Cincinnati.com is reporting that the Franciscan Friars of the Province of St. John the Baptist plan to be on hand at the Northgate Mall from now until December 24.
“We are hopeful that our presence at the mall will be a bit of a reminder of the real reason for the season,” said the Rev. Dan Anderson, who serves as the secretary of the province. “Just a place of peace and conversation.”
The idea for the space came from the Rev. Jeffrey Scheeler, provincial minister of the Province, who saw chapels in malls in upstate New York and thought the idea might work in Cincinnati.
"This was proposed as sort of an experiment in new evangelization" said Toni Cashnelli, communications director for the friars.
"It is sort of a way to share the Gospel just by providing a Franciscan presence. It would be warm and welcoming in the marketplace at a time when we know that people's lives are frantic and they're really, really tired from shopping. Maybe all they want is a place where they can sit and be quiet and maybe even talk to someone," Cashnelli told The Catholic Telegraph, newspaper of the Cincinnati Archdiocese.
After acquiring the space, the friars went to work turning the former retail store in a welcoming environment for shoppers. They hung posters to display some of the work done by the friars and set aside space for people to sit and relax. The room is softly lit with Christmas music piping in the background. Shoppers will also be offered a cup of coffee or cocoa.
The friars who will be manning the space are planning to wear their robes and be available for prayer, but they don't intend to be pushy.
“We are not proselytizing, and we don’t want to be churchy or preachy,” Anderson said. “But we do want to increase our visibility and have some information out about what we do.”
At the moment, no one really knows who shoppers will respond to the space - if they'll use it or shun it - but the Friars are only too happy to give it a try.
“We are really curious to see how people will use the space,” Anderson said. “We don’t really have any preconceived ideas.”
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