An Advent campaign of evangelisation is under way in Perth and participants won’t have to say a word. In the build up to Christmas, Catholic Mission has released a “Christ is Christmas” car sticker and is hoping Catholics across WA will embrace the promotion as a way of countering the blatant commercialism that has hijacked the spiritual significance of the season.
Catholic Mission director Francis Leong is excited by the potential of the campaign.
“Can you imagine the impact if 5000 Catholics driving around the suburbs in the weeks before Christmas with this truth displayed on their windows or bumper bars,” he said.
“Who knows? This simple reminder may influence the attitude of someone stuck behind you in a traffic jam or at your local shopping centre.”
The campaign found its inspiration in a similar project in Geraldton several years ago organised by then diocesan director Rosemary Miles, who now works as a volunteer at Perth’s Catholic Mission office.
“Rosemary noticed how Christmas advertising seemed to start earlier each year and how commercialised it was,” Mr Leong said.
“She wanted to be counter-cultural to this secularisation and we decided to reignite the concept in Perth and across the entire state.”
Mr Leong said he was grateful for the support of Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton and the sponsorship of Mareena Purslowe and her associates at Purslowe Funerals who have helped get the project up and running.
“Bishop Don has been very enthusiastic in encouraging families to use their vehicles as mobile billboards of evangelisation,” he said.
Mr Leong is hoping Catholics will obtain stickers not just for themselves but also for friends and other family members.
Churches or schools are encouraged to assist by obtaining multiple copies and distributing them through parishes and communities. Any donations accompanying orders will assist children in Catholic orphanages across Africa over Christmas.
Stickers can be obtained by contacting the Catholic Mission office on (08) 9422 7933 during office hours or by emailing:
cm@perthcatholic.org.au.