Madden Mischief

DETROIT–That’s right, sports fans, the big game was in Detroit for the NFL draft April 25-27 and according to Florida Catholic Media it was too perfect an opportunity for Catholic evangelists to pass up.

And that’s what was happening on the busy streets during this all-important time to make Jesus the number one draft pick.  That’s right, and St. Paul Street Evangelization was asking sports fans to pick Jesus.

It’s a time when crowds of Catholic evangelists hand out rosaries, ask fans if they need prayers, and invite them to tour Detroit’s historic churches as hundreds of thousands of people congregated in downtown Detroit for the 2024 NFL draft, which began April 25 in Cadillac Square. 

St. Paul Street Evangelization, a Warren, Michigan-based apostolate focusing on evangelization and catechesis in the public square, set up shop on the corner of Congress and Randolf, just outside the designed NFL Fan Zone, offering people rosaries, miraculous medals and a prayerful listening ear.

“Days like today have a lot of foot traffic, bringing people from all over to watch their preferred sport. Sometimes that’s the perfect time for people to meet Jesus and tell them about his love for them,” Michael Miller of St. Paul Street Evangelization told Detroit Catholic, the news outlet of the Archdiocese of Detroit. 

Fans from all 32 NFL teams were in downtown Detroit to watch the draft, making their way between the various stages, fan areas and bars and restaurants during a weekend-long celebration of all things football. The draft concluded April 27.

And while fans definitely had football uppermost in their minds, it was just too ripe an opportunity for some not to put also faith on the field and score touchdowns for Jesus.

We want to spread the Word, and this is a good place where we are going to get a lot of foot traffic, said one of the evangelists happily on a winning streak.

St. Paul Street Evangelization wasn’t the only religious group setting up shop outside the NFL Fan Zone, with street preachers and evangelists from various Christian churches dotting the scene going after the souls of fans from all over the country of the many different faiths and opinions converging on Detroit.

Tom Madden’s favorite sport is writing and hopes you’ll tryout his books, his latest WORDSHINE MAN, and soon coming will be an eBook titled Planetary Lifeguard™ blowing the whistle on climate change.  Don’t miss it on Amazon!  Madden is also CEO of the international public relations firm TransMedia Group.