For the last three years, St. Julie Billiart Parish, of the Archdiocese of Chicago, has been working to raise awareness of the Catholic faith and engage the faithful. To accomplish this feat, the church has been running a unique campaign that sees a couple of dozen parishioners attend Mass in parishioners' driveways.
Known as “driveway Masses,” these floating weekly Masses are beloved by those who attend. Each week the event is hosted at a different parishioner’s home and draws around 20 to 30 attendees, even in the sweltering summer heat. With parishioners bringing lawn chairs and a table to serve as the altar, these makeshift gatherings have become a routine sight in the sleepy Chicago suburb.
Chicago Catholic reports that the Masses are always dedicated to the Blessed Mother. To this end, a statue of the Virgin Mary is brought to each driveway Mass. The statue remains at the parishioner’s home until the next week, when it is taken to the next location.
Father Tirso Villaverde, pastor of St. Julie Billiart, explained that the idea was borne from his time in seminary, when he served at St. Agnes of Bohemia Parish in Little Village. There, it is tradition that every summer the Catholic community hosts summer street Masses at various locations and to much acclaim. He noted that over the last three years his events have drawn similar success, with the driveway Masses having seen some 100 parishioners participate.
“While they may think they aren’t doing much, this is an effort because they are taking their faith outside and being visible,” Fr. Villaverde told Chicago Catholic.
The pastor went on to remark that it’s not just the parishioners who get something out of it; the Masses' visibility has engaged the public as well. He reported that the small gatherings on driveways routinely get attention from cars passing by, but that’s not where it ends. Some people stop to look on, while others even get out of their cars and join the congregation.
“I don’t know what was going on in the driver’s mind,” Fr. Villaverde pondered. “I’m hoping it sparks things in people that might — whether they go to St. Julie’s or not, that’s not the point — make them think, ‘I haven’t been to my faith in a while so maybe I should revisit it.’ That’s the whole prayer.”
Parishioner Mary Murphy hosted her first driveway Mass on July 13, a particularly hot day in Illinois. Despite the heat, however, Mary was thrilled with her contribution, calling it a “big honor”:
“It is enjoyable to get out early on a Saturday morning and be with Jesus,” she said. “There’s nothing like it.”
