Greeter Ministry

With warm words of welcome, those who minister as greeters strive to serve the parish by helping to set the tone for the community prayer.  Those who serve in this ministry are the face of the community for all who are new to our parish and the voice of welcome to all. You can help nourish the love of Christ in others, through your work with the Greeter Ministry.

Q1. Can I just watch/shadow someone before I volunteer ?
Currently, the training consists of a presentation going over guidance given by the  Archdiocese of Chicago and how we've implemented this at St. Joseph.Then you'd be welcome to shadow another greeter at mass as a way to supplement your training. 

Q2. Can I work only at indoor masses?/Can I work only at outdoor masses?
Yes. With the expansion of the weekend Mass schedule, there are opportunities to match volunteer preferences.

Q3. Can my spouse and I volunteer as a team?
Yes. You might not be working side by side the entire Mass, but you could certainly be Greeters at the same Masses.   

Q4. If I sign up, what’s the minimum number of masses I need to volunteer at?
While there is not a minimum number of masses, but we do expect Greeters to sign up and volunteer if they get trained.

Q5. How far in advance do you have to volunteer?
We are targeting a system that will allow you to volunteer for a month at a time.

Q6. Can I just do 6:30 mass and no other time?
You could definitely just be a Greeter Minister for the 6:30 AM mass. 

Q7. Is it OK if I volunteer but I can’t stay after mass to sanitize the pews?
One of the key roles is the Sanitizing of the Pews and Church after each Liturgical Service. If you are not able to Sanitize, it will mean the other Greeter (especially for 6:30 AM mass would have to do it all by themselves).

Q8.  How many more months will Greeters be needed?
We are completely focused on making access to the church and liturgy available in accordance with Archdiocese of Chicago guidelines.  We will continue with current protocols until the Archdiocese provides updates.

Q9.  I'm not good with computers.  What kind of training will I get?
In addition to the introductory training, at every Mass, there will be an experienced Greeter to answer any questions.  Teamwork is key.­­­­

Q10. How can I get involved?        Click Here

We are in need of volunteers between the ages of 18-65 with no underlying health conditions.
Please fill out the form below and a member of our parish staff will be in touch with you soon. 

Mass Greeter Duties include:

• Escort Mass attendees to their pews. 
• Provide support/logistics for parishioners during the celebration of the mass or service
• Provide support/logistics for parishioners after the celebration of the mass or service

October 6, 2020

This last week we had over 1,200+ attendees enter the church and drive-in!   St. Joseph Parish continues to be a vibrant and active Parish Community and that would not be possible without Greeters like YOU!  Thank You!   
 
Update on 6:30 AM mass!  The new mass started on October 5th and had 30+ Parishioners attend!  Thank you for your Ministry to make this possible!
 
Not sure if you have been keeping track (I have)… but since we have “reopened” the church, and with this weeks attendance, we have surpassed over 17,000+ parishioners/attendees who have walked through our church doors!  ALL of this possible because you have been there to Greet each and every person, and YOU have made sure that we continue to maintain a Safe and Healthy Church! 
 
The following story was given to Anna Roeser (Thank you for sharing) by a Parishioner that makes visible the hard work and commitment each of you has given to St. Joe’s to make this possible:
 
“A great testament to what we are doing came from an older couple who religiously came to weekend Mass. Not a Sunday would they miss. Both of them have some health issues. They have not been to the church since the pandemic hit. Now that we are seven months into it they came back to mass this weekend. The reason is that we are keeping everyone safe because of our safety protocols. The reopening greeters and the standardized training has ensured the safety of our church. There have been so many visitors that come to our church from other parishes because they feel safe in our church”.
 
Updates/Reminders to Share:

• NEW CAPTAINS!  Please join me in recognizing Tom Curley and John Tschanz as they have accepted the role of Greeter Captain!  Thank you and ALL of the Captains for your Ministry!

• Captains – Reminder that you must check in the Music Ministry and check temperatures.

• Face Shields for mass not acceptable by themselves.  A Face Mask must still be worn.  IF someone does not have a Face Mask, please provide one from the Greeter Room

• When Sanitizing for communion please be aware of how much you apply.  Their hands should dry by the time they receive communion.

• We must not let our guard down as Greeters as we are getting more comfortable with all that we are doing.  Please remind parishioners our guidelines, even though they have heard it before, we must keep reminding anyone who walks into our church.  I have had to stop multiple parishioners as they walk in to remind them to sanitize… please be diligent! 

• Please make sure that Parishioners/Attendees wear their Masks OVER their Nose.  As part of your role, if you see someone who is not following the guidelines Please approach them to remind them to pull it over their nose.  When Sanitizing after mass, please make sure the pews, the kneelers, the hand rails in the isles are all sanitized (and anywhere else someone may have touched).

• Sanitize the Mary in the Narthex as Parishioners are praying and putting their hands on her feet

• We will be Migrating to the Ministry Scheduling Pro (MSP) system to help with scheduling all of the Liturgical Services (so I do not have to bug you!)

  • Greeter Captains will be reaching out to see if still want to be a part of Greeter Ministry

    • Jasmine Sosa, Beth Kraft and Beth Williams will be leading this implementation for the Greeters

    • Set up MSP system information

    • Work on implementation of new MSP system for Greeter Ministry

Here is a Church Summary for this coming week
(please sign up As Soon as you can so we do not have to scramble to find Greeters):

Funerals – No Funerals Scheduled at this time
Weddings – No Weddings this week
Reconciliation – Father Martin – Saturday October  10^th 11-12 PM  Scheduled in Church (subject to change) 

Baptisms –

No Special masses during the weekend scheduled
Weekday 8:30 AM Masses: (Still need a couple Greeters for Thursday and Saturday morning)

(This week is scheduled so putting out next week so you can sign up!)

Weekday 6:30 AM Masses:

Next Week 6:30 AM Masses: (Still need Captain for Tuesday and Wednesday and Greeter on Friday

 
Weekend Masses:

 
Baptisms:

Wedding – No Weddings Scheduled  
 
Reconciliation: (Thank you Eileen!)

Funeral Mass: No Funerals Scheduled at this time
 
All Souls Mass:

Click Here