What do you think of greeters?

[japhy]

and think about it, if we have greeters outside or at the door, we don’t have to go through that non-liturgical meet and greet inside, during Mass, after the initial blessing, we can stick to the greeting and exchange of peace that is liturgical.

For the win!

My parish has “ministers of hospitality”. While I’m not big on calling everything a person does a “ministry” (potentially devaluing the word itself), and I don’t see why we can’t just call them “greeters” or “ushers”, I’m certainly not against the function itself. Visitors might need assistance. People might need help getting to a pew (especially if they’re late). The collection needs to be taken up by someone. And so on.

We used to call them “ushers” until a few months ago. I don’t see why we changed the name: according to Wikipedia, the functions of an usher are the functions they are carrying out!

 

[ac_claire]

Cat;5752028:

Finally, to those who think greeters are intrusive, I would say that they need to remember that the Mass is not all about them

A rather quaint statement. So what about the infusion of noise and unnecessay chatter happening at the entrance of the Church causing a disturbance with their fellow Catholics who are trying to pray ? Rather uncharitable if you ask me since the House of God is foremost one of Prayer, not some meeting house. Originally an Ushers role was to greet and welcome people to each Liturgy as well as be available to assist as need arises throughout the Mass. It’s unnecesarily redundant to have Greeters fulfill this role.

Well when you put it like that…lol. If we’re talking about greeters as those who hold open doors and smile and maybe hand out bulletins, then I don’t see a problem with it. Although, yeah these have traditionally been usher duties so it does seem kind of redundant. (It’s like that new thing in the church where everyone wants to be/gets to be a minister of some kind. An old CAF friend (James0235, I believe) used to say he was kept busy with his weekly “pew-warming ministry” lol.)

On the other hand…if we’re talking about greeters who not only open doors and smile and hand out bulletins but also encourage friendly chatter in the narthex before Mass, then yeah…that’s not so good. The doors are usually open b/t the narthex and sanctuary before Mass and in years past it was de rigueur to have a respectful silence in the sanctuary so people could pray and prepare themselves for the Mass.

Social time, w/ talking and laughing and catching up and coffee and donuts, etc. is great but best for after Mass.

 

[centurionguard]

For the win!

My parish has “ministers of hospitality”. While I’m not big on calling everything a person does a “ministry” (potentially devaluing the word itself), and I don’t see why we can’t just call them “greeters” or “ushers”, I’m certainly not against the function itself. Visitors might need assistance. People might need help getting to a pew (especially if they’re late). The collection needs to be taken up by someone. And so on.

We used to call them “ushers” until a few months ago. I don’t see why we changed the name: according to Wikipedia, the functions of an usher are the functions they are carrying out!

You bring up some interesting viewpoints. I was formerly an usher for a decade. My terminal ailing health does not allow me to carry out such a function. I still know a lot of gentlemen in my parish that have ushering the Catholic faithful for three and four decades.
Some of them do feel their voluntary role is being imperceptibly undermined but not from a egocentric standpoint. Their confused as to what their full role is now since they were formerly stationed at the Church doors. A situation of befuddlement between the distinct roles of an Usher and Greeter surely exist.

 

[Sarabande]

Not sure if I should lump this in with the greeters, except that usually it’s the same people…But what I really, *really don’t *like are the overzealous ushers who try to herd you into a certain pew, and get a little…well I’ve seen some almost hostile behavior from these ladies. It was genteel and smiling, but it was hostility nonetheless. These are the same people who bar the doors when you come late and make you stand in the narthex until they’re good and ready to let you inside. Sometimes it’s not till the first reading, sometimes not till the homily. Depends how late you are I guess. They stand there like Swiss guards. I once saw someone who was obviously not understanding the “rules” try to go in one of the back side doors and she was physically stopped. To these people I want to say “get over yourself and your ‘job’ ok?” lol. As long as we’re leaving aside the pews for handicapped parishoners, we should be able to sit wherever we want to.

Oooo, yeah. That REALLY bothers me as well. I’ve attended a few parishes that had something similar to this and it was some of the most hostile and unwelcome experiences I ever had at churches. I would have rather not had any greeters or ushers at all. There was a church we attended in VA while we were visiting my aunt. My family and I got lost on the way to the church and got there right when the processional hymn began. These women (basically acted like guards) barred us and anyone else from entering the church while the hymn was being sung. They smiled the entire time, but like you, I felt this underlining hostility towards those who didn’t make inside prior to the processional hymn beginning. It was almost as if they were enjoying their role a little too much. It also was a little bit like they were treating it as a concert or theater one might attend where people are held outside of the theater until the movement, song cycle, aria, etc. is completed - except at those places, I have never felt that underlining hostility.

 

[centurionguard]

Well when you put it like that…lol. If we’re talking about greeters as those who hold open doors and smile and maybe hand out bulletins, then I don’t see a problem with it. Although, yeah these have traditionally been usher duties so it does seem kind of redundant. (It’s like that new thing in the church where everyone wants to be/gets to be a minister of some kind. An old CAF friend (James0235, I believe) used to say he was kept busy with his weekly “pew-warming ministry” lol.)

On the other hand…if we’re talking about greeters who not only open doors and smile and hand out bulletins but also encourage friendly chatter in the narthex before Mass, then yeah…that’s not so good. The doors are usually open b/t the narthex and sanctuary before Mass and in years past it was de rigueur to have a respectful silence in the sanctuary so people could pray and prepare themselves for the Mass.

Social time, w/ talking and laughing and catching up and coffee and donuts, etc. is great but best for after Mass.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but, I assume by the term “narthex” your speaking about the columned entrance area seen in some Basilica’s and Cathedrals?

In my 1882 styled Gothic Catholic Church theres a Foyer entrance before entering the Nave. The Greeters are stationed in the Nave at the back of the Church at the entrance.
Given the excellent acoustics any chattering noise in the Nave which gets carried all through the church.

 

[CDNowak]

Cat,

I find your post quite offensive. (“Protestants are not the most tolerant people”, “to those who think greeters are intrusive, I would say that they need to remember that the Mass is not all about them”) It is a fact that greeters are not necessary. They may, in an ideal world, be very useful, but in this world they also can be disruptive, carrying the conversation into the nave.

The carry over from the entry (in some churches no more than a narrow vestibule) into the nave, as well as the presence of greeters changes the focus of the place and what it is for. Currently, many (probably most) parishes have trouble maintaining the reverence due to the Church. They also struggle with letting hospitality overcome the fact that we are coming to worship. After Mass is a more appropriate time to have greeters (especially if there are parish activities immediately following, or on-going fundraising ).

This form of hospitality is not one that many introverts (overrepresented on internet forums, btw) appreciate, particularly while trying to collect oneself before Mass. Nor is it a way in which I (for one) would ever express hospitality. As the Good Book says “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function,so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

 

[Newbie2]

It’s a little contrived and phoney, although I think greeters are trying to be nice. If Catholics were more friendly in the first place, we wouldn’t need greeters.

That’s an excellent point.

When one is a Catholic, one can go to another Catholic parish for mass and pretty much know what’s going on. When one is a non-Catholic, the Parish and mass can be a very foreign place with strange rituals such as making the sign of the cross with holy water when parishioners walk in going on.

I guess there are two trains of thought; if a parish has attentive ushers in the narthex looking out for people who look “lost”, there may be no need for greeters. At our parish, the ushers used to sort of hang out together, like some clique in high school until the parish council suggested that they “break it up” and get out in the narthex and be friendly.
That seems to have worked very well. Visitors to our parish are no longer left hanging around, lost, maybe looking for how to join our parish, maybe deciding that if nobody bothers to help them out that we aren’t that friendly.

The other train of thought goes more toward the Protestant use of greeters, if we can generalize for the moment. Many protestant churches I’ve gone to before converting almost made it impossible to worship in anonymity…“greeters” seemed to swoop down on people they didn’t recognize to make them feel welcome…and sometimes it felt to me as being overly intrusive or suffocating. However, I’d rather be left alone and make the inquiries about a particular church by myself; others might prefer such a welcoming.

 

[MusicMan]

I have never seen a point to greeters. I can understand if you have a special event, but on a regular weekend basis, no.

Similarly, when I find myself in a Protestant church, I find their ushers being greeters to be similarly intrusive. Again, for a special event, fine, but on a regular basis, I’ll take a bulletin and find my seat.

What I find even more distressing is when I am contracted to play in a Protestant church and the ushers greet me and try to shove a bulletin down my throat. Thanks, I got one from the pastor when I was hired for this Sunday.

 

[DOShea]

I agree with everything Cat said.

Just yesterday as I was approaching the door, in front of me was a gentleman and his wife. Our ushers serve as our greeters outside the doors of the church. This fellow stops and says, “My wife and I were raised in the ___ faith… we don’t have any idea what to do at one of these (Mass)… do we have to sit somewhere special or do anything different than anyone else?” They wanted to experience a Mass for themselves but were afraid they’d do something accidentally and cause great offense. The usher was ready to give them some quick instruction but my wife and I just offered to have them come in and sit with us. I told them each beforehand that I’m sure they’d have many questions but to please just follow our lead as far as posture goes and that I’d answer their questions after the Mass.

And they had plenty of 'em! I had to restrain myself from leaping into the air while pumping a fist and shouting “YESSSS!!!” when the first thing they said to me after Mass was “I always was led to believe you Catholics aren’t very big on the Bible… but virtually every prayer said in there was right out of the Scriptures.” hehehe, yeah, imagine that.

If there had been no one for them to ask, no one to assist them, they probably would have gone in, followed the lead, and left without any opportunity to understand anything about what they just saw.

So I think there is a role for someone to extend at least a welcoming word, and as far as I am concerned we each have an obligation to be a “greeter” and be that hand of welcome to help guide others to an understanding of our faith.

 

[Sarabande]

I have never seen a point to greeters. I can understand if you have a special event, but on a regular weekend basis, no.

I do understand this and I think you make a good point. Most parishes probably do not need “greeters”. (As I mentioned in my previous post, I don’t really find them necessary per say.) But there are parishes which I think could benefit from them - in particular my own parish and the one that I work at. Both of those parishes, though, have unique circumstances which are not seen at most parishes. My parish is the cathedral for the diocese, and I’ve seen that the greeters have been very helpful for the hundreds of visitors that come to the Cathedral for mass on Sunday (some are not Catholic and they do sometimes have questions, as well as Catholics from different countries or even people from around this country who may not be familiar with what we do at our mass ie. we sing the propers for most Sundays and most parishes do not do them - these people have stopped and asked me questions - and I’m not a greeter), as well as those “transient” parishioners I described in my previous post. The other parish where I work is similar because it is an historical church, which also sees many visitors and there it is only the pastor who greets the people and he actually does it outside or in the little vestible.

That said, both parishes have a tremendous sense of reverence. The Cathedral has very good acoustics, but any kind of sound does not travel past the vestibule mainly because the doors are extremely heavy, padded with leather of some sort and the the greeters are not over-the-top and loud as people may see in other parishes. (That would bother me as well.) For a regular Sunday mass at both parishes, it is almost always quiet inside of the church itself. The only time the cathedral is loud is when there is some huge mass with thousands of people from around the diocese. Unfortunately, and I’ve seen this at many special events at parishes around the diocese, even when the pastor gets on the mic and asks people to please have respect for God and those people trying to pray in the church prior to mass, it starts out hushed, then in a matter of seconds, the chatter begins to build up more and more. But that is for a different thread.

 

[MusicMan]

As with all things, if a legitimate happenstance necessitates them, then by all means … The average Smallville parish probably needs greeters only on Christmas, Easter, and when Confirmation takes place at a regularly scheduled Mass. Beyond that, they strike me as not dissimilar to having a phallanx of lay people serving as emHC at Mass. Just something for the lay people “to do” that, in the end, is both superfulous and takes away from one’s ability to focus on the Mass itself.

 

[puzzleannie]

Finally, to those who think greeters are intrusive, I would say that they need to remember that the Mass is not all about them

did you bother to read the statement of myself and many in parishes who have greeters that this takes place OUTSIDE and does much to reduce noise from chatter inside the church?

Just something for the lay people “to do” that, in the end, is both superfulous and takes away from one’s ability to focus on the Mass itself

did this poster bother to read the testimony of others that this takes place outside, and BEFORE Mass begins, so it does not affect the liturgy in any way?

 

[tweetymom]

I am a greeter unoffically however and our Priest thanks me every week for being friendly. I think for mr it is a form of friendly and I have never been treated in anyway but friendly back. Who says we can’t be friendly and not be so formal?

 

[Ockham]

Most Greeters I’ve seen are a distraction from the purpose of Mass, to attend the Holy Sacrifice Christ made for us. They encourage chatting in the nave which distracts people trying to pray and prepare themselves for Mass.

 

[tweetymom]

Most Greeters I’ve seen are a distraction from the purpose of Mass, to attend the Holy Sacrifice Christ made for us. They encourage chatting in the nave which distracts people trying to pray and prepare themselves for Mass.

Well friend then you have not met me . And if you don’t like to be greeted then avoid that.

 

[japhy]

I had to restrain myself from leaping into the air while pumping a fist and shouting “YESSSS!!!” when the first thing they said to me after Mass was “I always was led to believe you Catholics aren’t very big on the Bible… but virtually every prayer said in there was right out of the Scriptures.” hehehe, yeah, imagine that.

You were a great blessing that day! Thanks be to God!

 

[TEPO]

Having greeters is risky!!!

My daughter was tisked by the greeter at our church as we went to confession before the 5:30 Mass because apparently my daughters outfit was “inappropriate”. What an ignorant thing for a greeter to do!!!

There was no confession the previous week as father left a note on the confessional door, and so we were in a hurry to get to confession this week and went “as we were” because we had prior engagements. I was so emberassed and angry and ashamed of my family that I wouldnt have been able to give a good confession - luckily it was a group confession because we ran out of time before Mass.

All you greeters make sure you do not act like a fool!!! It is so easy to turn people away from the Church -especially people who havent been there for a while… You do have an impact on Souls!!! Make it a good one!!!

 

[centurionguard]

A rather quaint statement. So what about the infusion of noise and unnecessay chatter happening at the entrance of the Church causing a disturbance with their fellow Catholics who are trying to pray ? .

did you bother to read the statement of myself and many in parishes who have greeters that this takes place OUTSIDE and does much to reduce noise from chatter inside the church?

did this poster bother to read the testimony of others that this takes place outside, and BEFORE Mass begins, so it does not affect the liturgy in any way?

puzzleannie;5752872 did you bother to read the statement of myself and many in parishes who have greeters that this takes place OUTSIDE and does much to reduce noise from chatter inside the church?

Yes I did read your statement. But how many parishes in the United States and Canada do Greeters and Parishioners take their discussion OUTSIDE? Certainly not in inclement weather. I’m not trying to be particularly arguementative. And yes I will certainly agree that it takes a disciplined personal degree of acquiescence with humility, resignation, and resolve to put up and shut up with chatter on the INSIDE of the Church before Mass. However; this noisy chatter can get excessive at times. Aside from my own home and former English parish I do occasionally frequent our French Cathedral being bilingual. Lo and behold their noisy on the inside like the rest of them. Maybe I’m just an old grouch in all this, which takes a heck of a long time to get used to. And I still don’t think it’s right or fair to other parishioners who are trying to pray before Mass.

 

[tweetymom]

Having greeters is risky!!!

My daughter was tisked by the greeter at our church as we went to confession before the 5:30 Mass because apparently my daughters outfit was “inappropriate”. What an ignorant thing for a greeter to do!!!

There was no confession the previous week as father left a note on the confessional door, and so we were in a hurry to get to confession this week and went “as we were” because we had prior engagements. I was so emberassed and angry and ashamed of my family that I wouldnt have been able to give a good confession - luckily it was a group confession because we ran out of time before Mass.

All you greeters make sure you do not act like a fool!!! It is so easy to turn people away from the Church -especially people who havent been there for a while… You do have an impact on Souls!!! Make it a good one!!!

I hopefully do not act as a fool, some might beg to differ LOL LOL As a greeter I only say welcome and shake hands. If it someone I know we hug, that’s:wave: it

 

[TEPO]

I would much rather it be Clergy who do the greetings at Church. They are more responsible and sensitive to souls of our Brothers and Sisters…

I am now strongly against greeters!