Select Page

Bringing God’s mercy and love to football fans hits the streets — with amazing results

by | Feb 13, 2023

Fr. Chad King speaks with three football fans who visited the evangelization station in downtown Phoenix Feb. 10.

Thousands of football fans streamed into downtown Phoenix last week to enjoy the NFL Super Bowl Experience at the Phoenix Convention Center, right across the street from St. Mary’s Basilica and the Diocese of Phoenix headquarters.  

They had no idea the mercy of God would greet them at the corner of Third Street and Monroe.

That’s because a six-foot-high wooden confessional was standing right there on the sidewalk. Nearby, volunteers stood at a table heaped with crucifixes, Miraculous Medals, pamphlets, rosaries and holy cards.

From rookie diocesan priests to a feisty 90-year-old member of a religious order, priests heard confessions on the street over the course of three days.

“I haven’t been in 30 years,” one man told The Soulful Catholic. “I might cry.”

With a little encouragement, the man made his way over to the confessional.

He wasn’t the only one. At one point, there were three priests standing outside the basilica extending God’s mercy. That’s because Fr. Vince Guest, chaplain for the Philadelphia Eagles, and his buddy Fr. Nick, joined the sidewalk evangelization effort. They’d never seen anything like it before but jumped right in.

So how did this quiet little revolution begin?

Praying on ESPN?

Capitalizing on the unprecedented outpouring of prayerful support for Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin, who suffered cardiac arrest during an NFL game Jan. 2, the diocesan communications team planned to hoist a 30-foot banner atop St. Mary’s Basilica to welcome football fans to the downtown area. And, maybe a few signs indicating Mass times at the basilica might encourage Mass attendance, right?

That’s when things got interesting. I mean, as long as you’re inventing ways to reach out with a message of faith, why not dream big?

What if we gave out sacramentals?

What if we gave out candles people could light and leave inside the basilica?

What if we offered confession?

What if we met people right where they are and invited them into the arms of Jesus?

See, on the outside, people walking into an entertainment venue might look just fine. On the inside though, their hearts are often breaking. They might not realize that what they long for is the love and healing only Jesus can offer them.

Fr. Harold Escarcega chats with a visitor to the evangelization center.

Improvise, adapt and overcome

With just two weeks to go until kickoff, it was going to take a miracle to get this project off the ground. And as Providence would have it, two weeks was all it took.

Priests signed up to fill two-hour shifts. Volunteers made sacramentals and said they would staff the evangelization table. The print shop at the Diocese of Phoenix cranked out little gems like “How to Pray the Rosary,” “A Guide to Confession,” and “10 Reasons to Return to the Catholic Church.”

The big day was upon us and the team was about to set up shop on the sidewalk when an unexpected obstacle emerged: A team of loud, anti-Catholic street preachers landed in the area we had designated for our event. They weren’t thrilled when we asked them to relocate but ultimately agreed.

They and others spent the next two days camped out across the street using amplified sound to malign the Catholic faith.

Fr. Virgil Petermeier, OSC, shows off his distinctive Crosier habit that drew people to the confessional.

“You don’t need a Catholic priest to confess your sins,” one railed. You could see football fans cringing at the rhetoric. And actually, the ongoing barrage worked in our favor.

“We’re not with them,” we pointed out to fans as they walked past our corner. “We’re just here to share the love of Jesus. Would you like a cross? They’re free!”

Most people said yes. Some said no but then did a double-take and came back. “Wait. They’re free? You guys are Catholic?”

As more and more people in Eagles and Chiefs jerseys walked by our set-up, inspiration struck:

“Hey, did you know Jesus is an Eagles’ fan?” we asked. People laughed and smiled.  “Of course He was,” some joked.

“Well, He’s actually a Chiefs’ fan, too. And He’s your biggest fan. He gave His life for you!” We handed them the crucifix necklace along with a holy card explaining why Jesus died for us.

If they stopped to chat, we offered them a water bottle and a granola bar. Our method, learned from Saint Paul Street Evangelization, is to listen and befriend before proclaiming and inviting.

It works.

Establishing common ground, listening to the struggles and pain of others and then sharing the hope and love of Jesus Christ wins hearts. Having confession easily and instantly accessible was something they’d never encountered before.

Asking for help

Our sign, “Can We Pray for You?” attracted a fair share of attention, too. We stood there and prayed for lost teenagers, broken families and ailing parents. We lifted up difficult pregnancies and cantankerous relatives. We kept a list and promised to continue praying for every single person on it.

By the third day we were handing out turkey sandwiches to the homeless and members of the Phoenix Police were stopping by our table for water bottles.

Fr. Andrew Choy was the first to hear confessions at the outdoor evangelization event.

Things happened during those three days of evangelization that shouldn’t have been at all possible. The Soulful Catholic, who has long struggled with back problems, was somehow able to move that massive, six-foot confessional out of the sun all by herself — with absolutely no pain.  

When a Phoenix Police detective told us a group of belligerent protestors was headed our way — an outfit known for provoking fistfights — a sense of peace surrounded us anyway. We knew a convent of nuns was praying their hearts out for our safety.

Amazingly, the protestors arrived but turned and went the other way instead of passing in front of us.

There’s just no rational explanation for any of these astonishing occurrences. No explanation other than the grace of God.

Hearts were healed. The Gospel was announced. The lost were found.

And all because we wondered, “What if?”

What if we reimagined how to spread the Good News? What if we offered the mercy of God publicly?

Perhaps it is in going out to the streets, seeking out the lost and brokenhearted, that we will fill our churches once again.

Recent Blog Posts

Sharing the love of God with basketball fans: You’re being recruited for an unbeatable team

Sharing the love of God with basketball fans: You’re being recruited for an unbeatable team

The Christmas lights have barely been packed away but the countdown to Lent has begun (Ash Wednesday is an unusually early Feb. 14 this year.) Which can only mean one thing: You’ll need to come up with your Lenten plan stat AND March Madness is right around the corner.

Now, why would The Soulful Catholic give a lick about the National Collegiate Athletic Association annual basketball tournament? And what, pray tell, does this have to do with Lent anyway?

Bringing them home: Reaching out to Catholics to welcome them back to the Church

Bringing them home: Reaching out to Catholics to welcome them back to the Church

You might not be surprised to learn that church attendance is down here and around the U.S.
Outside of Christmas and Easter, it’s not very often that you have a standing-room only crowd at church on Sunday. There’s a startling graph published by Pew Research that shows a steep decline in church attendance starting in 2007 when 54 percent of Americans said they attended religious services monthly or more.
By 2019, that number dropped to 45 percent. Pew also reported that during most of the Covid 19 pandemic, about 6 in 10 Americans did not take part in religious services in any way, including roughly 7 in 10 adults under age 30. Seventy percent of our young people are not going to church!

Saying yes to God in the ICU: Unexpected journey leads to deeper faith, trust in the Lord

Saying yes to God in the ICU: Unexpected journey leads to deeper faith, trust in the Lord

As they wheeled me into the ICU, I noticed the crucifix on the wall among all the other life-saving equipment. I was in a Catholic hospital, after all, and its catholicity was something that struck me again and again during my four-night stay.

What can only be described as one of the most terrible and yet somehow wonderful experiences of my life unfolded just a few weeks ago when I was sitting in the chapel at the Diocesan Pastoral Center in downtown Phoenix. Staff at the DPC are blessed to be able to attend Mass in the chapel most workdays.

Shortly after the Gospel was proclaimed and we settled into our pews, I felt as though someone punched me in the forehead.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This