By Ana Rodriguez Soto - Florida Catholic newspaper

MIAMI | Don’t worry if you can’t get to Philly for the pope’s visit. Archbishop Thomas Wenski wants to bring the spirit of Philly back to you.

That’s how Stephen Colella describes the archbishop’s idea for an archdiocesewide, Catholic picnic in the park Oct. 10.

“This was his idea,” stressed Colella, director of the Secretariat for Parish Life in the archdiocese.

A few weeks ago, he recalled, the archbishop came to him and said: “I know people can’t go (to Philadelphia). What can we do for them? I’ve always wanted to do a picnic, just something simple to bring people together.”

So Colella and his staff got to work. They planned a picnic for Saturday, Oct. 10, at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines — a picnic for every Catholic family in South Florida, not just parents and children but also spiritual families: parishes, lay groups, movements.

The picnic will begin at 9 a.m. and sort of resemble the Sept. 26 Festival of Families in Philadelphia. That’s one of the two weekend events of the World Meeting of Families that Pope Francis will attend. He will celebrate the closing Mass Sunday, Sept. 27, for hundreds of thousands of people in Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

On Oct. 10, Archbishop Wenski will celebrate Mass at the Pembroke Pines picnic around 11 a.m. Before that, as people gather between 9 and 10 a.m., they will be welcomed by music, praise and worship style, performed by local Catholic artists.

Ennie and Cana Hickman, married missionaries from Houston-based Adore Ministries, will then offer a brief bilingual catechesis related to marriage and families. Before Mass, the archbishop will give his own reflection on the pope’s message to families in the U.S. The formal program should end around noon.

But that doesn’t mean people can’t stay and enjoy the rest of their day at the park. Food trucks will be on hand so they can purchase lunch for their families. C.B. Smith’s 299 acres also include a water park, miniature golf course, batting cages, tennis, racquetball, basketball and volleyball courts, and bicycle rentals.

Colella describes the picnic as “an occasion to gather together with families, as families, to celebrate.”

“We’re providing the catalyst for families to come out, to take one day from their busy lives and invest in their families,” he said. “Anybody and everybody is welcome. You can bring your own food, your own blankets and chairs.”

The only cost is admission to C.B. Smith Park, which is $1.50 per person, up to $8 maximum per car or van. Children 5 and under get in free. There are additional fees for activities such as the water park and miniature golf.

“This is (the archbishop’s) gift, to bring the World Meeting of Families back to the archdiocese,” Colella said. “I would love the movements to come and show their support of the archbishop by wearing their (group) T-shirts.”

Parish, youth and school groups could do the same.

“The kicker is that it’s also (the archbishop’s) birthday,” Colella said. “So we want to give him this gift of celebrating his birthday.”

In fact, he is thinking of issuing a challenge to see who will be “the largest group there to support him. That would be a great birthday present for the archbishop.”

Maybe 300 people show up. Or maybe 3,000 come. Regardless, said Colella, it’s a great opportunity for Catholics to heed Pope Francis’ words and “make some noise. Let’s make some noise and let people know that the Catholic Church is not dead in South Florida.”

New Evangelization workshop and Adore Night

On Friday, Oct. 9, the day before the picnic at C.B. Smith Park, Ennie Hickman, president of Houston-based Adore Ministries, will present a workshop on “The New Evangelization in Your Neighborhood.”

The workshop is open to clergy, parish staff, volunteers and active parishioners who want to learn time-tested strategies for bringing the New Evangelization to their parishes and surrounding communities.

The workshop will begin at 10 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m. Cost is $20 and includes lunch.

That evening, from 7 to 9 p.m., Hickman will model what he taught by leading a family-friendly night of “powerful worship, relevant teaching and eucharistic adoration.” This Adore Night is open to everyone, and admission is free.

Both the New Evangelization Workshop and the Adore Night will be take place at St. Mark Church, 5601 South Flamingo Road, Southwest Ranches — just up the road from C.B. Smith Park, the site of the family picnic on Saturday.

For more information, contact Lorelle Watkins, coordinator of Evangelization and Parish Life, at 305-762-1128 or [email protected].