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Father Felix Lim, pastor, and missionaries from St. Anthony Parish, Novato, rest on the church steps following a six-day Parish Evangelization Project in October. (Courtesy photo)
December 6, 2018
Catholic San Francisco
The parish inaugurated its first Parish Evangelization Project Oct. 16-21, led by 17 parishioners with help from Legion of Mary members from Arlington, Virginia, and San Francisco.
“Working four hours from Tuesday through Saturday and two hours on Sunday, the missionaries visited a total of 4,045 homes, with contacts made in 1,535 of those homes.,” Father Felix Lim, pastor, told Catholic San Francisco. A total of 1,678 persons were contacted, he said. Of these, 598 were Catholic, of whom 277 were inactive. The parish said 831 non-Catholics were visited.
Each day began with Mass and praying the rosary and the prayers of the Legion of Mary. During a planning meeting, an explanation of the approach was given and teams of two members each were formed. An inexperienced member was partnered with a more experienced missionary. They visited registered parishioners as well as fallen-away Catholics and non-Catholics.
“Most people were receptive to our visits,” Father Lim said. “Many were surprised that it’s the Catholic Church visiting them and not the Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Mormons. Many non-Catholics told us they have attended our rummage sale.”
During the visits, the team asked how the parish could serve them better. Suggestions for improvement included starting a seniors club; starting a Spanish Mass and offering religious education in Spanish; projecting lyrics of songs for all to see; continuing the Alpha program; and attracting more young families and youth.
As part of every visit the teams asked if the parish could pray for the households visited and for any intentions they might have with a total of 158 prayer petitions collected.
Each home received a package of information that includes a letter from the pastor, a parish bulletin and a booklet explaining the basic teachings of the Catholic faith.
One non-Catholic expressed interest in becoming Catholic and was invited to join the RCIA. We encouraged those inactive Catholics to come back, offering miraculous medals and rosaries.
A total of 206 people were identified for follow-up visits. These included requests for a visit from a priest, anointing of the sick, and parish registrations.
A few fallen away Catholics expressed their anger with the church. The team listened to them patiently and apologized on behalf of the church. One man came to the rectory the next day to apologize for his rudeness to the visitors. One fallen-away Catholic family attended the parish 11 a.m. Sunday Mass as a result of the visit.
The parish has formed a new chapter of the Legion of Mary at St. Anthony in order to follow up on the visits made during the project.