‘Pokémon Go:’ to Church?

POKÉMON PLAY  A photo that Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls, posted online recently shows the new mobile video game Pokémon in action outside of the church.

MADISON  Suddenly, young people have been appearing mysteriously in front of the large white statue of Jesus that stands tall on the spacious front lawn of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Evangelization Center at Bayley-Ellard here. Periodically, they have been spotted holding up their Smartphones toward the statue, while looking into the screens and tapping them furiously.

No, these young people aren’t taking pictures of the statue of Jesus — as striking and beautiful as it is — but playing the latest mobile video game to sweep the U.S.: Pokémon Go. It has netted about 21 million users since its July 6 debut, crowning it the most popular app in the world’s history. The game’s objective — to capture small, digitalized creatures (Pokémon) in real geographical locations — has prompted droves of players to visit countless designated churches, businesses and other landmarks in search for them. Many priests, youth groups and other ministers, including many in the Paterson Diocese, have been viewing these random encounters as possible opportunities to evangelize youth and young adults — what some people have called “Pokevangelization.”

St. Paul’s hasn’t reported any of these players yet making the trek from the statue of Jesus, which peers over the wall out in front, up the walkway and into the offices of the evangelization center. Yet Caitlin Fitzgerald, St. Paul’s communications and information coordinator, remains hopeful that someone might make that connection

“This [Pokémon Go] could be beneficial. It might appeal to the unchurched. At St. Paul’s, they can come for the Pokémon, but stay for the events and for Jesus. We have much to offer,” said Fitzgerald, who has not yet had the opportunity to play the game.

A brief survey of sites by The Beacon in the Diocese showed that many parishes have been unsuspectingly designated as PokeStops, where players can find the tools they need to catch the Pokémon, and Gyms, where they can test their skills against other creatures in the game. Sites include: St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Passaic (misspelled on the app as “Dadua”) and Our Lady of the Holy Angels, Little Falls, in two outside locations: at a statue of the Blessed Mother on the side of the church and its Shrine of Our Lady of the Highway facing Route 23. The crucifix above the altar at St. Philip the Apostle Church, Clifton, hosts a “module,” where players can collect multiple creatures as a group. Gyms can be found in front of St. James of the Marches Parish, Totowa, and at Notre Dame of Mount Carmel Parish, Cedar Knolls, which posted a photo of the location on Facebook.

Based on a popular gaming franchise developed by Nintendo in the 1990s, Pokémon Go utilizes augmented reality, which enables players to endeavor capturing the computer animated creatures, while looking at the actual location through their Smartphone’s camera. The app’s technology incorporates GPS and Google Maps that allows players to find the locations for Pokémon — short for “pocket monsters” — and move around this semi-virtual world.

Parishes across the U.S. have been trying to develop ways to engage these visiting players of a game that has been praised for building community, as well as for coaxing people out of their homes and inspiring them to walk around their neighborhoods. Some parishes have hung up banners or have approached gamers personally to welcome them to Mass or their events for young people. The Department of New Evangelization of Green Bay Diocese in Wisconsin issued a guide in response to the Pokémon craze, “A Parish Primer: Responding to Parish Questions and Concerns,” according to Catholic News Service.

In Cedar Knolls, Notre Dame Parish learned that it was the site of a Gym from teens who assisted at its Vacation Bible School said Christina Folan, who serves as the parish’s communications support.

“Notre Dame is a very welcoming parish. Whatever brings people here [is wonderful]. We need to be intentional with all our opportunities [to evangelize],” said Folan, who posted the photo and announcement on Facebook that the church is the site of a Gym. She added words of welcome to the players: “Well, wherever you are, wherever you’ve been, come journey with us!”