Bishop Thomas John Paprocki | Diocese of Springfield

Holy Family Parish in Athens and St. Peter Parish in Petersburg have started a postcard mailing initiative to invite residents of Menard County back to church. The effort is aimed at those who have left the Church or are searching for a new place to worship. So far, two rounds of postcards have been sent to more than 11,000 households within a 50-mile radius.

The campaign was developed by Father Varghese Anthony Puthussery, SAC, along with parish councils and leaders from both parishes. They wanted to reconnect with former parishioners and reach out to younger families. The first set of postcards went out during Advent 2024, inviting recipients to Christmas celebrations and including Mass times for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. The cards also featured a Bible quote from Luke 2:10-11 and an Advent message from Father Varghese encouraging people to reflect on the meaning of Jesus Christ’s birth: “take a moment to reflect on the profound significance of the birth of Jesus Christ.” He added: “Bring your family and friends and let’s create cherished memories together.”

A second postcard was mailed before Holy Week with liturgy times for Palm Sunday through Divine Mercy Sunday. Each card included images relevant to each service as well as the Divine Mercy image bearing the phrase “Jesus, I trust in You.” Contact information such as QR codes, email addresses, and phone numbers were provided so recipients could submit prayer requests. These requests were passed along to the parish Prayer Pillar coordinator and then shared with a prayer chain.

Father Varghese explained that beyond reaching former members, the initiative seeks those without a church home or looking for spiritual connection. “In a world that often feels disconnected and fragmented, the call to evangelization has never been more pressing,” he said.

Parish leaders plan for this outreach project to continue but will narrow future mailings to a 30-to-40-mile radius. Kay Frank-Tasset of Holy Family Parish stated: “We purposely planned and believe that this is a gradual process to open people’s hearts and minds to come back to church or try a different church... We think that a postcard will need to be sent three to five times or even longer to make an impact.”

The next round of postcards is scheduled within several months. Frank-Tasset said: “We are starting very soon to get our postcard image, mailing list — or targeted residence list — and other details figured out within the month of September... We already received a cost estimate from three printers and have our church mailing permit approved by the USPS. Father Varghese has already approved the project. It is very important for us to have postcards land in the residence mailboxes the week before Advent begins.”

Results from previous mailings show some success; at least six new families attended Holy Family during last Advent season with two joining as members, while six to eight new families now attend St. Peter after receiving postcards.

Father Varghese said: “The heart of this initiative lies in the belief that every person deserves to feel the warmth of God’s love and the support of a faith community... Many individuals and families may have distanced themselves from the Church for various reasons — personal struggles, disillusionment, or simply the passage of time. Our goal is to reach out to these individuals and remind them that they are always welcome in our parish family.”

He added: “Jesus called His disciples to follow Him, and He welcomed those on the margins of society. In the same spirit our postcard initiative is a modern-day invitation to experience the love and grace of God. It is a reminder that faith is not meant to be lived in isolation but in community, where we can support and uplift one another.”