Message from Mike

Dear Friends,
Hello, my name is Mike. This is a simple greeting but a necessary step in building any relationship. The most important thing we can know about someone is their name. One of the vital steps for a parish to become a Live It Parish is to invest in making our parishes more hospitable. Hospitality begins simply by knowing one another’s names. How often to we introduce ourselves to those around us that we do not know? We tend to be creatures of habit, sitting in the same pew, surrounded by the same people. Living it requires the courage to step outside of our comfort zone as a person and a parish and treat each individual as if they were Jesus in our midst. I’m not a theologian or that scholarly, but I do recall a few Bible passages that prove my last point to be true. Jesus indeed lives inside all of us. Is telling a stranger your name and gaining that person’s name in return such a tall task? Discipleship, stewardship, hospitality, living it all begins with learning a person’s name. If we don’t know that most basic piece of information, moving forward would be pointless. Does your parish want to live it? Do you want to live it? Great, here’s how you can start. Next time you are at Mass or in public and there is someone you do not know, repeat the following, “Hello, my name is…” You will be well on your way to living it!
 
Sincerely,
 
Mike Gocsik
Director