Holy Ghost Invites Catholics To Come Home

In the Gospel, “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two.”

Following His instructions, parishioners of the will take to the streets of Tiverton, two by two, Saturday, March 26, knocking on doors and reaching out to inactive and fallen-away Catholics, inviting them to come home.

Door-to-door evangelization carries on a sacred Catholic tradition.

“I always say that we have to be open to change, but there has to be continuity,” said Father Jay Finelli, pastor of Church of the Holy Ghost.

The third parish in the Diocese of Providence to host a special Day of Evangelization, Holy Ghost will begin the day with the recitation of the Rosary at 7:30 a.m. and Holy Mass at 8 a.m.

A continental breakfast will follow in the Church Hall, along with a short period of evangelization team training led by the Franciscan Sisters Minor.

The visitation of homes will begin at 11 a.m.

“Home visitors will be paired with someone who has previous experience,” said Father Jay. “People who are not able to make visits are invited to remain in the church to pray for God’s blessing on our day.”

The Day of Evangelization will conclude with lunch in the Church Hall and the sharing of experiences.

The event is sponsored by the Legion of Mary praesidium, which was established at Holy Ghost parish a year ago.

With over 3 million active members worldwide, the Legion of Mary is the largest lay apostolic organization in the Catholic Church with a twofold purpose of spiritual development of its members and the advancement of the reign of Christ through the Virgin Mary.

The Legion of Mary will list the homes to visit and map out the area for home visitations.

“Each pair is given 40 homes, and they will be out for two hours,” said Father Jay. “They are going to have packets with a letter of welcome from the parish.”

The packets also will contain information about annulments, sacraments and other topics that might be the cause of Catholics’ estrangement from the church.

In addition, the home visitors will invite them to Mass and pray with them.

Two parishes in the Diocese of Providence, St. Timothy Church in Warwick and St. Joseph Church in Woonsocket, initiated the Day of Evangelization in Rhode Island.

According to the Rhode Island Catholic, “in the two efforts thus far, volunteers from 42 parishes have knocked on more than 2,050 doors and made contact with at least 1,600 Catholics and non-Catholics.”

“Previous ‘Days’ in other parishes have been a great blessing to all involved,” Father Jay said.

To participate in the Day of Evangelization at the Church of the Holy Ghost, 316 Judson St., Tiverton, call the church office at (401) 624-8131 or visit www.holyghostcc.org and fill out the online registration form.