Junior Ushers Brooke Valerie and Maximillian Fleming (both age 6), and Kaitlyn Vallerie (age 9) stand by the doors of Our Lady of Fatima Church in Wilton, eager to welcome Sunday Mass-goers.
Our Lady of Fatima is creating a new ministry for the youth of the parish who wish to serve God by welcoming people into his house.
The “Junior Ushers and Greeters” is a group of Fatima children in grades K-8 who volunteer to hold the door for people and greet them as they enter the church. Stationed during the 9 and 10:30 am Sunday Masses, these children’s smiling faces and friendly welcome will be the first thing the parishioners meet on entering the church. The same children will also bring up the gifts during the Offertory during their assigned day.
“Our pastor, Father Reggie Norman, has wanted to form this kids’ ministry for a while now,” said new elementary youth ministry coordinator, Mara Fleming. “This really is a great idea. Sometimes, it’s the smallest of gestures that can have the biggest impact. This will set the tone for many people’s mornings and will likely go a long way in ensuring in them a proper disposition for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. It is difficult to hold on to much bitterness, cynicism, or even an early-morning grumpy mood when met with the good cheer of a child. Joy, after all, is one of the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit!”
(The Junior Ushers and Greeters are still recruiting members, and plan to begin their undertaking in August. For more information about the program, or for help in starting one in your own parish, contact Mara Fleming at FatimaYouthK8@gmail.com.)
