“Love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor … Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality.” - Romans 12: 10, 13
MERRILLVILLE – Quoting directly from the Bible and offering examples, Father Jerry Schweitzer encouraged his audience to practice intense hospitality at a Coffee and Conversation program, “Hospitality for Those 50+ in Your Parish,” hosted by the Diocese of Gary on July 11 at the Pastoral Center.
A popular presenter, the senior priest practiced what he preached, sharing experiences and encounters from his 55 years as a diocesan priest to emphasize the importance of hospitality to evangelization in the Catholic Church.
“Stories are so, so essential,” said Father Schweitzer as he recalled visits to hospitals and retirement homes to bring comfort to dying friends and parishioners. The priest spoke of one longtime friend who gratefully embraced the chance to have his confession heard and receive Holy Communion after years away from the Church. A relative later called Father Schweitzer to thank him for his visit and tell him that his friend “had died a half hour after you left,” drawing a gasp from the attentive audience.
A retired teacher, Blanca Maya, a parishioner at Nativity of Our Savior in Portage, said that Father Schweitzer “inspires me and my husband, Francisco. This is our first Coffee and Conversation program, and we came to learn about hospitality so we can carry the message back to our parish.”
When the COVID-19 pandemic closed churches for several months in 2020, Maya said she stopped serving as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, “but Father Schweitzer spoke to me today, and made me think that I should go back to that ministry.”
Francisco Maya said his takeaway from the hospitality discussion “is to get more involved in my church. Introducing myself to people whom I don’t know is my goal.”
Father Schweitzer urged his audience to “always invite people to be part of the liturgical gathering, whether you are a greeter, lector,” or involved in another parish ministry. With all the recent changes in parishes, some closing, others merging and new pastoral assignments, he added, “People say it’s not like it used to be; there is an attachment, but the church is not a building; it’s the community. We don’t even like it when Mass times change, and we sit in the same seat every week, but we need to adapt and get used to change.”
Father Schweitzer recalled serving on the diocesan Priests Council before becoming a senior priest. “When changes were made in assignments, it was not about what parish you were going to, but who you were following, (because) people get used to a pastor,” he explained. “Are we able to see Christ in whoever our new pastor is? That’s hospitality, too.”
Russell Veronie, a parishioner at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Merrillville, shared with the gathering a story from his career as a probation officer that illustrated the resistance of people to change. While attending a conference filled with probation officers learning how to help their clients change their lives, “we all sat at the same table every day. On the last day, the presenter made us sit at different tables,” illustrating the challenge. “Here we are trying to get (clients) to change, and we didn’t even change our seats all week,” said Veronie.
Father Schweitzer used as an example of how to live a passage from St. Paul’s message to the Colossians: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.” (Col. 3: 12-14)
“Do that when you go out,” urged Father Schwetzer. “How do we gather together? The unifying concept is still the Eucharistic meal. The Body of Christ is the Eucharistic meal and the community of faith.
“When you meet for coffee and doughnuts (after Mass), what do you talk about? Do you pass that on to others during the week, because that’s what we are supposed to do,” he added.
When talking with friends or family who have left the Church, Father Schweitzer said, “Never judge. Have a conversation and learn what you can do to help them return to the Church. How do you do that?”
Mike Gratson, leader of the greeting and usher ministries at St. Paul in Valparaiso, said the scripture passages quoted by Father Schweitzer “offered me a different perspective. When he talked about Jesus returning to the apostles after his Resurrection, I had never equated the doors being locked to their hearts being closed. As greeters, we are one of the first contacts people have in church, and we like to welcome them as warmly as we can, as part of the family. We are blessed to have a growing faith community … I feel that I received some wonderful spiritual guidance today.”
Fay Iorio, who chaired the vacation Bible school and farewell party for retiring pastor Father Thomas Mischler at Holy Spirit this summer, rose up at Mass on July 12 and announced that she was inspired by Father Schweitzer to immediately revive a ministry of greeters at her parish. “I’ll be at the back of church today to sign people up, and we won’t bother with schedules; I’ll just call on Wednesdays and ask if you can serve that next weekend, and if not, I’ll move down the list,” she explained.
“Like Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus carry his cross – how can you help others carry their cross?” challenged Father Schweitzer. “We don’t know (from scripture) who Simon was, or how it happened. But Jesus looked into his eyes, and that look is how he said, ‘Thank you.’”
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Caption: “When you meet (after Mass) for coffee and doughnuts, what do you talk about?” Father Jerry Schweitzer asked parish leaders meeting with him on July 11 for a Coffee and Conversation session on “Hospitality for Those 50+ in Your Parish” at the Diocese of Gary’s Pastoral Center in Merrillville. “Do we pass on to others (what we talk about) during the week, because that’s what we are supposed to do,” he advised a gathering of close to 50 people. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
