone, but they also distribute bulletins.
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“We greet everyone as they come into Mass, and we want to make newcomers feel welcome,” Angela says. “What’s nice is we try to get to know people and call them by name. We try to make a personal connection with people so they feel this is their home.”
Fay established the Greeters at the Spanish Mass when she realized more Hispanic families were attending St. Francis Xavier. As a member of one of the first Spanish-speaking families in Stillwater, Fay appreciates how much a warm welcome can mean.
“Greeters Ministry is one of the easiest things to do,” Fay says. “This way, you get to know each other at church.”
By making that personal connection with others, our greeters are helping to build a desire for parishioners to become active in stewardship. As greeters, the ministry members embody stewardship themselves, as they uphold the first parish stewardship pillar of Hospitality. Our parish benefits from their giving of their time and talents by encouraging others to join parish ministries — and perhaps become greeters themselves.
“I think people feel more welcome and are more willing to help and be involved, as well as attend Mass more regularly,” Angela says.
In addition, Fay has been able to witness firsthand how our parishioners’ stewardship of giving their treasure has helped others in need.
“We had a couple families who needed help and we were able to assist them through our Mother Teresa Fund,” Fay says. “Or, in some cases, I’ll have them talk to Father about getting help.”
Those in the Greeters Ministry find that their own faith is bolstered by their outreach. Becoming a greeter is quite easy. Angela welcomes any parishioner who expresses an interest in joining the ministry and will work to put the new member on the schedule.
“It helps me feel more connected to the church,” Angela says. “I have met a lot of people I wouldn’t have otherwise.”
