By Suzanne Haugh, Staff Writer

ATLANTA—Perhaps one of the most comforting stories we hear about in the Gospel is of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who leaves his entire flock to seek out the one lost.

As the shepherd of the Atlanta Archdiocese, Archbishop John F. Donoghue, echoing the call of Pope John Paul II, stands poised to ask area parishioners to witness to their faith by seeking out Catholics who have drifted away from the church.

“In response to the Holy Father’s desire of the universal church this Jubilee Year to focus on evangelization, the archdiocese will have an ongoing program that will begin this year on the feast of Corpus Christi,” the archbishop said.

Estimated at 17 million people nationwide, Catholics who no longer come to church will be the first focus of the new evangelization effort in the archdiocese.

“I’m anxious to extend an invitation to Catholics to come back to the church,” the archbishop said.

Entitled “Come To Me,” the evangelization effort will officially begin this Corpus Christi Sunday, June 25, with a service at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Atlanta at 2:45 p.m. Participants are encouraged to gather at the plaza level for the eucharistic procession at 2:30 p.m.

The Benediction service will serve as a send-off of active Catholics to “go and make disciples,” which is the title of the U.S. bishops’ pastoral plan for evangelization released in the early 1990s.

Known for being on fire in their telling of the Gospel story, Father Jack Durkin, parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Church in Lilburn, and Father Brian Higgins, parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Christ the King, will preach on evangelization and the Eucharist.

Music will be provided by Ken and Elyn Macek, leaders of the contemporary liturgical group at the Cathedral.

Archbishop Donoghue will preside at the hour and a half service and lead Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The archbishop, building upon the work of the Eucharistic Renewal that he began in the archdiocese in 1996, will announce the new focus on seeking out Catholics who have been away from the church. As the evangelization project progresses beyond the first year, it will reach out to those who are unchurched.

“We want to reach out our hand to Catholics, who, for whatever reason, have drifted away, and invite them back,” said Keri Allen, director of evangelization at the Cathedral and a member of the steering committee of the evangelization project for the archdiocese.

“One of the first ways of doing this is to focus on those people already sitting in the pews. Everyone knows someone who left the church, someone in their family, a mom, dad, child, or a friend or someone you work with. Start with them. The first thing we’ll ask (parishioners) to do is pray.”

Those attending the Corpus Christi celebration will receive prayer cards to distribute to Catholics they may know who need an invitation to church. With the logo of the Good Shepherd on one side, the prayer cards will include a phone number and webpage information so that recipients can inquire about church teachings or how they can return to active participation in the church. These cards, printed in English and Spanish, will be available at area churches in the future.

“We want to create ways within the archdiocese” to welcome Catholics back, Allen said.

The outreach will employ evangelization efforts already in existence in the archdiocese, such as the small faith-sharing groups started with the RENEW 2000 program.

It will also mark the beginning of new initiatives, most notably the “Catholics Returning Home” series. This six-week program will be offered around Christmas and Easter.

Written by Sally Mews, a woman who left the church and found her way back, “Catholics Returning Home” uses personal faith stories and basic instruction in the Catholic faith to gently guide those interested into active participation in church life.

Mews will visit the archdiocese on Thursday, July 20 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. to speak to pastors and parish directors of religious education and of evangelization.

Archbishop Donoghue has written to all pastors asking them to organize a team of parishioners to focus on the “new evangelization” at their respective churches. He hopes that the fruit of the first year of evangelization will be apparent on the weekend of Corpus Christi 2001. The archdiocese has rented the Georgia International Convention Center for Saturday, June 16, 2001, and will host a daylong celebration for all Catholics, particularly those who have rediscovered their faith.

Speakers at the 2001 event are scheduled to include Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua of Philadelphia, Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap., and Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the “preacher of the pontifical household” since 1980, who gives retreats for Pope John Paul II and Vatican officials and who has been a speaker at many charismatic congresses. The day will include tracks for teens and children as well as adults and will end with the celebration of Mass.

Members of the evangelization steering committee were appointed by Archbishop Donoghue in January. The committee is made up of approximately 30 people who currently serve the archdiocese in various ways. Clergy and Religious on the committee include Father Paul Reynolds, vicar general in curia, Msgr. Louis Naughton, judicial vicar, Father Jaime Barona, Father Tim Hepburn, Father John Hopkins, LC, Father Larry Niese, Deacon Whitney Robichaux and Sister Valentina Sheridan, RSM.

For more information about the “Come To Me” program, contact your parish religious education office or Allen at (404) 233-2145, ext. 426. The Cathedral is located at 2699 Peachtree Road, NE.