PARISH HOSPITALITY TEAM CONTI REACHING OUT DURING
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ast spring, the global pandemic that began changing the way Americans live — and worship — was an entirely unprecedented event. While St. John Before the Latin Gate, like all Catholic churches across the world, had to adapt to new ways of serving God’s people, one thing remained the same — the strong faith and active discipleship of our parish family. Throughout this time, our parish Hospitality Team has continued to reach out and provide spiritual nourishment to countless parishioners. Following her retirement from the role of parish secretary a few years ago, Justyna Creager began coordinating our Hospitality Team, which includes our ushers and greeters, as well as the Newcomers group and Theology After Hours. With the COVID-19 crisis limiting most of our usual hospitality outreach, the team soon found new ways to serve. “It became obvious that we needed to figure out how to engage and how to reach out to the community,” Justyna says. “It was important for us to be creative with our efforts to be the Body of Christ. We needed to be respectful that people were fearful and wanted to keep their distance, but we wanted to reach out, so we came up with several ideas for doing just that.” As the first people who greet parishioners and visitors to Mass, our ushers and greeters play an essential part in ensuring that all feel welcome here at St. John. This role has certainly changed over the last year. When the church was able to reopen following the spring shutdown, our ushers and greeters quickly got to work roping off certain pews to allow for social distancing, propping open doors for those arriving for Mass, and providing hand sanitizer at entrances and exits. “I think this helped make people feel not only welcome but also safe,” says Justyna of these special measures. “They are helping people find
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Justyna Creager, coordinator of our Hospitality Team, has been working to find new ways to keep parishioners connected throughout the pandemic.
a safe space to sit. The ushers and greeters have been serving in this new way, and I’m really grateful for the people that have been helping with it.” Technology has also proven a blessing when it comes to providing the opportunity to “gather” virtually as a faith community. Theology After Hours — typically an evening of music, food, and dynamic speakers — moved to a virtual format in 2020. Justyna looks forward to continuing to find creative ways to bring this wonderful event and fellowship to our parishioners again this year. In addition to the conscientious work of our ushers and greeters and the fun of our online events, the Hospitality Team has also been busy reaching out to parishioners on an individual
