Charity Asks For Pledges Of Good Deeds For Pope Francis' Visit
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- In honor of Pope Francis visiting Washington D.C. in September, Catholic Charities is running a unique pledge drive.
As WJZ's Alex DeMetrick reports, it's not looking for money, this pledge drive is looking for good deeds.
As Pope Francis finished his visit to South America this month, plans were well underway for his visit to Washington D.C. in September.
One stop will be Catholic Charities headquarters, which is rolling out a website call the "Walk With Francis Pledge."
It's hoping to get 100,000 people to pledge and post a good deed before that visit.
"It's gotta be flexible. It's gotta be simple. It's gotta be measurable," said John Enzler, President of Catholic Charities.
Enzler says it's not about the money, he's looking for pledges that echo the Pope's own words.
"He's saying 'Get out, make a difference'," Enzler said.
Some already do it, like the volunteers at Our Daily Bread in Baltimore.
"Since you're so blessed, it feels like you should give something back," one volunteer said.
But this level of commitment is not the only option. A pledge can be as simple as a prayer or helping a neighbor.
While this pledge drive is only a few days old, people are already signing up.
"I'm going to pray more seriously," said David Cleveland, who made a pledge. "Instead of day dreaming, I'm going to be serious for at least five minutes every day."
"My pledge is to help other people that's homeless now, who refuse to get help," said Robert Crawford. "Because Catholic Charities can help them. It helped me, that's why I'm no longer homeless."
But many people are still homeless and outside Catholic Charities is a statue called homeless Jesus. The Pope is expected to spend time here.
"I think what makes him so special is not just his words, it's his actions," said Enzler. "He walks the walk."
Catholic Charities plans to turn the pledges into a book and present it to Pope Francis when he visits on September 24.
