It is easy to forget that you are the people who are so often, and in so many ways, the face of our parishes. 

You are the ones who convey the welcome of a church when someone calls, emails or visits to register as they are seeking a spiritual home. You also convey this welcome when someone who has been away from the Church for a long time, or who is taking tentative steps to learn more about the faith, makes a call to learn more.

Often, these inquiries happen in times of change or new beginnings, and a warm welcome can make a stranger feel at home.

You are the ones who may receive a first phone call from grieving families who want to plan funerals for their beloved, those who cannot contain the sorrow that fills their hearts at an unbearable and vulnerable moment. Or, you may receive the frantic calls from those who hope to arrange final sacraments for dying loved ones before it is too late. A kind word and heartfelt sympathy means more than you will ever know.

You are the ones who keep so many confidences about parishioners in your hearts. It is no accident that the root word of “secretary” is secret. So often, parishioners pour out their personal life to you with the unspoken expectation that this will remain in confidence.

You are the ones who field angry phone calls from strangers who vent their grievances about religion, the Church and God — or call regularly on Monday mornings to gripe about a Sunday homily, second collection, parish décor, a typo in the bulletin or the music at Mass. When certain phone numbers pop up on your caller ID, you might even say a quick prayer for patience before you answer!

You are the ones who answer the knocks on the door from those in distress — material, spiritual or otherwise. Even in our skeptical times, those in trouble seek solace and support from the Church. With many parishes closed during the day, it is the church office we come to in times of need.

You are the ones who share in the joy of helping couples plan the details of their weddings — with all the logistics this involves. You may also, at times, quietly shake your head when couples make unreasonable demands or extravagant requests more suited to theatrical productions than the life-long sacrament you are helping them arrange.

You are the ones who answer phone calls from visitors who want to know Mass times, details about special events, driving directions and building accessibility. These miscellaneous inquiries, expected and unexpected, require you to pivot with grace from a deeply heartbreaking conversation with a grieving parishioner to a call from someone who demands to know why your church does not have a convenient parking lot.

You are the ones who support the clergy in all of the administrative tasks that are unseen by parishioners: paying bills, recording income, acknowledging donations, handling personnel and payroll, arranging meetings, watering plants, coordinating with parish school and religious education programs, responding to emergencies and addressing the myriad administrative obligations to the diocese.

You are the ones who welcome new pastors and help them learn the quirky intricacies of their new parish community as they bring you change and continuity.

You are the ones who, in preparing the parish bulletins, maintaining the website and social media, present the parish to the public, with the hope that this outreach will build community in good and holy ways.

You are the ones who know so many as your friends and take on our joys and griefs in the seasons of our lives.

In this season — when baptisms, confirmations, first Communions, weddings, ordinations and celebrations of all kinds pack parish calendars before we ever hit the holidays — you are busier than ever. So, perhaps now more than ever, it is right to say thank you. 

Gratefully, a heartfelt thanks for all you do for us through all the seasons of our ordinary, and not-so-ordinary times.