Door-to-door effort brings home ‘lost sheep’

By Joyce Coronel | Nov. 4, 2009 | The Catholic Sun

MESA — Two religious sisters from a New York-based order spent last month training teams of parishioners to go door to door, evangelizing inactive Catholics.

Most of the people whom they contacted were surprised to find Catholics knocking at their doors, inviting them to come back to the Church. According to the sisters, many people had been waiting for just such an invitation. 

Sisters Margery Therese Harkin and Mary Eileen Jewell of the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate trained parishioners at St. Vincent de Paul, St. Rose Philippine Duchesne in Anthem, and Queen of Peace in Mesa. The teams of lay people — some English-speaking, others Spanish — split into pairs and knocked on doors at homes in the area.

Before venturing out, however, they spent time learning how to reach the hearts of those people who, for one reason or another, had wandered away from the practice of the faith.

“Don’t make it too long,” Sr. Marjorie advised. “Always leave an opening for coming back.”

Another caveat: “Don’t pretend you have all the answers to their questions. Tell them you’ll find out and come back,” she said.

Perhaps the most important advice of all to the team was to be prayerful and confident that they were bringing a gift to unsuspecting people, many of whom might be hurting.

“If you’re a person of prayer, God works through that presence,” Sr. Mary Eileen said.

The sisters have found that a simple, friendly approach without a heavy agenda opens doors for them. Many people are afraid they’re selling something, but when they find out that the sisters and their team are merely there to welcome them back to the Church, hearts change. The people the encounter, the sisters said, are in need of hope.

Following a training session Oct. 21, a group of Life Teen volunteers, armed with parish bulletins, prayer cards and maps, set out to greet residents in the historic district surrounding Queen of Peace Parish.

These particular volunteers were part of the Life Teen missionaries, young people who give a year of their life to formation, prayer and service to the Church.

Nick Labrie, from St. Petersburg, Fla., approached a mother and son who were working in their front yard. The mother said she attended Mass regularly but that her teenage son did not. She asked Labrie and his partner to speak with him.

“We challenged him to go to Mass once and give it his all and to go to the youth group,” Labrie said. The high school student agreed to give it a try.

Ryan Hanning, coordinator of adult evangelization for the Diocese of Phoenix, alongside his wife and three of his children, knocked on doors in the neighborhood, too, inviting people to Mass and the upcoming parish festival Nov. 7.

Many of those approached asked for prayers for the sick or to find employment. Others told of family troubles and were assured the parish was there to help.

Fr. Charlie Goraieb, pastor of Queen of Peace, said the sisters have a vital mission.

“In the past it’s been that we just open the doors and Catholics come,” Fr. Goraieb said. “We have to re-evangelize each generation. It’s a different mindset because we didn’t see ourselves as having to do that before.”