Ministers of Hospitality

Ministers of Hospitality are entrusted with promoting a sense of welcoming and belonging to all the faithful assembled for worship. They are the first point of contact for the communal celebration of the Liturgy and because of this, should take special steps in being living representatives of the Parish Mission Statement.

REQUIREMENTS

Ministers of Hospitality should be genial and comfortable talking with the public in a welcoming manner. They should be prepared to “blend into the background” during Mass so as not to draw attention to themselves vs the Liturgy. The Ministry of Hospitality is truly a service to the Church and should be treated seriously and with dignity. Therefore, Ministers of Hospitality should have an understanding of the Liturgy in order to be effective in providing the faithful with the proper environment.
 

DUTIES

1. Opening doors and greeting everyone that comes in the door of the church with a smile and pleasant demeanor.

2. Insuring that people sanitize during COVID.

3. Actively seating those assembled for Liturgy; especially taking special efforts to seat the faithful during the natural breaks in the Mass.

4. Attending to the needs of the disabled through such things as holding doors open or assisting with devices and assisting with their reception of Holy Communion.

5. Helping facilitate Holy Communion in an organized way so that there is a consistent flow towards those distributing the Eucharist.

6. Offering the parish bulletin to the faithful as they exit the church.
 

HELPFUL HINTS

-Clothing should be appropriate for the Liturgy.

-Ministers of Hospitality should be seated in a place which allows for easy access to the various responsibilities, yet with the assembly.

-Ministers should not “hang out” talking in the narthex once the Mass starts but should take a seat if available to participate in the Liturgy.

-Ministers of Hospitality should plan to arrive 20-30 minutes in advance of their assigned Mass.

(For a printable pdf version of these guidelines, please click here)

The ministry of hospitality is critical to creating a vibrant Sunday experience. Everyone who walks through our doors should be greeted and warmly welcomed as though it were Christ himself. People who leave the Church often say that they didn’t feel welcome, know one knew or called them by their name, and the Sunday experience was cold.

1. Please arrive 20 minutes before Mass. Remember to Dress up! Say this prayer at home: Lord, help me to recognize and welcome you in everyone I meet today. Send your blessing upon me to serve you in faith and love.

2. Greet and welcome those entering the narthex, give them the participation program. Try to learn people’s names. If you don’t know their name, ask them, so you can welcome them by name next time. Remember welcoming is your number one role in the narthex. Talking amongst ministers should be kept to a minimum. One minister should keep a count of those attending and enter it on the log sheet on the counter in the narthex.

3. Try to identify money collectors before Mass begins. In the future we will try to identify parishioners who can perform this ministry each week on a regular basis. Also identify a family to present the gifts.

4. Help handicapped and elderly parishioners find seats in the Church.

5. The ministers of hospitality are to be models of participation in the Mass, therefore once Mass has begun, they should be seated and participating in the Mass. No one should be standing in the back of the Church or walking back and forth. It is very distracting to the priest and other ministers. During Mass no one should be in the narthex talking.

6. One minister should watch for late comers. Late comers are not to be seated during the proclamation of God’s word. They should be held in the back and seated after the Gospel. Ideally, if possible, they should be seated in pews near the back of the Church.

7. After the collection is taken up all should be aware that the Priest is beginning the Eucharistic Prayer. Therefore, an atmosphere of quiet must be upheld, especially when putting the collection in the drop safe, and when opening and closing the door to the room.

8. Ministers of Hospitality should assist with the orderly distribution of communion.

9. Ministers of hospitality should alert the Priest or the extraordinary minister of communion if there is a handicapped or elderly parishioner who needs communion brought to their seat.

10.As people are exiting the Church the bulletin is to be distributed.