“We’re going to have a little bit of fun,” the priest added. “We’ve got a life-sized cutout of Pope Benedict and it looks very real.”
Visitors can have their picture taken with the cutout.
The parish also hopes to set up some stands where those who have questions about the Catholic faith can ask them.
“We’d love to have them go to Mass,” Fr. Nagel remarked.
“If they need to be reconciled to God, or want to know more about the Church and the sacredness of our Church. They can ask questions about who we are and why we do what we do.”
At least one former Super Bowl champion will also visit the parish.
St. John the Evangelist traditionally has a First Friday event for young adults where they can hear a talk about their faith and break into small groups for discussion over dinner.
The First Friday before the Super Bowl, the guest speaker will be Chris Godfrey, the former NFL Giants guard who played on the team that won Super Bowl XXI in 1987.
“He now spends his life evangelizing and bringing the Gospel to the country. He’ll be giving a reflection on the call to holiness and how to answer God’s call in our lives,” Fr. Nagel said. “We’re hoping to pack the house that night. It’ll be a wonderful night of adoring our savior Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.”
Priests will hold confessions and there will be praise and worship music.
“In the heart of this secular event will be a very sacred night.”
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Fr. Nagel said that he is looking forward to having visitors at the parish.
“I think it’s great that we’re going to be able to host a lot of folks from the East Coast. There are a lot of Catholics coming from the East Coast. We’ve already received a lot of phone calls from folks asking about Mass times.”
The church’s outreach effort began in fall of 2011 when crowds of young people were at the Future Farmers of America gathering at the convention center across the street from the church.
Despite the large crowds, no passersby went into the church until Fr. Nagel opened its main doors.
The church has since held outreach efforts for the Big Ten Conference college football championship game and the National Catholic Youth Conference.
“In the future, we are prepared to do this for any major event in the city,” the priest said.