N. Ind. diocese to run “Catholics Come Home” ads

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend is planning to use television commercials and billboards to lure lapsed churchgoers into attending Mass.

Bishop Kevin Rhoades tells WSBT-TV that he hopes the local campaign — coinciding with a national campaign — will stir people and inspire some to return to the practice of the faith. Rhoades says only about 30 percent of local Catholics attend Mass.

Rhoades learned about the initiative from other bishops and decided to use it in northern Indiana. Other dioceses around the country already have run ads featuring Catholics talking about why they returned to the church.

The ads will start airing in northern Indiana on Dec. 17 and continue through the end of January. Rhoades says the campaign will cost the diocese about $120,000.