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Cardinal goes door-to-door with St. Sabina parishioners By Michael D. Wamble While the mission goal stamped on their T-shirts was to: “Make disciples of all the nations,” Cardinal George and St. Sabina’s pastor and parishioners started block by neighborhood block. Dressed in “Army of the Lord” beige and green mock military fatigues, hundreds of parishioners joined the cardinal and pastor, Father Michael Pfleger, in taking the Gospel to the snow-dusted streets of the Auburn-Gresham neighborhood April 8. “As a church, outreach has always been a part of what we do, but it’s usually been through services like Catholic Charities, schools and hospitals. What we want to do is attach to that a clear invitation of evangelization,” said Cardinal George, wrapped in a black winter cap and scarf. Not a complete stranger to the concept, the cardinal said he had participated in door-to-door outreach efforts in New Orleans with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. “Catholics have always gone door-to-door to take a census to find out what is the Catholic population. But the idea of inviting others who probably are without any church affiliation to take a look at the parish I think is new here,” said Cardinal George. The cardinal said this approach, along with radio and television commercials, was just another way to respond to Pope John Paul II’s call for a new evangelization in the new millennium. Though it could be viewed as something new, Pfleger said it is a return to the church of old. “We’re reviving our roots,” said Pfleger. “The early church went out and founded Christian communities and preached the Gospel. And people were drawn to that. So we’re really going back to what we used to do.” “This is about beginning conversations. And people change because of conversations. How they change is up to them and to the Lord,” said the cardinal. Auburn-Gresham resident Audrey Brown, an elderly woman living with her sister, opened her door to the cardinal and a four-person team from St. Sabina. The team entered the side door and prayed with Brown, a Baptist, who said she has been considering joining their parish. “When I miss going to my church, I make it over to St. Sabina because it feels like home,” said Brown. “It’s wonderful to know that there are people in the neighborhood who care about you.” In addition to door-to-door evangelization, parishioners also combed sidewalks to hand out fliers to those they saw, offer impromptu prayers and even broadcast their message through bull horns on corner bus stops. “Your money may be a little funny, but there is hope in Jesus Christ!” proclaimed a St. Sabina parishioner above the blasting voice of Muslim Minister Louis Farrakhan, whose voice could be heard only a few blocks away from the headquarters of The Final Call, the newspaper of Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam sect. St. Sabina outreach teams also visited two senior citizen facilities.
“The response has been great. We’re getting people to join us.
That’s what we need,” said Fuller. “If we can get one person to
join us then we’ve done a great work.”
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