Sharing the Good News in New Castle. 
Taking the church out to the people on a parade float. 
The parish float viewed from behind. 
Fr. Mac, altar servers and his dog Ailis. 
Making new friends along the parade route. 
Maitlyn Widelko in front of the Nativity at the Hometown Holiday Market. 
Fr. Mac blesses a rosary.
Members of Holy Spirit Parish have been taking the Good News to the street–and recently, actually brought some of their churches with them.
Volunteers built a parade float on a flatbed trailer depicting the inside of a church and entered it in New Castle’s annual Hometown Holiday Parade on November 20. It featured five pews, an altar, Nativity scene and Christmas trees.
The 42-foot float was filled with parishioners, two servers, the pastor, Father Joseph McCaffrey, and his faithful dog Ailis.
The float won first prize and made a big impression around town.
“It was a fabulous experience,” Father McCaffrey said. “What a powerful example of what John Paul II called the New Evangelization.”
Sponsored by Friends of Catholic Education and supported by Bobosky Concrete, the float represented “the joy, comfort, peace, love and service we aim to provide here in Lawrence County,” said organizer and spokesperson Melanie Widelko. The group also hosted a Christmas Festival & Craft show nearby.
On December 10-12, Holy Spirit Parish took part in New Castle’s first Hometown Holiday Market in Cascade Galleria. They set up a beautiful Nativity scene and gave away more than 300 rosaries, nearly 200 ornaments with Bible quotes, and Christmas Mass schedules.
Fathers McCaffrey, Brendan Dawson, and Benjamin Barr and Sister Annie Bremmer were out greeting the community. Many rosaries were blessed during the event.