Over the past few months, visitors to St. Stephen Parish in Chattanooga may have noticed a colorful new theme at Sunday Mass: the color green.
Green polos have become a familiar sight in the pews—worn by greeters, ushers, and smiling parishioners alike. Printed boldly with the word “WELCOME,” these shirts signal more than just friendly hospitality. They mark participation in something deeply meaningful: the Welcome Retreat.
On May 17, after a year of prayerful formation by the giving team—the group of past participants who organize and lead the retreat—and months of inviting others to take part, 35 men came together for a weekend of fellowship, faith-sharing, and worship. The Welcome Retreat, created by the team at Dynamic Catholic as a reboot of the well-loved “Christ Renews His Parish” program, is designed to deepen lay engagement in parish life and ministry.
At St. Stephen, pastor Father Manuel Pérez also sees Welcome as a powerful tool for building unity in a diverse parish that can sometimes feel divided along cultural lines. The retreat was led by a bilingual giving team, and through dedicated preparation and real-time translation, the experience was presented in both English and Spanish. This inclusive approach ensured that all 24 participants could fully encounter the retreat in their native language.
Thanks to participant feedback, new tools are now being developed to enhance the retreat experience through technology—making communication even smoother and creating a model that could benefit other ministries as well.
“These Welcome Retreats are a special event,” said Andy Simms, retreat leader. “The table groups that form during the weekend often continue on as their own spiritual support systems, launching prayer groups or Bible studies. And Welcome itself has become its own fraternity—nearly 100 members strong over the past four years.”
The Women’s Welcome Ministry is currently preparing for its fourth retreat, scheduled for Sept. 20–21. Anticipation is already building, and before long, more green shirts will once again be filling the pews—visible reminders of the spiritual transformation taking root at St. Stephen.