Bel writes: "In my experience, I've never known a priest to walk about his parish meeting new folks, or mixing with the crowd. They'll drop by somebody's place if invited, pop in to the hospital to give last rites if requested, but that walk-by you see on television just doesn't happen."

How sad. I try to be a bit more visible/available to my parishioners, despite having a whole other career on top of being their vicar. That is why you can find me at parties at people's houses, the school play, the ceremony where the kid becomes an Eagle Scout, occasional ball games and the like. And I invite newcomers to go out to lunch near their place of work, so as to get to know them in that manner.