Volunteering in a Parish, handling Christmas

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TC3033

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Quick question(s) for both Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

I think most know of the struggles I’ve run into with parish leadership at the parish my wife and kids are members at. In the bulliten it was put out that they are in dire need of users for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass. My wife thinks it would be a great idea for me to volunteer for Christmas Eve. It would show me that maybe the parish is a bit more welcoming than they lead on, and to show the parish that maybe (even though I’m not Catholic) I’m still a nice guy and good to have around.

Question(s).
  1. Catholics: Is it allowed for NC’s to be ushers at Mass
  2. Non-Catholics: Would you or have you volunteered for positions in the parish
Part 2 - I was thinking of trying to sneak out of some family stuff on Christmas Eve to attend a Protestant service where I’m welcome to communion (so I at least can have communion on Christmas).
  1. Catholics: Would you be offended if a NC family member left a family Christmas get together in order to attend a service from their faith background
  2. Non-Catholics: Have you ever done this before? If you have, how did it go over?
TIA
 
It is ok for non Catholics to be ushers I’d imagine so long as one knows how to do the job. You are a Christian after all. You should not feel guilty about slipping away for a while to attend whichever service you like. It’s not like you would be gone for that long. Wishing you a very happy Christmas.
 
TC3033 said:
Catholics: Is it allowed for NC’s to be ushers at Mass
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Ultimately, that’s going to be up to the pastor of the parish. Different priests are likely to approach it differently. I can see a priest allowing it (since an usher is not really a liturgical role). But I can see a pastor not allowing it (because he wants all those who are in any way, shape, or form helping out during Mass to be practicing Catholics in good standing). His decision should be respected, even if you don’t personally agree.
TC3033 said:
Catholics: Would you be offended if a NC family member left a family Christmas get together in order to attend a service from their faith background
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I wouldn’t be offended at all. Just as I would expect the same courtesy if the roles were reversed and I was slipping out to go to Mass.
 
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TC3033 said:
Quick question(s) for both Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

I think most know of the struggles I’ve run into with parish leadership at the parish my wife and kids are members at. In the bulliten it was put out that they are in dire need of users for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass. My wife thinks it would be a great idea for me to volunteer for Christmas Eve. It would show me that maybe the parish is a bit more welcoming than they lead on, and to show the parish that maybe (even though I’m not Catholic) I’m still a nice guy and good to have around.

Question(s).
  1. Catholics: Is it allowed for NC’s to be ushers at Mass
  2. Non-Catholics: Would you or have you volunteered for positions in the parish
Part 2 - I was thinking of trying to sneak out of some family stuff on Christmas Eve to attend a Protestant service where I’m welcome to communion (so I at least can have communion on Christmas).
  1. Catholics: Would you be offended if a NC family member left a family Christmas get together in order to attend a service from their faith background
  2. Non-Catholics: Have you ever done this before? If you have, how did it go over?
TIA
Click to expand...
Part One
Not sure of the answer to the first question. My guess would be “No.” At least, I’ve never known Protestants to be ushers in the Catholic Church. If anything, they’d rather stay as far away from the Catholic Church as possible.

Part Two
If you are Catholic, you’re not supposed to participate in Protestant “communion”. Remember, they don’t believe in the Real Presence (Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity) of Christ. The bread remains bread and the grape juice remains grape juice. Both are symbols of remembrance only.

If you’re Protestant, you aren’t supposed to participate in Holy Communion for the reasons listed above. Your participation defiles it for the rest of us. Nor are we supposed to participate in your “communion” even if your pastor allows it. However, you can unite with us in prayer and good will for all.

Since I am a cradle Catholic and members of my family are still Protestant, I don’t mind if they go to their churches (if their churches are open for services on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day). But I prefer to go to the Catholic Church for Mass.
 
Pastor decides the reqs for volunteers, including ushers. I think it would be good to simply call the office and ask.

Can’t imagine getting wrapped around the axles if someone want to go to their congregation on Christmas. I’d go to Mass at a different time and then go along with my non-Catholic family or friend to show love.
 
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lilypadrees said:
Part One

Not sure of the answer to the first question. My guess would be “No.” At least, I’ve never known Protestants to be ushers in the Catholic Church. If anything, they’d rather stay as far away from the Catholic Church as possible.
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I think there is a wide variety of preferences on this, not all Protestants are fearful of Catholics.

A lot of churches bring people in of different faiths to play the organ or be a cantor, Catholics in protestant churches or vice versa. Of course those are skilled positions, not the case with being an usher- Not to put down ushers at all- just that it is an unskilled job.

I don’t think there is a real problem with a Catholic church bringing in non-catholic ushers, but it wouldn’t say much about the church in question if they were unable to recruit one of their own for the job and had to go outside the faith
 
TC3033 said:
Catholics: Is it allowed for NC’s to be ushers at Mass
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Pretty sure the Church leaves this up to the pastor. My husband the Protestant was pressed into service as an usher once at a church we were visiting. It was back in the days when he insisted on wearing a suit to Mass like a good Protestant (Catholic men do not usually wear suits especially where we were, it was a beach town) and the ushers were short a guy and just grabbed the one man in a suit. They never even asked if he was Catholic.

I wouldn’t mind if a Protestant family member wanted to go to a Protestant service on Christmas, though it would be nice if they were regularly practicing the rest of the time or at least part of the time, so it didn’t look like they were just looking for an excuse to ditch out on the family.
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback. I’ve heard varying opinions…I guess…that it may or may not be required a person need be Catholic to usher. I know my neighbor was asked to usher at one of his kids’ Confirmation, but once that Parish found out he wasn’t Catholic they recanted the invitation to usher. I wanted to check with you before talking to the Parish.

@Tis_Bearself , I don’t know if I’d consider myself a regular practicing or part time in the way that when I go to church it’s with my family to Mass. I don’t attend two services on Sunday. Personally, it would be nice to attend a service where I’m welcome to communion on Christmas. That would be the main reason I’d be looking at attending a Protestant service as well as Mass with my family (and extended family).
 
All i meant is if you’re truly going out of religious feeling, and not to get out of having to spend time with your mother-in-law, it should be fine.
It sounds like you’re sincere, so no problem.
 
There is no canon nor rubric that forbids a non-Catholic from serving as an usher, in fact, there are no rubrics about ushers. That is why it is completely up to the Pastor.
 
I personally see nothing wrong with a non-Catholic Christian being an usher.

I’d expect them to at least be a Christian of some sort, however.
 
Our church recently started requiring ushers to comply with all the child protection rules so you’d definitely have to be a Catholic member of the parish.
 
I’m not Catholic, as laid out in the OP.

That’s why I asked if it would be offensive if I left a family gathering to attend a service where I am welcome to communion after I have already attended Mass with my family and extended family.
 
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Thank you for clarifying, TC3033. I didn’t think you were. But it’s always best to be sure.

If I may, what denomination are you? The Protestant churches my (maternal) relatives belong to don’t have communion every week. And when I was attending the Southern Baptist church, it wasn’t given out at all.
 
Non-Catholics can be background checked and can do the safe environment training 🙂 Non-Catholics can be register as members of the parish (we have dozens of non-Catholic spouses who are members).
 
@TheLittleLady

Thanks, I was a little confused on that…I get background checked every two years for coaching. Wasn’t sure how that was different.

Off topic, but this intrigues me: I was told I CAN’T be a registered member. My wife said that because I’m not Catholic the parish doesn’t see me as a member. That is why my name always has an asterisk and why I’m not invited to be part of parish events.
 
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TC3033 said:
Off topic, but this intrigues me: I was told I CAN’T be a registered member. My wife said that because I’m not Catholic the parish doesn’t see me as a member. That is why my name always has an asterisk and why I’m not invited to be part of parish events.
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I think we’ve been over this before. Your parish/ pastor seems to be a little weird about Protestants.
Many other Catholic parishes are more inclusive, especially when the Protestant in question is a spouse of a parishioner.
 
Huh, Mark that up to you learn something new everyday.

When I was told I can’t be a registered member because I’m not Catholic, I just assumed that was an overall practice.
 
Born and raised in a non-denom church. You could probably count on one hand the number of times I missed church per year.

We have communion every service.
 
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