Last Sunday, Jane, Meag, Lizo, and I were invited to lunch by one of the people who comes to taizé each week. It was very kind of him, and we enjoyed taking the DART to Howth so we could join him for lunch. We had a lovely meal. The parishioner, Joe, was excited to learn about what brought each of us to House of Brigid and what we planned to do after returning to the United States. He was warm and friendly and insisted on paying for our meal despite our protestations.
Personally, I was a bit taken by surprise by Joe’s invitation. So many people come to taizé each week and, because I try to say hello to as many people as possible, I’m not often able to talk to anyone for very long. I didn’t realize that Joe felt connected enough to the four of us to invited us to lunch, and I was so moved by his generosity. I loved getting to talk to him outside of taizé, with fewer distractions or obligations getting in the way of a great conversation.
Over the course of the lunch, we learned so much about Joe’s life. He told us about his friend who’s a poet, about his goals for the summer, and, most importantly, about why he invited us to lunch in the first place. He comes to taizé each week from where he lives in Howth, which is quite the trek on a Tuesday evening as everyone is leaving work. The first time that he came, it was because he wanted to attend a prayer service in the style of taizé after his wife passed away. He and his wife had spent much time in Taizé, France throughout their marriage, and taizé prayer helped him to feel connected to her after she passed. After his first time experiencing our taizé prayer service, Joe returned each subsequent week because of how welcome he felt at Newman University Church. He was moved by the way that each of us goes out of our way to say “hi, Joe” and ask about his week when we see him. He said that the community at Newman is a huge draw to why he goes out of his way to come to taizé each week.
I am an introvert who sometimes chafes at talking to people I don’t know well, but over the course of my time serving with House of Brigid, it has become second nature to say hello to anyone who walks through our church doors. I work hard to remember the names of everyone I meet so that when I see them again I can say hello and build a personal connection. What was the most daunting part of the job when I landed in Ireland almost a year ago has become almost instinctual, so much so that I had started to forget why we go out of our way to build those connections in the first place. I’ve stopped consciously thinking about how important it is to make people feel individually welcomed in the church so it has become easy to forget what the aim of my actions is. Lunch with Joe reminded me why it is so important that we show kindness and generosity to every person we meet. A behavior that might feel like a given to me could shape another person’s perspective in a positive way. The kindness we offer to others takes no toll on ourselves and has the capacity to make a huge impact on another person’s life.
My conversation with Joe reminded me of how important it is to be open and generous with every person that I meet, both at Newman University Church and in my personal life. It’s so easy to forget how much of an impact that just saying hello to someone or recognizing them by name can make. As my time with House of Brigid comes to an end, I aim to continue to make that friendly approachability a part of my life. I am so grateful to have met Joe and all of the other people that come to our church each week. Just as I have worked to make Newman a welcoming place for all of them, so their constant presence has made Dublin a welcoming place for me to live. 
