A flurry of organ notes filled the previously near silent cavern. About 80 people sat scattered across rows of pews throughout The Roman Catholic Church of the Blessed Sacrament on W. 71st Street Sunday morning. A few quietly mouthed the opening lines of the first hymn as the music swelled.
“Let us build a house where love can dwell and all can safely live.”
Nine people snaked around the back of the church and weaved their way to the central aisle. A teenage girl with ash blonde hair pulled into a bun and a floor-length hooded white robe led the group, carrying a wooden cross mounted on a gold stick. She showed no emotion as the 8:30 a.m. service began. She just walked, without singing, down the center aisle. Another girl in a matching gown followed, her long brown hair left undone around her face. On either side of the aisle, people began singing with a little more enthusiasm as the girls passed.
“Let us build a house where prophets speak, and words are strong and true.”
Behind the pair, three pairs of choir singers belted out lyrics with a volume unexpected so early on a Sunday. The men and women donned slacks and button-down shirts or blouses with sharp collars. Each held a thick hymnal open to number 759, but they knew most of the words by heart and instead of glancing down at the books they gazed out into the sparsely-filled pews. Their voices rang out clear above the loud melody provided by the organ player.
“Let us build a house where love is found in water, wine and wheat.”
The last man in the procession shuffled alone behind the choir pairs. Clad in a kelly green and gold robe, he smiled at parishioners as he passed. The group climbed a small set of steps onto a stage in the front of the church. The Rev. John P. Duffell stood in front of his pulpit, adorned with two vases filled with pink and yellow flowers. He crossed himself and heartily sang the last lines of the hymn.
“All are welcome, all are welcome. All are welcome in this place.”
Duffell climbed onto his pulpit. The lector began the Mass by asking everyone to stand. His procession concluded, Duffell looked out onto his parish from above.
This procession happens every week to launch the congregation into worship. The procession is a sign of respect for the priest and also allows members of the church to prepare to hear the liturgy of the word, or the bible passage, that will follow. Duffell chooses to play “All Are Welcome” at the start of the service because he wants the church to be open to people from all paths in life.
“No matter your age, your race, your gender or your sexual orientation, all are welcome here,” Duffell said to his parishioners. It’s a sentiment he’s echoed in sermons before, almost verbatim. He emphasizes that everyone is a sinner, even himself, so everyone is welcome in the church. Drug addicts, alcoholics and those who have previously strayed from the church all deserve to be taken in with open arms and helped, he said. The morning’s hymn serves as a reminder to the congregation that God offers salvation to anyone willing to accept it through the church. And it readies believers to listen to Duffell’s homily on “loving the other” when it is most difficult to extend help or patience.
“Love is an act of will,” Duffell said. And it’s a powerful tool in reminding people that they are welcome in his church anytime, he added.