Teresa Peterson, Executive Director of the Diocese of St. Petersburg offers reflections for navigating our media environment so that it doesn’t harm our faith and family life. Her tips will help us to create a home where families thrive and create a church where faith thrives.

This recording is from a presentation for the Council of Catholic Women at Holy Family Parish in St. Petersburg, FL, on February 11, 2023.

To learn more, visit MakingSpaceforGrace.org.

Father Carola was born in Houston, Texas, in 1962. Having entered the New Orleans Province of the Society of Jesus in 1980, he was ordained priest in 1993. He studied philosophy and modern foreign languages at Saint Louis University as well as theology at the Weston School of Theology and the Pontifical Gregorian University. In 2001 he obtained his doctorate in theology and patristic sciences from the Patristic Institute Augustinianum in Rome. He is the author of Augustine of Hippo: The Role of the Laity in Ecclesial Reconciliation (2005). He has contributed to the Augustinus-Lexikon (2008) and published in Augustinian Studies, Gregorianum, and Faith. Since 2002 he has been professor of patristic theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome 

All Masses begin with an entrance hymn or a chant, which sets the tone and spirit of the celebration that is about to take place.  It is sometimes known as the “gathering hymn,” because we gather as a community by first lifting up our voices in song to the Lord.  The entrance hymn can be upbeat, or it might be more mediative.  Either way, it is meant to help us enter into the proper spirit for that day’s liturgy.  Most importantly, we are called to participate by singing with a spirit filled heart.  God did not bless everyone with a perfect voice, but gave us a voice nonetheless, so don’t let that hold you back from singing with love and joy in your heart.  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away. You are always invited to the Mass to encounter Jesus, who welcomes you with open arms.  To learn more, visit WelcomingYou.org.

Imagine what visitors to the Catholic Church must think when they attend Mass for the first time. They probably notice there are times when we sit, stand, and kneel.  The most reverent part is during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, when we kneel in awe at Jesus’s presence in the Eucharist.  After receiving Christ in the Eucharist is it appropriate to return to our seat, kneel and thank God for allowing us to be in his presence.  A priest once described these actions by saying, “We stand to pray, we sit to listen, and we kneel to worship.”  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away. You are always invited to the Mass to encounter Jesus, who welcomes you with open arms. To learn more, visit WelcomingYou.org.

Catholic worship involves using motions or gestures so that we can express our love for the Lord with our whole selves, mind, spirit and body.  One gesture is making the Sign of the Cross when entering the church and at the beginning and end of prayers.  This sign has been used since the early years of the Church.  We believe that God is three persons, but one God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  When we enter a prayerful state, it is customary to make the Sign of the Cross upon ourselves, saying, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  As we say these words, we take our right hand, touch our forehead, then just below the center of our chest, then to our left shoulder, then right.  We don’t rush this motion, but instead are mindful of the incredible gift of addressing our God with reverence and awe.  We also conclude our prayer in the same fashion.  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away. You are always invited to the Mass to encounter Jesus, who welcomes you with open arms. To learn more, visit WelcomingYou.org.

When meeting someone for the first time, we generally smile, shake hands, or give a polite nod as a sign of respect and greeting.  How do we greet Jesus when we arrive at church or approach the altar?  Before we find a place to sit in church, we typically bow in reverence to the altar.  The same reverence is shown at the end of Mass, before we leave the church.  When we come before the tabernacle, the sacred place where Jesus is present in the Eucharist, we genuflect, bending one knee to the ground, if possible.  You’ll know that Jesus is present if you see a lighted red candle near the tabernacle.   Just before receiving the Eucharist, we show our deep reverence for the Lord by bowing from the waist, and then extend our hands to receive the Body of Christ.   It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away.  You are always invited to the Mass to encounter Jesus who welcomes you with open arms.  To learn more, visit welcomingyou.org.  

At the beginning of every Mass, the priest invites us to recall our sins and enter into a prayerful reflection of those sins, trusting that God is always ready to forgive.  We confess to one another as a congregation that we have sinned and ask those in the congregation, as well as Mary and all the saints, to pray for us that we will be reconciled to God.  Following this prayer, the priest issues a general prayer of forgiveness for the minor sins in our life that have harmed our relationship with the Lord and with each other.  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away.  You are always invited to Mass to encounter Jesus who welcomes you with open arms.  To learn more, visit welcomingyou.org.  

The celebration of Mass is a joyful time for Catholics.  It is an obligation, but also a cherished opportunity to be in the presence of our Savior in the Eucharist.  After arriving at church, it’s always nice to smile and acknowledge our friends and neighbors.  Then, if possible, spend time in silence with our Lord before the start of Mass. This is a wonderful time to pray and to listen to what God is speaking to us.  It might be our only time of the week where we can earnestly and humbly open our hearts to the Lord.    It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away. You are always invited to the Mass to encounter Jesus, who welcomes you with open arms. To learn more, visit WelcomingYou.org.

As you enter a church for Mass, you will probably encounter a font or bowl near the door.  Most of the time it contains holy water, which has been blessed by a priest or deacon.  It is there to remind us of our baptism, the first Sacrament of the Church, where we became children of God and members of the Church.  This holy water also reminds us that it was through baptism we were cleansed of Original Sin and have been joined to Jesus Christ in his dying and rising. When we enter the church, it is customary to place a finger or two into the font and make the Sign of the Cross as a reminder of the cross of salvation that was once traced upon your forehead at baptism.  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away. You are always invited to the Mass to encounter Jesus, who welcomes you with open arms. To learn more, visit WelcomingYou.org.

Saturday evenings and Sundays are traditionally the times for worship for Catholic Christians around the world.  We read in Exodus chapter 20: “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”.  For some of us, especially those with families, we might find it difficult to get the kids dressed and fed, get ourselves ready and get out the door to make it to church on time.  But most often, families that pray together, stay together. The Mass is the most impactful prayer we have! It may take practice for children to learn to appreciate the beauty of the Mass, but all that is worthwhile takes time. Coming to Mass as a family helps us to grow in the virtues we need for patience, love and forgiveness by growing closer to the one who is perfect in patience, love and forgiveness-Jesus Christ. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away. You are always invited to the Mass to encounter Jesus, who welcomes you with open arms. To learn more, visit WelcomingYou.org.

When we enter the church for Mass, we are there to worship the Lord.   Since you are entering into the presence of God, it is appropriate to kneel as you enter into prayer, asking the Lord to open your heart and mind to the words you will hear so that you might truly experience the presence of Christ in the Holy Scriptures and in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. We gather as a parish community and Jesus Christ assures us: “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them” (Matthew 18:20). It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away. You are always invited to the Mass to encounter Jesus, who welcomes you with open arms.  To learn more, visit WelcomingYou.org.

Fashion styles come and go, and many people use clothing to make a statement.  Some workplaces require jackets and ties, while others wear uniforms based on their job.  When you go to the beach, you wear fashionable beach attire.  For a ball game, it would be appropriate to dress in your favorite team jersey.  But what about when you go to church?  At Mass, how we dress hopefully reflects the importance of God in our lives. You’ve seen many churches advertise with the words: “Come as you are.”  This is more directed toward our inner life.  God welcomes us no matter what we have done in the past.  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away. You are always invited to the Mass to encounter Jesus, who welcomes you with open arms.  To learn more, visit WelcomingYou.org. 

Catholic worship at Mass brings the senses to life.  We experience sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch.  When we’re in the right frame of mind for worship, our senses help the liturgy come to life.  Did you ever wonder why we have candles on the altar and in other areas of the church?  In the Gospel of John, we read that Jesus is “the light of the world” (John 8:12).  He came to break the darkness of sin.  At church, the altar is the sacred space where Jesus is present in the Eucharist.  The candles bring light to this sacred space.  Just as Jesus brings light to the sacred spaces in our lives that need hope.  Encountering Christ at Mass is a grace-filled moment that breaks through the darkness of our souls. You are always invited to the Mass to encounter Jesus, who welcomes you with open arms. To learn more, visit WelcomingYou.org.

When you arrive at church, and walk to the entrance, what do you notice?  Are there people to greet you and welcome you?  Do they have a friendly smile, offer a nod or handshake acknowledging you?  Hopefully, the answer is “yes.”  You’ve noticed that restaurants have people there to welcome you at the door, take you to your seat and assist you.  But Church is really like a home - where we all belong because God invites all of us into relationship, to worship Him and to come together as one community. God invites all to church and a welcoming church is one that will grow in numbers, spirit and charity.  It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been away. You are always invited to the Mass to encounter Jesus, who welcomes you with open arms. To learn more, visit WelcomingYou.org.