What would you like to know about St. Joan of Arc? Do you have a story about our parish or of general interest that you think others would like to hear? For story ideas, contact Jeff Rholl, jeff@stjoan.com.

“Good Morning! Welcome! My name is Michael Reinbold... (Two minute speech follows covering my role in collaborative ministry at SJA. However, two minutes turns into three and a half. Did not expect audience response to take up so much time. Well, laughter is a positive thing! Why is George looking at his watch? And tapping his foot? Of course, I wrote more than what I could speak! Finally finish speech)... We welcome you wherever you are on your journey. Please stand and welcome our presider ...”

The Welcome Giver is a familiar role to parishioners at SJA. I’ve personally done the welcome speech twice and have found the experience to be one of honor and validation. In my first welcome I gave a brief summary of my life story, AIDS diagnosis, and SJA’s impact with accepting me, and finally becoming at peace with myself. I was clearly informed by written instruction to limit my remarks to two minutes. I tried to do this but needed to take an additional minute to cover my story. Everyone faces this dilemma when they actually reach the point of delivery. The second time I gave the welcome speech, focusing on collaborative ministry, I still had a problem keeping the speech under the time limit. To be given the chance to tell your experience or your SJA involvement requires careful planning and judgment with time restraint.(Imagine a very large hook pulling you off the stage!) In my case, I plead “please just one more minute!”

So where does one draw the line about the content of one’s speech? Is anything acceptable because it’s of one’s life experience? What if one’s viewpoints conflict with the ministry of SJA? Well, by talking to several past welcome givers and-out of curiosity-timing a few of them myself, I’ve found that most of the welcome speeches run approximately between three to five minutes. You’ll occasionally get one at two and half minutes. The two-minute time factor is a simple reminder to keep it short. You’re not the homilist. Content requirements, however, have changed since the beginning of last year. Before one simply introduced oneself and was encouraged to share their involvement or participation at SJA. About two years ago to increase diversity of comment, instructions suggested that you refrain from telling the first time you came to SJA. Just keep your story within the two-minute limit. The following, with our focus on Collaborative Ministry, is the most recent instruction (2001) given to all Welcome Givers:

Welcome Giver Instructions
Church of St. Joan of Arc

  1. Say “Good Morning” to get people’s attention.
  2. Proceed saying, “I am ___________________.”
  3. Extend a few words of warm welcome. You are encouraged to share some way you have been involved in Collaborative Ministry through St. Joan of Arc.
  4. Conclude with a reference to our motto: “We welcome you wherever you are on your journey.”
One could question why the change. Joann Potts, a longtime active parishioner at St. Joan’s remarked that for her the change “is a way to monitor the speeches as opposed to censoring them. It gives more of a focus for the people as well.” One parishioner commented that “too many of the welcome givers sound like speakers at an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting by replying, ‘Yes, I am a recovering Catholic’!” Another felt that “sometimes it feels like they start to sound alike when they try to retell their spiritual journeys.” But for many, the speeches hold real relevance for parishioners; they strike a personal connection for how people come over life’s adversities. These life testaments also give parishioners an opportunity to show how people practice what SJA preaches.

Or how they may differ: Paul Moss’s speech (12-30-01) illustrates a poignant view of how conflicted he personally feels about taking a non-violence stand against our troups in Afghanistan. It isn’t always easy to know just where one should draw the line. For Moss, it involved real anguish. (You can read Paul's story and his welcome on our website.)

The role of the Welcome Giver will continue at St. Joan’s according to the Pastoral Council’s Feb. 7 meeting. The council members and staff will be the givers for the next two months “to get some needed exposure” and then it will return back to the congregation. In conclusion, I took a personal poll and asked the following questions to twenty SJA members and here is what I found:

  1. Do you think SJA should continue or eliminate the role of the Welcome Giver at the start of each mass? All 20 replied, “Continue the role.”
  2. How do you feel about the two-minute length of speech time? 12 responded it was adequate, while eight felt that no one ever gave just a two-minute presentation. No one remarked that there should be more time.
  3. Should the presentation be pre-screened or censored? Two responded that it should be pre-screened and 18 felt that no censoring should be allowed.
    Michael Reinbold is a professional photographer and banquet caterer with an extensive theatre background in acting, writing, and directing. He loves all aspects of the arts, staying fit, and helping and inspiring people. A passionate believer in St. Joan of Arc's mission of social justice, Michael is a continuing AIDS Ride participant, Grace House volunteer cook, mass reader, and Joan of Arc choir member. He looks forward to web reporting and photographing for the website.
  4. How do you feel about the welcome giver’s present instructions? Most seemed to agree with the guidelines. Some comments were “It’s good,” “Monitored approach works well,” and “Effort should be made to keep them diverse.”
  5. If you were asked to present a Welcome Speech, would you? All 20 responded, “Yes.”

Other Features