Detroit, MI

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This report comes from evangelist Mark with the National SPSE team in Warren, Michigan:

Three evangelists from the National SPSE office (Adam, Bob, and Mark) were joined by two other evangelists (Bill and Leonard) at Detroit’s annual parade the Sunday before St. Patrick’s Day. Weather started cold, cloudy, and windy but warmed up and the sun came out later on. Thousands of people were gathered down a mile-long stretch of Michigan Avenue in Corktown, a historically Irish neighborhood. Mark noted how there are many crowded bars on the north side of the street while there are more families and a designed family zone on the south side of the street. Accordingly, we focused primarily on the more sober side of the street.

Mark brought many green Rosaries, St. Patrick holy cards, and St. Patrick medals, green scapulars, etc. We spoke to many people who had some degree of involvement in the Catholic Faith, including a dozen who were very devout Catholics, but most were not practicing. Bill and Mark talked to a man who prays the Rosary a few times a week but rarely attends Mass because he often works on Sunday mornings. Mark encouraged him to go to Mass on either Saturday afternoon or Sunday evening, which he agreed. Bill, a former Lutheran, spoke to several Protestants and challenged them to take a serious look at the Catholic Church.

Mark took the opportunity to explain the hagiography of St. Patrick and the religious history behind St. Patrick’s Day. Many parade attendees agreed that, if you’re going to celebrate St. Patrick, you should know a little about him. Mark talked about how St. Patrick was born in Britain, was taken as a slave to Ireland, escaped captivity, but went back to Ireland as a missionary bishop. At that time, Ireland was all pagan but St. Patrick and his followers converted the entire Ireland to Christianity.

St. Patrick, pray for all of those we evangelized and for all of those who are far away from God.