Supreme Knight Carl Anderson
Carl Anderson is the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus and the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love. Full Bio
On Sunday, August 5, the Knights of Columbus and the Los Angeles archdiocese are organizing a celebration at the L.A. Coliseum in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe. See yesterday’s story, “Questions Answered” for more information. The following information comes from the archdiocese website.
Follow these suggested steps to organize a group to attend the Guadalupe Celebration.
Remember that everyone that wants to go has the opportunity since tickets are free. Also, don't worry if you get more responses than you planned for. You can continue to increase your initial ticket order as more people join your group.
Meet with your Pastor. I t is important that every pastor be informed about expectations for the event. Whether you are approaching your pastor or he nominated you to run the group, his support is the most important, so it is critical that you keep him engaged and informed. He will need to be regularly updated on our progress and - at your suggestion—may make announcements of his own, and approve certain promotions.
Meet with other parish groups. You have a large network at your parish that the group leaders can help you tap into. The Guadalupe Celebration is for everyone, regardless of where they are in their faith journey. Be sure to utilize all your resources. Ask to address each group before one of their regular meetings to let them know about the event and to ask them to attend.
Begin promotion with posters around the parish. The enclosed posters [see archdiocese website] allow you to write your
personal contact information on them. Place them in the most visible spots in your church, including the vestibule, the bulletin boards and side exits.
Publish ads in the bulletin and arrange for Mass announcements. Sample bulletin and pulpit announcements are provided. Customize them to fit your needs, and coordinate with your pastor and church office for publishing in the Sunday Bulletin. Plan a Sunday where you or your pastor can make a special announcement at all Masses and all break in languages.
Set up an account and register your group at www.guadalupecelebration.org. Tickets will become available in May but before they do you should register your group to receive advance notice on ticketing. Once an account is created you will be able to go back in and add tickets to your initial order as well as notify us if you will be traveling by bus.
Reserve buses for the event. There are many benefits to traveling together as a parish community. We strongly encourage you to reserve buses for your parish. The best way to ensure people will attend is if they sign up for transportation. Even if your parish can afford to provide for a bus, you should consider charging a small reservation fee because it increases the likelihood that those who have paid will in fact attend. Consider contacting the local school district in addition to charter bus companies.
Continue to publish bulletin announcements and promote as necessary. Encourage friends and family to join you in telling the parish about the Celebration. Ask those that sign up early to consider joining a promotional team that sets up a table after Masses on a designated Sunday.
Check GuadalupeCelebration.org regularly for updates. As the date approaches this will be the best way to get the latest information to share with your group. Announcements about speakers, performers, gate opening and much more will appear here first. 'There is also a section to submit your questions as they come up.
Make a plan for ticket distribution. You will need to pass tickets out at least the week before the event. If your parish is traveling together by bus we still encourage that you pass tickets out ahead of time in case anything happens on the day of the event. Also, if there are members of your parish who wish to take different modes of transportation to the event by themselves or with their family, you may consider identifying a time and place to meet up with them at the Coliseum so that you can sit together as a parish. Even though they are not on the bus, they are still a part of' your group.
Organize a pre-Guadalupe Celebration event for the parish. Not only will it prepare your group for this important event and introduce new people into your community, but it will also advertise the celebration closer to August 5th and give families a final opportunity to consider attending.
Other Ideas:
- Designate a particular Mass for parishioners attending the Guadalupe Celebration.
- Follow up by phone with attendees in the weeks before August 5th
- Promote extra tickets at the daily and Sunday Vigil Masses during the week of the Celebration.
For more information Click here. http://www.guadalupecelebration.com/en/index.html
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