Catholic cafeteria in the United States seeks to be an evangelization and community meeting center

Upon entering More Coffee, one is immediately received by the aroma of freshly ground coffee, vintage images of the London Skyline on the walls, quotes of Catholic saints on the board and a crucifix hanging next to the order counter.

The new cafeteria, property and administration of Lto parish Saint Thomas Moro in Centennial, Colorado (United States), hopes to become a meeting point for evangelization within the parish limits.

Tyler Duffy, director of evangelization of the parish, explained to CNA – an English assistance of Ewtn News – that the pastor, Fr. Randy Dollins, “had this vision of an advanced evangelization position for our parish.”

According to canon law, a parish priest is responsible for the spiritual care of all those who live within the limits of his parish – they are Catholic or not. This is, said Duffy, a responsibility that Dollins takes “very seriously.”

“So he thought: ‘What are we doing to evangelize within our territory? What are we doing to spread faith?’ And one of the most important things was that perhaps people do not feel comfortable or do not want to enter a church, but maybe they feel to taste entering, ”he said.

From there was born the idea of ​​finding “a place where we can naturally meet people, where they do not have high defenses, where they feel happy to talk, a natural space to build community.”

When they learned that Augustine Institute – a private postgraduate Catholic School in theology – moved to Missuri and would not use the premises anymore, the parish decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

As a cafeteria had worked before, they were able to keep part of the furniture and the equipment. However, they redecorated, rebuilt and renamed the business. In addition, the parish became the owner of the chapel of the building and a conference room attached to the cafeteria, which plan to make available to the entire community for free.

Duffy explained that with the cafeteria they seek to focus on “the transcendentals: truth, beauty and goodness.”

“We want the space to be beautiful and cozy. We want to talk about the truth through our books and conversations here. And goodness: show what it means to live a straight moral life, as well as business and on the personal level of those who work in the cafeteria,” he said.

However, he added that he believes that “one of the best uses of the cafeteria is whether we make our parishioners use the space for their own evangelization.”

He explained that, although someone may not feel comfortable inviting another to the Mass, it is probably very easy to invite him to have coffee together.

“Then you get to the place and say: ‘Hey, I tell you about this cafeteria. It actually belongs to my church. And that’s why I love my parish.’ And that is already a simple way to train you to leave and evangelize,” he said.

Duffy hopes that, over time, More Coffee “really becomes a Catholic center … that in the archdiocese it is known as ‘the Catholic cafeteria’. And that it is a meeting place and meeting only for Catholic conversation and ideation.”

The cafeteria is located in the Denver Tech Center (DTC), a business center and economic exchange in the southeast zone of the Denver Metropolitan Area.

“I would love to attract entrepreneurs in the area, people who work from home, people who simply look for good coffee,” he said. “And if you combine both,” a solid Catholic community and a cozy atmosphere with a very dear cafeteria in the community – I think that naturally those who come only for coffee or space will end up encountering the beauty and joy of faith, because they will run into a Catholic community. “

Translated and adapted by ACI Press. Originally published in CNA.