Ushers Association – Ministers Of Hospitality
St. Peter’s Parish is fortunate to have a team of committed Ushers who selflessly guide our parishioners in their entry to the Church and in orderly and prayerful movement in and around the Church during the timings of the Eucharist and other liturgical services.
Mr. Michael Gonsalves is the Director of the Ushers’ group and coordinates all their activities. He is also available, in emergencies, as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.
During the period of the Pandemic, after Churches were opened with restrictions as to number of people and with many precautions to be taken, the Ushers rendered invaluable service to the Church and the parishioners. This was not an easy task, as it meant being firm, at times, with a few who were not happy with the restrictions but the safety of all and municipal norms demanded the same.
We pay a tribute to the Ushers, without whom, Church worship could degenerate to chaos, especially when there are large gatherings.
Fr. Frazer Mascarenhas S.J.
Parish Priest
Mission: An usher is a spiritual ambassador whose purpose is God’s service.
Patron Saint: St. Julian the Hospitaller, Feast Day: February 12
A church usher, part of the worshiping laity, helps the faithful experience the sacredness & joy of worship and enter into a fellowship with Christ. Ushers help create a spirit of worship, respect for the sacred and friendliness in & about the Church. Responsible for reverence & order before, during & after Church Services, they welcome & greet, assist with seating & direct the faithful, take up the collection and assist those with special needs. They answer visitors’ questions, and deal with problems that would disturb the faithful.
Ushers help in setting the spiritual climate for worship and prepare people to hear and respond to God by presenting a joyful attitude, making everyone feel welcome and comfortable.
By freeing individuals of their own personal impediments through a welcoming cordial atmosphere, ushers as ministers of hospitality, actively enable each person to experience a better expression of God in the Liturgy. Ushers serve not “as unto men, but unto God.” All is done in the service & honour of God.
History
The oldest lay ministry in the Church; originally ‘doorkeepers of the temple’.
The clerical order of “ostiary” (porter) was instituted in the 3rd Century A.D. The duty of the porters or ushers was to guard the door of the church against any intruders who might disturb the service. The porter duties were so important that they came to be included in the rite of ordination, where they were specified as: “to ring the bells, open the church and sacristy, to open the book for the preacher.” In 1972, Pope Paul VI abolished the order of porter and this important task was given to the laity.
Duties & Responsibilities: Ushering is a great privilege & a sacred duty; a valuable and important service. The most important qualification to be an Usher is a desire to serve God by helping others. This ministry is open to everyone who is committed to giving their time to God’s service.
Ushers are empowered leaders who take the initiative to solve problems. They try to be supportive and encouraging, flexible & creative in connecting people to God and knowledgeable about church services, schedules etc. Ushers are encouraged to be good communicators & listeners, who understand quickly & respond swiftly.
They are to be humble & unobtrusive as God’s servant. They are to conduct themselves in a dignified & reverent manner. They try to be courteous, pleasant and kind; equally gentle, firm & resolute in directing God’s people. They need to be tactful in dealing with hostility & resentment and to avoid provocation, commotion & anything that will be a distraction during the service. They have to be attentive to guide/escort the sick & elderly and those with special needs.
They are to avoid favoritism or partiality, identify trouble/threats in advance, equip & enhance their skills & attitude continuously.
Attributes of a good usher: availability, humility, punctuality, sincerity, graciousness, kindness, confidence, flexibility, neatness, sensitiveness, alertness, faithfulness (dependable), dedication and most of all, prayerful.
The Usher’s Prayer
Dear God,
Fill me with the light of love, patience and endurance. May I encourage & inspire a spirit of worship. Help me to welcome in Your name all who seek You, Help me to prepare them to encounter You, Let my ways be pleasing in Your sight. May I recognize their needs & assist them into Your welcoming presence. As people enter to worship and praise You, may they hear Your voice in my words and see Your love in my actions.
Make me prayerful and reverent, helpful and understanding, and may I radiate joy as I serve their needs. Give me Your strength to support them as they gather to celebrate their faith. Cleanse me from Pride & Ego as I serve my God & His people. I thank you for the opportunity to serve You and ask Your blessing upon all my efforts. I make this prayer through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Thoughts on Ministry
Ushers minister to people as individuals while Preachers, Lectors and Cantors minister to people in groups. A word of encouragement, a welcoming smile or kindness may be the most significant ministry some people receive.
Biblical References
Old Testament
Psalm 84:10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
Proverbs 8:34 Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.
1 Chronicles 9:17-27 The gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their kinsmen (Shallum was the chief); until then they were in the King’s gate on the east side as the gatekeepers of the camps of the Levites. Shallum the son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah, and his kinsmen of his fathers’ house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, keepers of the thresholds of the tent, as their fathers had been in charge of the camp of the Lord, keepers of the entrance. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the chief officer over them in time past; the Lord was with him. Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was gatekeeper at the entrance of the tent of meeting. All these, who were chosen as gatekeepers at the thresholds, were 212. They were enrolled by genealogies in their villages. David and Samuel the seer established them in their office of trust. So they and their sons were in charge of the gates of the house of the Lord, that is, the house of the tent, as guards. The gatekeepers were on the four sides, east, west, north, and south. And their kinsmen who were in their villages were obligated to come in every seven days, in turn, to be with these, for the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted to be over the chambers and the treasures of the house of God. And they lodged around the house of God, for on them lay the duty of watching, and they had charge of opening it every morning.
2 Kings 22:4 Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him get ready the money that has been brought into the temple of the LORD, which the doorkeepers have collected from the people.
2 Kings 25:18 The commander of the guard took as prisoners Seraiah the chief priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank and the three doorkeepers .
Jeremiah 35:4 I brought them into the house of the Lord, into the room of the sons of Hanan son of Igdaliah the man of God. It was next to the room of the officials, which was over that of Maaseiah son of Shallum the doorkeeper.
New Testament
Jesus’ disciples could be considered ushers, because they: Prepared the way for Jesus. Kept order among those listening to Christ, served food to the people.
The disciples directed people who came to hear Jesus speak or be touched by His healing hands. On one occasion Jesus gave a sharp warning to the disciples who tried to keep children away from Him. On another occasion, Jesus told the disciples to organize a large group of over 5,000. The disciples served the hungry multitude.
Matthew 10:40 Jesus said, “Whoever receives you, receives me, and whoever receives me receives the One who sent me”
Acts 6: Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was one of seven deacons appointed by the Apostles to organize care for widows.
Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
Romans 12:13 Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Ephesians 6:7-8 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
Col. 3: 23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
1 Peter 4:9–11 Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
1 Peter 5:2-3 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers – not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.
James 2:1-4 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?