Going to a church for the first time can be both exciting and intimidating. Exciting because there is the possibility of encountering God and people in a new place; intimidating because each church has its own practices and traditions, which are not always familiar to a newcomer. So, if you are coming to St. Maria Goretti for the first time, what can you expect?
The people of St. Maria Goretti come together in faith to celebrate and cultivate the beauty, care, hospitality, joy, life, love, and peace of God revealed and shared through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. We seek to embody and express these gifts of the Lord in a variety of ways throughout our church and in our celebrations. So, for example:
As you approach the church, you will find benches that honor some of our past parishioners and that invite people to sit and chat. In the spring and summer, our parishioners decorate pots around the entrance to the church with beautiful flowers that proclaim the beauty of God’s good creation.
On entering the church vestibule, you will likely be greeted by a parishioner, who will offer you a bulletin and worship aid for Mass, and who will be happy to provide you with information or assistance. It’s also likely that you will be greeted by our pastor, Father Leo, who takes time to greet people as they enter the church, whenever he is going to be the celebrant for Mass. You may also be approached by our sacristan, who may ask you if you would like to present the gifts of bread and wine during Mass.
You will see other people coming to Mass, some of whom will be wearing their “Sunday best,” while others are dressed in everyday clothes.
When you go into the church itself, you will find collection baskets, where parishioners and visitors can make free-will offerings to support the ministries and mission of the parish. We don’t take up a collection during Mass, so these baskets are the ways we receive contributions.
Through the center doors, you will find our beautiful baptismal font, where infants and adults are baptized, and where people will draw holy water to bless themselves as they enter and leave the church.
Around the baptismal font, you will find seating designed for those with mobility limitations. You are welcome to sit in the chairs around the font, in one of the pews, or on the benches by the stained glass windows on the side of the church.
About 15 minutes before Mass, our liturgical musicians will offer musical “prayludes” that invite those present to attune their minds and hearts to the presence of God. Our musicians include professional musicians, talented young musicians, and volunteers who love to share their musical gifts. Once the celebration of Mass begins, the members of our music ministry lead the whole congregation in singing a joyful song to the Lord.
If you are coming to Mass with young children, you may wonder where the cry room is. Well, there is no cry room. We love children and want them to feel welcomed and valued. They will find a basket of dum-dum suckers behind the concierge desk in the vestibule, and they are welcome to take as many suckers as they want, or as you will allow.
If you come to the 10:30 am Sunday Mass, children will be invited after the opening prayer to come forward, grab a musical instrument, process around the church making lots of noise, and then participate in Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLOW). During CLOW, adult volunteers share the Word of God with children in an age-appropriate and engaging way, inviting them to use their creativity and imagination to receive and respond to the Good News. For the safety of the children and volunteers, parents can accompany young childen during the procession, but they are not permitted in the children’s chapel during CLOW.
When the time comes for the distribution of Holy Communion, those who have previously received the sacrament will process forward toward the altar, to receive the Eucharist.
At the end of every Mass, children are invited to come forward to the sanctuary and lead the congregation in some final prayers. They then proceed to the Holy Family table, located to the side of the sanctuary, to grab an apple.
As you leave the church, there will be baskets available, where you can drop-off your worship aid.
On the concierge desk in the vestibule, you can find a parish registration form, if you would like to join the parish. Completed registration forms can be given to the priest or deacon, dropped into one of the collection baskets, or brought to the parish office.
On the wall near the concierge desk you will find a rack with Care Notes brochures on a variety of spirituality and mental well-being topics; please feel free to take one for yourself or someone who might benefit from it.
We hope this information gives you a sense of what you can expect when you celebrate Mass at St. Maria Goretti. Of course, descriptions are not as meaningful as experiences, so we invite you to join us for Mass.