DIOCESE OF TOLEDO
Office of Communications
1933 Spielbusch Ave, Toledo, Ohio 43604 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    
CONTACT:  Sally Oberski
Director of Communications
419-244-6711 x 148
soberski@toledodiocese.org
www.toledodiocese.org

Catholic Diocese of Toledo Introduces Evangelization Effort

Over 75 Parishes to Conduct Home Visits During the Month of October

Toledo, OH – September 30, 2009 - The Catholic Diocese of Toledo will begin a parish based home visitation program in October entitled “The Spirit of Jesus Alive Today:  Pentecost in Our Time".

This evangelization effort is intended to share the gift of faith with those who may be seeking spiritual fulfillment or struggling with everyday life in our communities. The home visitation project builds on research that tells us that that the most effective way of communicating information is face-to-face.
 
Participating parish teams have been meeting for the past eleven months to prepare for the launch of the program.  Over 200 volunteers have been trained to be parish core team members and each core team has recruited its own volunteer visitors. Parish participation is voluntary and over 75 parishes in the 19 county Diocese of Toledo has elected to participate in the diocesan program, and several other parishes are initiating evangelization projects of their own design.

Through “The Spirit of Jesus Alive Today:  Pentecost in Our Time" project, each parish has pre-determined the number of households they are able to reach and will embark upon a month-long schedule of visits throughout the month of October, with the exception of Port Clinton who began in September.

Home visitors travel in pairs and make a first contact with a household for a short meet and greet.  Visitors will offer a folder of materials that outline the array of services available at each parish that may respond to any needs they may have. 

The specially designed folder contains a DVD of personal faith stories of individuals from the Diocese of Toledo as well as other materials from the parish that outline parish events and services such as hospitality events, prayer services, inquiry programs, links to the parish website, parish staff contacts, a listing of ministry or outreach services, and others. Those not home at the time of the visits will receive the DVD as a door hanger.

This effort is in conjunction with, and in preparation for the April 2010 celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Diocese of Toledo.  Additional programs and events have been planned over the next year and a half to celebrate this milestone.

For more information on this project contact Sally Oberski, Director of Communications for the diocese at 419-244-6711, ext 148.

The Diocese of Toledo, established April 15, 1910 encompasses 8222 square miles in a mixture of urban and rural areas that spans 19 counties across Northwest Ohio, serving 301,134 Catholics. The diocese includes Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot counties.

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