Welcome to our Table

A few weeks ago, I was at a dinner party with a large close-knit group of friends. There were two new people who joined us, and they had just moved to San Francisco. Throughout the evening, I watched as every member of our usual crowd made it a point to engage with these newcomers, make them feel welcome, and do what was possible to help them connect with the fabric of the community we had formed. Telephone numbers were exchanged, advice about local restaurants was offered, and future meetings dates were scheduled. 

A few weeks ago, at Home4Dinner, Father Greg invited us to consider how we deepen our own connections to one another when God calls us to gather around the Eucharistic table. He also invited us to make a special effort to welcome new parishioners and members of our Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) program. These seekers, baptized and non-baptized people who want to join the Catholic Church, and baptized Catholics who wish to complete their Sacraments of Initiation, have come to St. Ignatius Parish because they have felt God calling them to be here, and they have experienced the love of Christ in the liturgical experience that we share. 

In the coming weeks these seekers will join our greeters at the doors of the church, so that they can meet you as you come to worship. So that you can recognize them more easily, we have invited them to wear simple OCIA badges when they come to Mass. They will be at parish events and we will celebrate special rituals with them throughout the year.

Like my friends at that dinner party, let’s all consider our invitation to engage in the simple yet profound act of making people feel welcome at our table! If you see someone from OCIA inside or outside the church, introduce yourself, welcome them, invite them to engage with you and with our community. Especially if you have been part of OCIA (previously called RCIA), connect with them and let them know that you share part of their experience in this faith journey. If you feel called to welcome them in a more formal way, become a sponsor by reaching out to Dr. Mary Romo. Her email address is [email protected].  

This year’s OCIA cohort is here because God is calling them into a deeper relationship and calling them to St. Ignatius—and we are all part of the faith experience to which God is calling them. Let’s all work to build new relationships with them that say “Welcome to the Table!”

Don Crean, Director of Sacramental Preparation