Greeters

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Dear Fellow Greeters,

As the new head of the Greeter Ministry, I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for volunteering for this important ministry. As greeters, you will be the first ambassadors for our parish as people arrive, sometimes for the very first time, for Mass at St. Marguerite's. Whether the person you greet is well known to you or a new face, a friendly greeting does much to convey the spirit of our Catholic belief in the Communion of Saints.

Guidelines for Greeters

Please arrive 15-20 minutes before Mass begins.

Father Harrison likes to leave the outer doors open in nice weather so St. Marguerite's has a more welcoming appearance. If you would like to stand outside near the entry to greet, feel free to do so. In inclement weather, please stand near the entrance between the inner doors and the place Father usually stands to greet. Again, the idea is for all who enter to feel noticed and welcome. Greeting by name is always preferred.

Father Harrison is most concerned that all who enter our doors feel welcomed. To that end, we will likely be ordering some type of name badge that will enable us to print our own names on them and that will be worn with a lanyard of some type (to avoid pinholes left in clothing by traditional pins). I will let you know when that issue is resolved.  Father would like us to greet people by name as often as possible and encourages us to use the directory to get to know some of the names of those with whom we are not as well acquainted.

If asked, you should be able to provide the Mass and Reconciliation schedules. These are ALWAYS listed on the front of the bulletin. You should encourage the newcomer to take a bulletin home with him. Also, if the individual is interested in registering to become a member of the parish, please obtain a registration form from the ministry room (next to the vesting sanctuary) and ask him to take it home to complete and to feel free to give it to an usher or greeter the next time he attends Mass. Offer to answer any questions he may have and if you don't have the answer, please try to find someone to help him before he leaves.

Greeters are also responsible for obtaining gift bearers. There are pieces of paper in the ministry room for this purpose. Please try to ask varied groups of people. Diversity in a parish is a strength to encourage and to celebrate. Though I recognize that many people don't feel comfortable in doing so, taking the gifts to the altar is an honor that we would like for more people to enjoy. Generally, a group of 2-4 is easiest but larger families are easily accommodated. Those without a specific item to carry can simply walk reverently with the actual gift bearers. Once the gift bearers write their names on the paper, please take it to the organist or ask an usher to do so. In this way, the gift bearers will be announced properly during the Offertory procession.

After Mass, when possible, please try to help distribute the parish bulletin. Often, the ushers help in this capacity but if you are able to do so and see a need, your help is very much appreciated.

For holiday Masses we will not schedule greeters but will instead have a sign-up sheet in the Narthex to accommodate those who may travel or change schedules during those times. Specifically, those schedules will be for Christmas, New Year's and the Easter triduum. If you are unable to greet at your appointed Mass, please try to get a replacement and if you are unable to do so, please call or email me and I will endeavor to find a temporary replacement. Also, please try to talk to your friends and acquaintances to encourage them to join you in this important ministry. It's a very easy way for newcomers in particular to become involved with parish life at St. Marguerite d'Youville. In the event that you attend a Mass at which there are no greeters present, please step in and greet for that Mass. I know many of you have already been doing that for weeks and I very much appreciate your dedication to this ministry.

Thank you all so much for all that you do for St. Marguerite's. I know many of you are involved with multiple ministries and "pick up the slack" whenever needed. Your efforts don't go unnoticed and you are appreciated more than you know.

May God bless you all for your sincere hearts and dedication to serving others.