In six short chapters, parish hospitality ministers share ways (based on their own successes and failures) to make your parish a place of Welcome, Comfort, Participation, Safety, Challenge and Thanksgiving.

Ushers and greeters—ministers of hospitality—are vital to parishes so they need strong formation to comfortably and graciously respond to the needs of everyone who comes through the doors of your church. Solid training helps them become models of hospitality for the whole parish. This guide helps you train new and returning ministers of hospitality by providing knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are practical, theologically and liturgically-informed, and spiritually inspiring. With its new title, design, and added content, this revised edition is more helpful than ever. To Fr. Paul Turner’s foundational chapters on the meaning and history of the ministry and on the ministry’s spiritual dimensions, a brief chapter on the liturgy by liturgist Corinna Laughlin has been added. To Karie Ferrell’s practical and wise advice on the many detailed duties of the ministry, psychiatrist and spiritual director Thomas Welch has contributed some additional perspectives. Updates to frequently asked questions, the annotated list of recommended resources, and the glossary have added yet more value to the book, and questions for reflection and discussion continue to accompany each chapter. Let this guide help you open wide the doors of your church so that it can be, as Pope Francis has called for, a spiritual field hospital for our needy world. This guide includes: Theological and historical reflections on the liturgy and the ministry; Practical skill-building and advice for serving in this role; Ways to deepen your spirituality and call to discipleship; Answers to frequently asked questions; Recommended resources; A glossary; Questions for discussion and reflection

One of the earliest offices in the Church is looked at in the light of today's needs.

I started writing this book in 1994. That was the year the LORD graciously commissioned me to raise for Him Quality leaders. I started with Ministers' and Pastors' workshop. Training for ushers was the second assignment I handled among the three fold mandates the LORD gave me in 1994. But, no book was written by me back then, neither did I come across any specialized book on Ushers, Greeters and Protocols in one volume, 20 years ago. I have been privileged to conduct Training courses across the length and breadth of Nigeria on Ushering ministry for 20 years. I have interacted with over 400 churches from over 280 denominations in conferences and seminars but I never wrote a book on this topic. Our outfit, Christian Leadership Skills, have been involved in mass training for ushers in churches that counted 120,000 on Sundays with Ushers' workforce of about 4,000. I have written 36 books todate, but none on Ushers, Protocol and Greeters until now. A particular mega church invited us to deliver training for ushers and crowd controllers twice within three months in their headquarters church. Their invitation came a bit late I could not be there physically. I didn't have a book on Ushers or crowd control. Only a manual. Churches get confused on the role of ushers as different from protocol officers. I have witnessed ushers and protocols fight for territories in churches. A particular church head usher insists that he must stay side by side with the protocol officer by the altar, very close to the anointed. There was no book to show where each belong. A particular ministry scrapped the word "Ushers" from the list of ministries. The General Overseer banned the entire ushers from officiating in the length and breadth of the church. His reason? Brethren have the Holy Spirit to direct them. No need for Ushers and the church went on "smoothly thereafter". I had no book to give to the man of God. No book I could give, until 20 years later! Who are Ushers? Who are Protocol officers? Who are Greeters? Who are Traffic Controllers? I didn't write any book to explain. I only explain during workshop session. Now the explanation has become handy.

As the number of available priests has declined, the Sunday Mass is becoming less and less available in some parishes and dioceses. Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest addresses this growing reality by providing the appropriate ritual to be used in the celebrating community. This revised ritual edition of Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest is fully bilingual, with Spanish and English printed side by side. It includes Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and two appendices, Directory for Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest and Gathered in Steadfast Faith. This beautifully bound ritual book includes three ribbons and is printed in two colors. It will be a welcome addition to the sacristy or library of every parish, school, convent, and religious house.