CHICAGO (IL)
Chicago Tribune
By Margaret Ramirez
Tribune religion reporter
Published February 15, 2006
To some, the assignment may have seemed impossible. But Rev. Bob Barron chose to accept it.
His mission: help revitalize the nation's third largest Roman Catholic archdiocese as it struggles with lower Sunday mass attendance, new allegations of sexual abuse by priests and piercing questions about faith. The straight-talking boss in the red skullcap offered Barron just one weapon: the power of the Gospels.
So began an ambitious effort by Cardinal Francis George focused on inspiring devout believers and drawing inactive Catholics back to the church.
The resulting project, called Mission Chicago 2006, is a yearlong series of masses, prayer novenas, discussions and other events that kicks off Thursday with the three-day Catholic Festival of Faith in Rosemont. It is being touted as one of the largest concerted evangelization efforts among Catholics in recent memory.