MINISTERS OF HOSPITALITY (USHERS)/GREETERS
 
For generations, ushers have assisted parish worship by welcoming people, helping them find seats in church, taking up the collection and passing out parish bulletins. When the liturgical reforms began after the Second Vatican Council, the role of the usher was already well established. Since Vatican II the ushers minister by doing more than just taking up the collection and passing out bulletins. Perhaps the most important way ushers serve the assembly can be summed up in the word hospitality. In many parishes today they are called, “Minister of Hospitality.”  Their ministry may include:

Greeting and welcoming the community as they enter church for liturgy
Assist with any questions people may have as they arrive at church
Obtaining gift bearers
Assist with getting Ministers of Communion
Finding seats for the assembly as needed
Taking up the collection
Distributing bulletins at the end of Mass

The Minister of Hospitality is often the first person whom worshipers meet when they arrive at church. He/She has the opportunity and the responsibility to represent the rest of the assembly in offering hospitality. People’s impression of a parish is significantly shaped by the presence or absence of a welcoming atmosphere when they come to worship. Offering a smile and a word of welcome can have a profound impact on people as they arrive, especially if they are visitors to the parish.
 
Presently Sacred Heart has twenty Ministers of Hospitality and 4 additional greeters. They minister at the Mass in which they normally attend. They also serve by welcoming family and friends at funeral Eucharists.
  
For information  call Sacred Heart's Parish office at 337-364-4439

updated: 8/25/2016