Beloved Parishioners,

A warm welcome is what each of us expects when we visit a new place, a church, party or meet new faces for the first time. Such a warm welcome gives one a sense of love, value, and that feeling of home. Most people do not like to visit a place where they were not welcome, or their presence is not very much appreciated. Giving a warm welcome to a new visitor makes the person feel delighted that he is not in the wrong.

In the last couple of weeks, especially since after Easter, there has been increasing appreciation from many people, who after the words of welcome in the church, came out to share with me how happy and delighted they were that their presence was recognized and appreciated.

Beloved Parishioners, in today’s Pastor’s Corner I want to share with you the amazing joy that many people who come into our church for the first time feel when they were welcomed, asked to say their names or where they come from at the end of the Mass. For many of them it was such an awesome feeling of love, a welcoming community. This is what our parish stands for and intends to give to anyone who walks in here. This past Easter Sunday, there was a very large crowd that attended Easter Mass. At the 10:30am Mass the count was over 900 people as such there was no time to individually ask for all those coming for the first time to say where they were coming from, but a general welcome was given which got a lot of appreciation from many of those who came.

Last Sunday after 8:45am Mass, I was approached by a family who came to our church for the first time and the joy they shared with me at the welcome given to them was amazing. For them it was the first time ever they had come into a Catholic church for the first time, and they were recognized. That same evening, after 5:00pm Mass, a young lady who was in the company of her family and friends came to me and she asked if she could give me a hug. Of course, I gratefully gave her a hug. Her excitement could be felt that someone appreciated their presence at the Mass. According to them, they were on their way to Yuma but in order not to miss Sunday Mass they drove by to attend Mass to continue their journey. Her joy and those of her family and friends became a catalyst for me to do more to welcome those coming to our parish or church for the first time.

The reason I am sharing all this is to encourage every one of us to be part of a welcoming ministry showing love in a very practical way to our first-time comers and new parishioners. There are different ways in which you can do this. You can get up in your seat with a smile on your face and say a word of welcome to a new person in the pews that will mean a lot to the person. You can take the person to Saint Joseph Hall for coffee and donuts as a way of saying welcome. You can strike up a conversation to make the person feel comfortable. You can offer to show the person the restrooms or share some of the programs we have in the parish. You can hold the door for the person and usher him/her in. You can gently ask the person his/her name as a way of making the person feel at home.

We all may have been new in a place for the first time before, like school or church, or store. The way we were received or welcomed that first time makes a big impact in the way we appreciate the place. I am looking forward to seeing many people take up the initiative to say welcome to those coming to our church for the first time and at the same time to open our hearts to make the new members to church feel comfortable, welcomed, and loved.

This is the reason Christ in the Neighborhood ministry is a very amazing ministry in our parish which we all are to embrace to help make people come into our church feel loved and welcomed. May we be little angels in the lives of those who come into our church for the first time by making them feel happy, loved, comfortable and ready to come back the next time.

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