But given the sheer number of obstacles that lie between “concept” and opening day, we don’t sugarcoat the road ahead. We were only able to survive through grace, hundreds of supporters, committed staff and volunteers, and many little miracles. Café ministry is an obvious way to reach people, but the difficulties can quickly quash even the most enthusiastic dreams. 
 
And yet, when we met with Fr. Keith O’Hare and his staff last year—a visit mentioned here in the Arlington Catholic Herald—to talk about his vision for a café at St. Louis Catholic Church in Alexandria, Va., we were still hopeful. After all, many of the obstacles to café ministry on the open market are not as daunting for a parish.

A parish already has the location, building, and access to capital as well as committed staff and volunteers. But even with all these advantages, starting up a café ministry still requires a lot of hard work, so it was with no small delight that we received the invitation to the recent blessing of the Little Way Café!
 
Calling it the “family room” of his parish, Fr. O’Hare will open the Little Way Café, inspired by the spirituality of St. Therese of Lisieux, on April 19, with Tue.-Sun. hours of 9 am – 1 pm. Located within the parish hall, the café will serve the overall ministries of fellowship and evangelization.

“It is a place for parishioners to spend time with each other,” Fr. O’Hare explained, “and grow in friendship and community. It is a place for parishioners to invite others to come and experience the love of God and the Church,” he told the Arlington Catholic Herald.
 
In a way, Trinity House and the Little Way are very different. Trinity House is more focused on evangelization, on serving those who don’t already have access to the good news. Being on parish grounds means the Little Way Café is more focused on fellowship, on building up the community of believers. But anyone who has spent time in ministry knows that this is a bit of a false distinction for at least two reasons.

The first is that most members of any given parish are in need of much more faith formation. The pews are truly the front lines of evangelization. The second is that without fellowship among Christians, evangelization loses its most powerful force for generation and attraction. Without the community that fellowship builds, individual efforts at evangelization are weak. And without the community with which to attract people, the Good News can ring hollow to would-be Christians.
 
Ever grew up in a parish with coffee and donuts after Sunday Mass. As it was for so many Catholics, the humble Styrofoam-cup-in-hand “fellowship hour” resulted in stunning outcomes—from encouragement, to lifelong friendships, to newcomers getting plugged into ministry. This hospitality in the parish was the lifeblood of the community. Without it, the energy and connections needed for internal support and external outreach fizzle.
 
Today, hospitality in parishes is at a low ebb and people are thirsty for true community. When we rush to our cars while the recessional hymn is still playing, we arguably undercut our own need for fellowship as well as our ability to create strong outreach. Not only do we weaken ourselves and our families, we close off avenues by which the less fortunate could access grace.
 
That is why Fr. O’Hare’s investment into hospitality is so critical. Every dollar invested in parish “family rooms” is a dollar invested in making the faith work—for those inside, outside, and not least for our own children. We will link arms in service with other families once we have coffee together, and not before. To skip the “fellowship hour” and go right to the front-lines is an unrealistic, arguably inhumane strategy.
 
Of course, it’s a two-way street. For the Church to do a better job providing warm, hospitable places for parishioners to get to know one another, we as individuals and families need to hit pause on our sports schedules and errands and actually show up to facilitate and enjoy fellowship hour.

You may remember from the Heaven in Your Home Workshop that Level 5 of a Trinity House, Hospitality & Service, is supported by a core practice called “One Outreach.” When our children are young, it may be as small as sending in juice boxes for the kindergarten party. But with time—yes, this is a lifetime project!—our families will grow in our ability to provide hospitality and service to family, friends, and neighbors. And when we are ready to do more to build out Level 5, we couldn’t do better than to look at how we can support our parish’s hospitality ministry. 

When we opened Trinity House Café + Market on the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux in 2014, we dreamed of the day when it would help inspire a place like the Little Way Café. By God’s grace, the renaissance of fellowship and evangelization is only just beginning, one cup of coffee at a time.