Sunday, June 21, 2009

The T-Shirt That Kick-starts Evangelization - Go KU!

The Red T-Shirt.


My sister-in-law in South County saw one the other day. She asked about it today at our Father's Day celebration.


So, Lawrence, Kansas - your efforts are getting around. The t-shirts are popping up in St. Louis. And they're generating questions.


Here's a link to buy your own "Ask me why I'm Catholic" t-shirt. http://st-lawrence-org.ecatholicchurches.com/index.cfm?load=page&page=36&view=details&product=5


And here's just a portion of the original article:



Jayhawker Evangelization


Red Tuesday changes the way KU students think about their faith


By Jill Ragar Esfeld


LAWRENCE — On a recent Tuesday, University of Kansas freshman Leann Tracy was racing across campus so as not to be late for her art class. As she blazed down the sidewalk in a flash of red, no one could miss the large block letters on the back of her shirt that spelled out “Ask me why I’m Catholic.”Tracy wears the shirt every Tuesday. When asked why, her answer is unequivocal: “Because it’s starting a revolution!”And she’s right. KU is indeed undergoing a revolution of sorts – Catholic students are taking their message to the streets.In this, a formidably secular environment, Catholic students find their faith challenged on all sorts of fronts. But now there is a sanctuary, a home base, where they can turn for answers to the many questions college classes — and even college life — give rise to.It’s the Red Tuesday table hosted by the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, and it’s changing the way KU students think about faith, God, salvation, their world, their future and Catholicism.An open invitationWhen outreach and evangelization coordinator Jennifer Meitl joined the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center last July, she was charged with getting the center out onto the campus and increasing awareness of the Catholic presence at the university.Center director Father Steve Beseau had heard of a program at Texas A&M University where students wore T-shirts that invited others to “Ask a Catholic a Question.” “I brought the idea to [the staff for discussion],” he said. “I thought it was a very non-threatening way of evangelization, and I liked that.”The center staff liked it, too, but decided to tweak the question in order to provide more opportunity for personal witness. They then had bright red T-shirts printed up, with the center’s logo on the front and “Ask me why I’m Catholic” on the back.Meitl then arranged for the campus center to host a table each Tuesday at Wesco Beach, a centrally located area on campus, and word soon spread that Catholic students should wear red on Tuesdays. The second day of the school week quickly became known on campus as “Red Tuesday.”“We asked all the students to wear red and keep us in their prayers,” said Meitl, “so they would be in solidarity with us, even if they were unable to stop by the table.”

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2 comments:

  1. Hi Ms Denise,

    I would like to ask permission if we can use the question phrase for our shirt as well? Im from a catholic community as well and been thinking what to print for our evangelization shirt.
    Thank you

    Bro Ted

    ReplyDelete
  2. Here is the link: http://www.st-lawrence.org/

    They can answer your question, Bro Ted!

    Thanks for writing.

    ReplyDelete