By Rita McInerney

"We can plan all kinds of outreach events, we can make it as easy as possible for people, but these events will only be effective when Catholics realize that the responsibility for spreading the Good News of Salvation is their own." - Marsha V. Whelan - Conclusion of an address on evangelizing the unchurched for Pentecost '87.

"The sleeping giant," the term used by pollster George Gallup, Jr., for the American Catholic laity, was one of the main topics at the seven-hour Pentecost '87, a national satellite celebration of Catholic evangelization, viewed at four sites in the archdiocese of Atlanta on Saturday, June 6.

Thirty-five people attended at St. Pius X High School, Atlanta; 27 at St. John the Evangelist Church, Hapeville; 62 at St. Mary's Hospital, Athens, and 17 at St. Francis of Assisi Church, Blairsville.

Presentations were made on evangelizing 90 million unchurched, 15 million inactive Catholics and the active Catholic, youth, in the rural areas, in the black community, and the Catholic American Indian. The video segment on evangelizing in rural areas was filmed at St. Francis of Assisi Church and the north Georgia mountain area around Blairsville.

Father Daniel J. O'Connor, pastor of Sacred Heart Church in downtown Atlanta, the outgoing chairman of the archdiocesan Committee on Evangelization, said he was disappointed at the low turnout and attributed it in part to the busy June season of weddings, graduations and vacations.

However, in a statement after the presentation, he commented that: "Pentecost '87 was an exciting and innovative approach to the task of modern evangelization. I believe it was the most extensive use of satellite communication the Catholic Church in America has ever employed. It was well done technically and some of the segments were inspiring. I hope it marks the opening of a new era in Catholic communications. The concept was not perfect but it was a fine beginning."

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In his well-received message on "Evangelizing the Active Catholic," Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, borrowed George Gallup Jr.'s reference to the Catholic Church as the "evangelical sleeping giant." The cardinal went on to say "He's right on target! We have all the right pieces -- word, ritual, community, leadership, institutions of learning and care. But for too long we have been doing reactive evangelizing rather than boldly proclaiming the Gospel. Too many of us are doing maintenance work. Not enough are doing mission work."

Kathy Clarke, director of religious education at St. Joseph's Church in Athens, said pastor and parishioners from her parish could relate to the cardinal's message. Among the 62 attending at the hospital in Athens was a good cross-section of the parish leadership: catechists, members of the RCIA team, evangelizing committee, representatives of the parish council and board of education, members of the liturgy committee, people involved in Ultreya and WEDS, and teachers from the parish school. Also attending were Deacon Jim Gaudin and his wife Elaine as well as parishioners involved in black evangelism.

Participants also included Deacon Jerry Connell and his wife, Peggy, from St. Anna's parish in Monroe, Sean Cunningham, representing the Franciscans at the University of Georgia Catholic Center, and several sisters from the pastoral care department at St. Mary's Hospital.

"We found that, on the whole, everyone was positively responsive," Mrs. Clarke said. "The production quality was excellent, although one participant expressed the thought that 'too much professionalism could lead to the slick style of TV evangelism and away from the true openness of the Holy Spirit.'"

Mrs. Clarke said the content was "very affirming as to what's been developed here at St. Joseph's over the past four years under the leadership of Father Richard Kieran, pastor. In particular, the attention that was paid to the small neighborhood communities."

It was encouraging to learn of this emphasis, she said, since St. Joseph's had started "Neighbors in the Lord" about two years ago and there are now about six to eight groups working. Target of the program, she said, is to start three new neighbor groups each year. Each group begins with a week long mission in a home. This is led and presented by lay people in the hope "we will generate an ongoing fellowship group. They meet to share Scripture and provide ongoing support for each other." The size of the groups ranges from 12 to 25 people, she said.

Mrs. Clarke said parishioners attending from St. Joseph appreciated the emphasis on evangelizing in the black community. The parish, she pointed out, has been making a "real effort to reach out to our black brothers and sisters."

The group in Athens was impressed with the presentation on "Evangelizing the Inactive Catholic" which dealt with Catholics who are angry and hurt, Catholics who are apathetic, and those who hunger for a deeper spiritual relationship with God.

In his presentation, Cardinal Bernardin urged "bishops, priests, deacons, religious and lay people not to be satisfied with waiting for people to come to our programs, ministries and services. We must also begin to take bold, creative steps to proclaim the Good News."

In response to this, Mrs. Clarke said, "Father Kieran said he felt St. Joseph's had become, in the words of Cardinal Bernardin, 'a mission church rather than a maintenance church,' and he (Father Kieran) challenged us to keep moving in that direction."

Everyone, Mrs. Clarke said, was impressed with the "excellent" facilities at St. Mary's Hospital. Mrs. Sybil Fletcher, hospital director of education, said the hospital's downlink is used regularly for staff and physician education. St. Mary's is a member of the Hospital Satellite Network.

In Hapeville, there was disappointment at the low turnout, according to Mrs. Pat Schratz, facilitator for the program at St. John the Evangelist. But she said those attending like the focus on evangelization as the task of the laity working on conjunction with the clergy.

Mrs. Schratz, on the staff of the school of religion at St. John's, said the "whole concept of evangelization is one that we have not consciously focused on at St. John. Now we hope to gather people together who attended in order to start an evangelization committee."

"Our folks felt that we have to start evangelizing our own community, making it one more hospitable and loving, attracting new members and nurturing those we already have. One of our first goals will be to enable our already active members to become more involved."

The pastor, Father Michael A. Woods, commented on the evaluation sheet turned in at the conclusion of the satellite program, that he had found it "well thought out, well done," and indicted the parish will participate again next year when the second Pentecost satellite celebration is scheduled for May 21.

Parishioners attending included members involved with RCIA, the Legion of Mary, catechists, parish council. Father Austin Fogarty, parochial vicar, was also present.

Other parishes represented were St. Philip Benizi, Jonesboro; St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, Douglasville; Blessed Sacrament and Sacred Heart, both in Atlanta.

Roseann Havird, a Sunday school teacher at St. Theresa, attended the presentation in Hapeville. What came across to her was "the complete dedication and conviction of all the people on the program -- what they believe in. No part of it fell short" and it gave her, she said, a good idea of what other people are doing.

The presentation on youth affirmed her in what she has found through working with youth in her parish. They "want to do something" and the Church needs to utilize this desire. "We have a lot to learn from the way Protestant churches involve their youth," she said.

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At. St. Pius X High School, Gigi DaCosta, a member of the Calling and Caring group at St. Jude in Sandy Springs, got through to Gallup and the panel during open line time after the pollster's presentation on evangelizing the unchurched. From two panelists she heard an emphatic "No" to her question whether it was better to telephone ahead before making door-to-door visits to neighbors without church ties. This does not conform with her own experience, she said. She has found that calling ahead insures a warmer reception.

Some questions and suggestions examined in the small group discussions after Gallup's talk included:

• Polling parishioners and checking parish records
• Neighborhood groups, invitations to neighbors
• Greeters at Church, coffee and doughnuts after Mass
• Including every group in the parish in the evangelization effort.
• Follow-up support groups for sponsoring and nurturing.

Mrs. Dorothy Wesselmann, chairperson for the evangelization group at Transfiguration in Marietta, said, although she found the satellite presentation good, she was ready for the next level, for answers on implementing the follow-up. Outreach has been made, now "we are at the nurture step. How do you continue that nurturing?" she asked.

Last fall her group attended the Catholic Evangelization Training School at the Franciscan University of Steubenville and has trained others in the parish, she said. From this perspective she believes that communication on a parish and archdiocesan level "is not good. We're to big (as an archdiocese) to do this on a volunteer basis." Evangelization, she said, has been "put on a back burner" but "from evangelization stems all other programs" and should be the hub of what we are, "commissioned people by Jesus."

Ed Strougal, a parishioner for 26 years at the Cathedral of Christ the King, said he was impressed with the topics discussed and interested in becoming more active in evangelization. The program renewed his confidence, showed him the need to reach out to Catholics with problems or misgivings, and to others who are not Catholics.

Mrs. Anita Willoughby, pastoral assistant at St. Jude and a member of the archdiocesan Committee on Evangelization, led the program at St. Pius. Other members of the committee present were George Clements, Jo Parks and Nick O'Connor.

Father John Kieran, pastor, and Deacon John and Margie Shoemaker were among eight people attending from Christ Our Hope in Lithonia. Maureen Hegarty represented the evangelization committee at Sts. Peter and Paul in Decatur. Other parishes represented included: All Saints, Dunwoody; the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Holy, Cross, Sacred Heart, Immaculate Heart of Mary and St. Anthony, all of Atlanta; Corpus Christi, Stone Mountain; and St. Thomas Aquinas, Alpharetta.

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The 17 people attending the satellite presentation at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Blairsville, viewed their segment of the program with pride and sadness. Their church, pastor and parishioners were featured in a video segment, "The Hills Are Alive," on rural evangelization.

Filmed in and around Blairsville, the film shows Glenmary Father Bob Poandl, pastor, and Roy and Noreen D'Augustine, parishioners. Mr. D'Augustine died after a heart attack in April.

After panoramic scenes capturing the beauty of the north Georgia mountain area, Father Poandl is shown discussing the parish outreach to people who don't know about Jesus, and the need for Catholics to be enthusiastic. "We are the church together," he said.

The D'Augustines are pictured going about their ministry to those hospitalized at the Towns County Hospital, welcoming newcomers and calling on a rural family they had befriended.

After the video, Father Frank Ruff, president of the Glenmary Home Missioners, described rural evangelization as being a loving way of getting close to people, going to them in their own homes, showing them that the evangelizers are people they can respond to. A need in this ministry, he said, is to create a space in the local church that the local people can feel at home in, some adaptation in worship so that the church can seem like home to the native.

Taking part in the celebration in Blairsville were Deacon Bob Mulligan and his wife Trudy, from St. Helena's in Clayton, and Mrs. Armadine Thieme from St. Mark's in Clarksville. Father Poandl led the discussions which were described by Sister Toni Kivlahan, OSF, as informative and informal.

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In a telephone interview with The Georgia Bulletin, Douglas Mitchell, a coordinator for the project produced by the Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association, said the turnout of 35,000 at 211 sites across the country was about what the planners had expected after revising the original estimate of 60,000.

Contributing to this article were Kathy Clarke in Athens and Jean Driskell at St. Pius X.