Everyone — parishioners and guests alike — should feel welcome when they enter our parishes. One great way to make people feel welcome is for them to be greeted when they come in the doors. At St. James,
ushers help with greeting and many other tasks to make the Mass run smoothly. Lectors proclaim the readings.
At St. James, Monica Dessonville ensures the schedules are complete for both ministries. She stepped up to serve in this way after hearing several announcements that a scheduler was needed.
“I figured it was something I could easily do,” she says. “This was a need, and I wasn’t doing any other ministries at the time. I thought, ‘Why not?’”
It’s not a complicated ministry, but it is essential.
“Hopefully, this helps Father feel confident that someone is there to do all the ministry jobs when he comes to say Mass,” Monica says.
More lectors and ushers are always needed so that scheduling is easier and there’s less burden on the current volunteers. Monica and her husband, Ron, both serve as ushers.
“We enjoy the greeting aspect of ushering,” she says. “It’s nice to be there to smile at people entering the doors. It’s also a great way to get to know people.”
Monica has been especially pleased to see some younger parents step forward to be involved. It can be hard because it means leaving one spouse to watch the children during Mass.
“The younger people are the ones that seem to be most excited about being involved,” she says. “It is important to be part of the church family, and everyone needs to do their part. It also sets a good example for the kids — they see that involvement.”
Over the years of ushering and teaching Faith Formation, Monica has always felt blessed to be involved. It’s helped her get to know people and grow in faith.
“If you don’t know how you should be involved, just pray about it,” Monica says. “At least for me, God has thrown things right in front of me, and it’s always been clear to me how I should be involved. Things have just always worked out how they should.”
Monica admits it’s not always easy doing the scheduling, but when she faces a challenge, she offers it up to God.
“It’s taught me patience,” she says. “This has helped me do something outside my comfort zone, and it’s good.”
To get involved as an usher or lector at St. James, contact Monica Dessonville
at 320-226-4134; at St. Andrew, contact Kim Rupp at 320-564-4204;
at St. Joseph, contact Connie Pauling at 320-841-0277.