![]() To help him look good and make a connection to the whole family you can gesture to their spouse and children and say “and these must be…”. Occasionally, when greeting a couple, only the husband will introduce himself. A friendly smile followed by a “Hi, I’m John Albiston (pause to allow them to respond)” goes a long way in giving them a warm and favourable impression and gives them the opportunity to introduce themselves to you and make a real connection. We are introducing people to a family more than a spectator event so some light personal contact is a good thing. This process, in most cultures, involves the exchange of names. Unlike an usher at a movie theatre, we in the church are actually hoping people will get to know us personally –usually the sooner the better. An usher should introduce themselves with a smile Our people want to do a good job and need us to equip them. She literally went red with embarrassment and odds are she won’t be volunteering again anytime soon. Our usher clearly felt terrible that we weren’t being treated well, and was very frustrated that she didn’t know what to do. One of the most common fears they express is doing something “wrong”. An untrained usher is an unhappy usherīelieve it or not, but the volunteers in our churches actually want us to tell them what to do. My little story illustrates a number of key points about usher training:ġ. Fortunately for us, “that guy” not only made room for us, but also helpfully mentioned that the children had already been dismissed for Sunday School and that he would be happy to personally escort them to their classrooms. She was obviously embarrassed and frustrated at the situation and eventually found a spot a little closer and said that we could “ask that guy to make a little more room”. Unfortunately, she seemed to be under the orders of never point and never abandon your post. I eventually turned back to the usher and asked her to clarify. Since there were a couple hundred people in the room, the “guy in the blue shirt” and the spaces that accompanied him were more elusive that I would have hoped. The usher who met us just as we entered apologetically stammered that there wasn’t much room and then vaguely gestured that the might be a space “somewhere over by the guy in the blue shirt”. My family and I had arrived late (I’ll place my rant about accurate service times on church signage somewhere else) and tried to sneak in the back to find a seat. Please complete the form below or contact the Ministry Coordinator at are always needed! For a small commitment of time you can provide an important service by setting a welcoming tone for our parish.I had an enlightening experience while visiting another church the other week. You also will be invited to attend two formal meetings a year, just before Christmas and just before Easter, where we can discuss the upcoming services and enjoy a little socialization and food. ![]() Interested in becoming an usher but not sure you have time? Here’s what’s involved: you would need to get to Church approximately 20 minutes before Mass starts and stay until most of the congregation has left and the pews are straightened up. Updates to procedures or special requirements at Masses are handled by posting notices in the usher room or making phone calls to the Usher Captains. If we have several new ushers, a special training session will be conducted. The team Usher Captain usually handles training of individual ushers. The only thing you need to bring to the job is a willingness to provide service. Outside of our Mass duties, we assist other ministries as needed and participate in other social or fund raising activities in the parish. When the Mass is over, we hand out the bulletins and any other handouts and answer questions. We select the family or group for the presentation of the gifts at the Offertory and direct the flow of traffic during Communion. At the proper time, we go down the aisles where we are stationed and take up the collection(s). During the service, we are available to handle accidents or emergencies. We welcome people into the church and escort them to a pew as required. In addition, ushers provide the logistical services that allow the Mass to run smoothly and attend to the myriad details that are part and parcel of large gatherings. Our job is to make them feel welcome, wanted, valued, and special. We are the first persons that people meet when they come to church. ![]() Open to Men, Women, & Teens of the Parish What Are We About? Contribution Envelopes Request/Cancellation. ![]() OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults).The Marriage Course for Diaconate Couples.CAFE (Catholic Adult Formation & Education).CMI (Children's Ministry of Initiation).Adult Ministry of Initiation (AMI)/OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults).
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