|
Back to Table of Contents
Porters: Getting their kicks from
Chapter 66
By John Baccala
Special to Tower Topics
In Chapter 66 of “The Rule of St. Benedict,” the role of the porter is well-defined. It states, “At the door of the monastery, place a sensible old man who knows how to take a message and deliver a reply, and whose age keeps him from roaming about.” That verse brings smiles to the faces of 71-year-old Brother Mark Kosiba and 85-year-old Father Anthony Schidler, two of the porters or “greeters” at Conception Abbey.
“In the Rule of St. Benedict, it says he (the porter) should be an old, wise man at the door, so he doesn’t wander from the position - that’s me!” laughed Brother Mark.
Porters Father Anthony and Brother Mark try to practice the words inscribed at the entrance to St. Raphael Hall. Photo courtesy of the Catholic Key.
Every afternoon except Tuesday, Brother Mark greets visitors and answers the phones inside St. Raphael Hall. Father Anthony works in the morning. “I have read the rule on the porter’s job, and I know what I’m supposed to do,” Father Anthony said with a wry smile.
“I’m supposed to treat every guest as Christ. I try to do that in my own little way.”
“We hear that (welcome guests as Christ) frequently,” Brother Mark said. “We’re told that and we talk about that frequently. I think it’s important.”
Brother Mark said the job of porter is more than just answering phones and relaying messages. He said you need to have “a welcoming spirit.”
“The most important thing, really, is to make people feel welcome,” Brother Mark said. “We give any assistance we can to any person that arrives on campus. If we can’t provide it, we certainly can find someone who can.”
Both Brother Mark and Father Anthony understand the importance of having “a welcoming spirit,” especially in today’s world of annoying telemarketers, rude telephone operators and impersonal customer service representatives. Both monks know their face, or their voice, might be the only pleasant one a person encounters that particular day.
“I always try to meet people at the desk when they walk in, try to be friendly, try to be helpful,” Father Anthony said. “I realize too, you are very often, the first impression they get of Conception Abbey and I want that impression to be a good one!
“When I answer the phone, I think about who it is and where they are. I always say, ‘Conception Abbey, may I help you please?’”
“I think a person can pretty well tell the attitude of the person at the end of the line or face-to-face,” Brother Mark said. “You can pretty well tell if that person is a sour person or a happy person, but you don’t want to be fake or phony either.
“If it doesn’t come natural, people pick up on that.”
Brother Mark has long known the importance of first impressions. For 36 years, he worked in the abbey’s development department until he “stroked out.” His heart couldn’t take the stress anymore. Becoming an abbey porter put his well-honed communications skills to good use.
“I joined the monastery, then lived behind a windshield for 36 years,” he recalled. “I made a lot of calls to interview chief executive officers and you could pretty well tell by the initial contact you had with the person at the reception desk what kind of reception you were going to have with the C.E.O.”
Many spend a night or a weekend at the Abbey Guest Center, taking what Brother Mark called a “spiritual pit stop,” for quiet time and reflection. He said that’s when the porter becomes even more important. “If their very first encounter with a monk is one that’s friendly and welcoming and understanding, that person can find their visit very relaxing and very spiritually satisfying,” he said.
Sometimes though, that “welcoming spirit” can lead to problems. Brother Mark remembered a time one Saturday when “a fine looking gentleman, neat and clean,” came to the abbey asking to spend the night and see a priest. The man went to Mass on Sunday, then checked out. He checked into jail later that same day.
“We received a phone call from the sheriff,” said Brother Mark, picking up the story. “They were looking for him. He said, ‘He’s a rather dangerous man.’
“I don’t think I would have ever picked that up, so you have to be cautious. So much for the wisdom of an old man, huh?”
But rarely is there that kind of excitement on the job. “Most of the time, I just sit here and do nothing,” Father Anthony said, unashamed of his words. “I read, I read lots.”
“It’s not all that stressful,” added Brother Mark. “I absolutely love it!”
Verse two of Chapter 66 in “The Rule of St. Benedict” states, “This porter will need a room near the entrance, so that visitors will always find him there to answer them.” It’s the room where Brother Mark and Father Anthony wait with a smiling face and a friendly voice.
This article previously appeared in the Catholic Key, newspaper of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
We welcome your comments:
communications@conception.edu
www.conceptionabbey.org
Back to Table of Contents
|
