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Meet Jack: “Meet me at Mass”
For Jack Tyson, putting his faith into action is as simple as inviting people to meet him at mass.
A longtime parishioner of Saint Brigid, Jack decided to get more involved in church after only attending Sunday mass and just leaving afterward for many years. Now, he is actively involved in his church community, including being an outside greeter at the 7:30 am mass, a Men of Saint Brigid ministry member, the Knights of Columbus, and a co-chairman of the Monsignor Reynolds Charity Challenge.
Jack had the perfect response when his parish asked the all-too-familiar question of how to get people back into the church pews after the pandemic:
“Meet me at mass”
Easy to remember and easy to say, it sparked a call to action that is straightforward and inspirational.
“I can invite you, I can invite my neighbor, I can invite a buddy that maybe I haven’t seen for a year…Why should I say, ‘Hey let’s go get coffee?’ [when I could just say], “Meet me at mass’?”—Jack Tyson
The ultimate open invitation, Jack started this movement by posting on his personal social media platforms and inviting his followers to join him for Sunday mass. His posts on average receive 45-60 responses and have inspired others to become more involved in their parish communities.
“Different people will tap me on the shoulder and say, ‘Hey, I’m meeting you at mass’”.
—Jack Tyson
The movement is proudly supported by Saint Brigid which publishes the official ‘Meet Me at Mass’ logo and hashtag, #meetmeatmass, in their bulletins and website.
Jack’s weekly ‘Meet Me at Mass’ posts also spotlight events and initiatives at Saint Brigid. These include encouraging people to drop off gifts in the baby crib in their lobby for mothers in need, peek at the church’s annual silent auction, and celebrate feast days including the Solemnity of the Assumption.
“If there is somebody who has been away from the church for a while, just say, ‘Hey, meet me at mass, no big deal, I’ll be there with you”
—Jack Tyson
The catchy call-to-action proved to be a success, and soon enough would make waves across radios in Atlanta!
Jack has volunteered with AM1160 The Quest Atlanta Catholic Radio, co-hosting weekly radio segments and hosting events, including their Inaugural Seminarian Celebration. After discussing the movement with The Quest, they created an advertising campaign for Meet Me at Mass. Today, you can hear one of the 15-20 spots with the inspirational phrase when you tune into their radio station.
“You don’t have to have a doctorate in theology to evangelize…just start with whatever feels familiar.”
—Jack Tyson
As for the future of this grassroots movement, Jack encourages parishes to have at least one designated person who invites others to mass. That way, we can welcome our family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and others to our churches, and see God work in marvelous ways.
“Once they take that walk across the threshold, the Holy Spirit takes it from there”
—Jack Tyson