Find My Charism
Opening your home
You welcome someone in a way that helps them feel comfortable rather than obliged to perform.
Hospitality
Helping people feel welcomed, included, and at ease.
Wondering how this gift may show up in your life? Discover your charisms →
Understanding Hospitality
Hospitality makes room for people and helps them feel welcome. The Holy Spirit can work through a shared meal, an open home, or a thoughtful introduction to show someone they belong. A person with this gift often notices who is new, uncomfortable, or being left out. Their welcome helps others build friendships and find a place in the life of the Church.
Where you may recognize it
Consider the relationships and responsibilities already part of your life.
Noticing a newcomer
You make an introduction or explain an unfamiliar custom so someone can take part.
Making room
You notice an access need, dietary concern, or practical obstacle that could leave someone outside the gathering.
Abraham welcomes three visitors
The image at the top of this page shows Abraham receiving three visitors by the oak of Mamre. He offers water, rest, and a meal, with Sarah and a servant sharing in the preparations. The narrative presents this welcome as an encounter with the Lord. Christian tradition has also seen the three visitors as a foreshadowing of the Holy Trinity: one God in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Sir, if it please you, do not go on past your servant.
Hospitality begins with attention to another person’s arrival and needs. Abraham’s welcome makes room for an encounter he does not yet fully understand.
More Scripture & Church teaching
1 Corinthians 12:4–11, 27–31
Paul describes a variety of gifts from the same Spirit, given for the benefit of the whole body.
John Paul II, General Audience March 6, 1996, §3
John Paul II recalls that the Church Fathers saw the three visitors welcomed by Abraham as a foreshadowing of the Trinity.
Catechism 799–801
Charisms are gifts of the Holy Spirit for building up the Church and serving others. Love is their measure, and their discernment includes the guidance of the Church’s pastors.
Catechism 2447
The works of mercy include sheltering people and attending to concrete needs.
1 Peter 4:8–11
Peter places hospitality beside the sharing of God’s gifts and service offered with the strength God supplies.
Hospitality in service of others
These ministries and programs may offer ways to serve through Hospitality. Speak with parish staff about where help is needed, how to prepare, and the parish’s volunteer process.
Welcome team
Help people feel expected, find their way, and make a connection with the parish.
Funeral meals and receptions
Offer practical care to grieving families by preparing and serving a meal or reception after a funeral. Cooking, bringing food, setting tables and cleaning up are all valuable ways to help.
Men’s, women’s and small-group formation
Help people grow in faith through a parish group, such as That Man Is You!, Walking with Purpose, She Shall Be Called Woman, or another small Christian community.
Resources for learning and preparation
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Franciscan at Home
Ministry-formation workshops from Franciscan University’s Catechetical Institute for catechists, parish teams and other people serving the Church. Ask your parish or diocese about available formation and access.
As you discern
Bring these experiences to prayer, Mass and the sacraments, and conversation with a priest or trusted guide in the faith. Look over time for love of God and neighbor, faithfulness to Church teaching, and the good of those you serve. Joy, difficulty, and others’ feedback can help you recognize patterns. Look for belonging that grows through your welcome, including what you learn from the people received. If no example comes to mind, begin with the experience suggested below.
Recall welcoming someone whose needs or background differed from yours. What did you change so they could feel at home?
When a guest does not respond as you expected, what helps you stay attentive and receive what they bring to the encounter?
Something to try: Invite someone into a manageable meal or help a newcomer join a group you know. Ask what would make participation comfortable. Afterward, consider what helped them belong and what you learned from them; let that learning shape your next welcome.
Bring this to prayer
Saint Martha
Come, Holy Spirit. Help me recognize the people who need a welcome.
Make my attention generous and my home, table, and community places where others can belong.
Saint Martha, pray for me.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Martha lived in Bethany with her sister Mary and brother Lazarus, and their home became a place of friendship and welcome for Jesus. When Lazarus died, she professed her faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Her story connects hospitality with practical service, honest conversation, and a heart open to the person being received.
More about her life ↗