Welcome: Helping one another to feel at home
In just a few days I will celebrate my first all-school Mass with the students, faculty and staff at St. Gerard parish in Lansing. As part of my homily for that day, I plan to ask everyone to share, by show of hands, who is new to St. Gerard for this academic year. I know that there will be hands raised by students, faculty and staff. I, too, will raise my hand, because, like them, I’m new to St. Gerard. I became the pastor of St. Gerard on July 1, and have spent the days since my arrival getting to know the people and places that are a part of the parish community that I now shepherd. St. Gerard is one of the larger parishes of our diocese, so the physical campus of church, school and offices is extensive. It’s also a big, active parish where we welcome more than 2500 worshipers at the weekend Masses. That means I have a lot of new names and faces to learn over the coming year. Initially, coming to any new place can feel a bit overwhelming.
In just a few days I will celebrate my first all-school Mass with the students, faculty and staff at St. Gerard parish in Lansing. As part of my homily for that day, I plan to ask everyone to share, by show of hands, who is new to St. Gerard for this academic year. I know that there will be hands raised by students, faculty and staff. I, too, will raise my hand, because, like them, I’m new to St. Gerard. I became the pastor of St. Gerard on July 1, and have spent the days since my arrival getting to know the people and places that are a part of the parish community that I now shepherd. St. Gerard is one of the larger parishes of our diocese, so the physical campus of church, school and offices is extensive. It’s also a big, active parish where we welcome more than 2500 worshipers at the weekend Masses. That means I have a lot of new names and faces to learn over the coming year. Initially, coming to any new place can feel a bit overwhelming.
What has helped more than anything is the welcoming attitude of the parishioners I have met. Their kind words of welcome have been encouraging and are helping me to quickly feel at home. In speaking to the school community, I hope to encourage everyone to have that same warm, welcoming attitude. Helping one another to find our way in a setting of new faces and places will help everyone to feel more quickly at home. Helping to lead the way to classrooms, offices, gym and cafeteria spaces will help our new students to quickly acclimate, so that they can safely and confidently navigate their way through their new school setting. I know the same effort will help students to feel welcome in our parish church as well. This is important, since our student body is comprised of kids from a number of area parishes and congregations. Knowing the various postures for worship, how and when to join in song, how to reverently enter and depart the church, and what it means to have a loving and lively relationship with God is also a key part of helping one another to feel welcome, especially in a setting that is new and unfamiliar. Words of welcome help each of us to feel noticed and valued.
On that note, I offer my own welcome to Mary Gates, who has assumed the role of editor of the Lansing edition of FAITH. Mary isn’t a stranger to FAITH, as she has been an active part of the group of writers for FAITH for several years. In her new role, Mary has the responsibility for making sure the trains run on time, as the saying goes, by helping to plan each issue, assign stories, make arrangements for photography, helping to edit stories, and working with Matt Watters, our designer, to make sure each issue comes together. I continue in my role as editor in chief of the Lansing edition of FAITH, providing theological input and guidance, assisting in the editing of each issue, helping to plan future issues, and providing my own viewpoint as a priest and pastor. I also continue my work in helping to guide FAITH Catholic, the larger diocesan company that has become a leader in Catholic print media in the United States. I’m glad to welcome Mary to the day-to-day work of FAITH and I also appreciate the work of Sean O’Neill, whom Mary replaces.
As we move into the busy months ahead, each of our parishes will be welcoming new faces. Some of them will be people who are seeking to join the Church through the OCIA, others will be folks who have moved into our communities. There will also be folks who are coming back to active worship after having been away for a time. Our own warm words of welcome and thoughtful guidance will help all of us to feel more at home in our parish communities. Those words and actions echo those of Jesus, who invites all of us to walk more closely with him, coming to know him more deeply and to serve him with greater love and devotion. And so, our journey in FAITH continues.
Father Dwight Ezop is the editor-in-chief of FAITH Magazine and pastor of St. Gerard Parish, Lansing.
