Introduction and FAQ. What is the Walk with Francis pledge? How do I use this toolkit? How does someone take the pledge? What happens to our pledges?

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2 Introduction and FAQ What is the Walk with Francis pledge? This initiative of the Archdiocese of Washington and Catholic Charities is an opportunity for you to make a commitment to follow the Pope s example of faith and service. We are asking everyone to consider signing the Pledge which invites you to commit to one or more of the following: Pray regularly for the Holy Father and learn about the message of the joy of the Gospel, the mercy of God and the love of Christ. Serve by reaching out and caring for those in need and supporting charitable efforts in our community and beyond. Act to promote human life and dignity, justice and peace, family life and religious freedom, care for creation and the common good. How do I use this toolkit? This toolkit is full of resources to help you celebrate and share the Walk with Francis pledge in your school. It contains: Information about the Walk with Francis pledge. Resources for each week, including school prayers and sample parent blasts. A flyer promoting the pledge. Digital media guide How does someone take the pledge? To take the pledge, go to and sign up to pray, serve, or act. Then carry out your commitments as an example to others of faith and service. What happens to our pledges? Walk with Francis pledges help make a real difference in transforming our community and fostering a culture of faith and service. Additionally, pledges received prior to the Pope s visit will be collected and compiled into a book and presented to him as a gift while he is here in Washington. How can I use the Digital Media Guide? The Digital Media Guide is designed to support your online outreach. Sample tweets and social media posts can be found online at On that same webpage, you can find web banners and code for embedding Walk with Francis videos into your school website. If you have questions about how best to use this resource, please contact Sarah Yaklic, the director of digital media at or yaklics@adw.org. u 1

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4 Timeline for Celebrating the Holy Father s Visit and the Walk with Francis Pledge Week of August 30 We pray for or the health of the Holy Father, for safety in his travel to the United States, and for his continued wisdom, strength, and humility as he leads our Church. Pope Francis is coming to the Archdiocese of Washington and you are invited to be a part of the journey by taking a pledge. Welcome Pope Francis by committing to follow his example of faith and service. As the Letter of James in today s readings challenges us: Be doers of the word and not hearers only. We are challenging local individuals and organizations to take the pledge to Walk with Francis by choosing to pray or serve or act in a new way to advance his mission and ministry in the next year. Your pledge will be presented as a gift to the Holy Father during his visit. Visit walkwithfrancis.org to take the pledge online. The best way to welcome Pope Francis is to #WalkwithFrancis and share your pledge on social media. u 3

5 Week of September 6 We pray for all those taking the pledge to Walk with Francis to pray or serve or act in a new way to advance the Kingdom of God. Walk with Francis and pray, serve, or act in a new way to advance his mission and ministry in the world. We encourage you to pray regularly for the Holy Father and learn about the message of the joy of the Gospel, the mercy of God and the love of Christ. Serve by reaching out and caring for those in need and supporting charitable efforts in our community and beyond. Act to promote human life and dignity, justice and peace, family life and religious freedom, care for creation and the common good. Once you have taken the pledge, challenge family, friends, and co-workers to do the same! Find more information or take the pledge online at WalkwithFrancis.org. Share your pledge on social media and challenge others using #WalkwithFrancis. The best way to welcome Pope Francis is to #WalkwithFrancis! u 4

6 Week of September 13 For our parish communities to be places full of welcome and hope for the Pope, where all people may encounter and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. This September, we welcome Pope Francis first and foremost by committing to follow his inspirational example. The Archdiocese of Washington is challenging local individuals and organizations to take the pledge to Walk with Francis by choosing to pray or serve or act in a new way to advance his mission and ministry in the next year. Don t stand on the sidelines of faith. Get involved and take the pledge to Walk with Francis. Visit WalkwithFrancis.org to take the pledge online. Did you already take the pledge? Share the joy by challenging someone else to take the pledge. Find more information or take the pledge online at WalkwithFrancis.org. Share your pledge on social media and challenge others using #WalkwithFrancis! The best way to welcome Pope Francis is to #WalkwithFrancis! u 5

7 Week of September 20 We pray for the World Meeting of Families meeting in Philadelphia this week, for our own families, and families throughout the world, that we would be given grace to put God at the center of our lives and learn from him the generous live that makes marriages strong and families fully alive. How is your Walk with Francis pledge? Have you followed through? Jesus encourages us with the joy and beauty of humble service in this week s Gospel when He teaches, If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all. If you need help getting started, check out the opportunities featured at WalkwithFrancis.org. With Pope Francis about to arrive in the United States, take this opportunity to challenge family, friends, and co-workers to take the pledge as well! Share your pledge and challenge others on social media using #WalkwithFrancis. The best way to welcome Pope Francis is to #WalkwithFrancis! u 6

8 Week of September 27 For all of us to be missionary disciples, following the example of Pope Francis by committing our lives to loving and serving Jesus. This weekend, Pope Francis is celebrating families through his participation in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. As he has said before: How precious is the family as the privileged place for transmitting the faith! The Pope s visit is a great opportunity for our families to transmit, affirm, and witness to our faith in Jesus Christ. Have you considered taking the Walk with Francis pledge with your family? Take the pledge with your parents, your siblings, your spouse, or your children, and then live out the pledge together as a group. Strengthen your family bonds and share your faith as you transform your community! Take the pledge as an individual or family at WalkwithFrancis.org, and challenge friends and relatives to do the same. u 7

9 Week of October 4 We pray for all people in our community and region, that they may be transformed by the experience of the Holy Father s visit. With the Holy Father s visit to the United States so fresh in our minds and hearts, now is a wonderful opportunity to revisit your pledge to pray, serve, or act in order to walk with Pope Francis! What did you pledge? What can you continue doing this week to put your faith in action out of love for Christ? Pray and reflect on the Word of God. Contemplate and study the writings of Pope Francis, such as Laudato Si and The Joy of the Gospel. Volunteer with a our parish ministry or through Catholic Charities. Support the poor and marginalized. Work in a social justice ministry. Share your faith with others. These are just a few of the many ways to live a life of faith and service! For more ideas and resources, visit WalkwithFrancis.org. u 8

10 Week of October 11 We pray for civic and political leaders in our region and around the world, that they will seek Truth, promote the common good, and serve the needs of the poor and marginalized. During his visit, Pope Francis drew the attention and interest of millions of people in our region and across the country. Many of those people do not know Jesus and the Church. How can you use that widespread public interest in Pope Francis to share your faith with those around you? Consider sharing your Walk with Francis pledge with family, friends, and neighbors and challenging them to take the pledge, too. Anyone can take the pledge! Often, service and social justice are wonderful avenues for those around us to see disciples in action and, through that witness, to begin to know the Lord. Consider challenging someone to Walk with Francis with you, then work together in an act of peace and justice, serve the poor and marginalized together, or even share your faith and prayer with them! After all, if they like walking with Pope Francis, they are going to love the one that Francis is following: Jesus. Share the pledge with others at WalkwithFrancis.org or on social media using #WalkwithFrancis. u 9

11 Week of October 18 We pray for all individuals in our community, that in the wake of the Holy Father s visit they continue to be touched and inspired to reconsider faith in their lives. A great joy of the Christian life is that, as the Body of Christ, we can carry God s justice, right, and kindness into the world. During Pope Francis s visit to the United States, he raised up the same themes: justice, right, kindness, care for the poor and marginalized, peace, promotion of human dignity, service to the common good. How are you responding to these themes with your own life? Have you taken the Walk with Francis pledge and followed through? How is it going? Visit WalkwithFrancis.com if you need more help or ideas. Who else can you challenge to take the Walk with Francis pledge with you? Pray, serve, and act these are the ways we live out our love for Christ. u 10

12 Week of October 25 We pray that one month after the visit of the Holy Father, his visit may continue to inspire and challenge us to be living channels of the Holy Spirit in our world. Hard to believe it has been a month since Pope Francis was here in the United States! As we begin to anticipate the Year of Mercy in just over a month, let us not forget about the Holy Father s visit. We continue to walk with him with his words, his encouragement, his example, and his challenge to more deeply live a Christian life of faith and service. Consider renewing your Walk with Francis pledge or making a new pledge! Visit WalkwithFrancis.org for more ideas on ways to pray, serve, and act. Pope Francis reminds us not to be a part-time Christian, only at certain moments, in certain choices. Be a Christian at all times. How can you continue growing in your Christian life and witness? u 11

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