St. Anastasia pastor prays with players visiting church for smartphone game

TROY — Two gyms, three Pokestops, one Jesus: St. Anastasia Parish in Troy has it all.

The interactive smartphone game “Pokemon GO,” which involves using GPS locations to track down and “capture” digital creatures that appear on a player’s phone, has taken the country by storm, leading players to locations such as churches, businesses and town centers in search of “Pokemon.”

“Last Sunday afternoon, I noticed all these cars stumbling into the parking lot, and then they leave,” said St. Anastasia pastor Fr. Steve Wertanen. “The next day, someone told me about this Pokemon GO, and I thought this was a great opportunity.”

The next day, Fr. Wertanen — whose background is in graphics and advertising — made a sign welcoming players to St. Anastasia. After positive feedback, Fr. Wertanen went back to the presses, making buttons to hand out to players who visit the parish and inviting them to pray and ask questions about the church.

“There are some kids who said they were Catholic but don’t come to church much, some who’ve never been to a Catholic church,” Fr. Wertanen said. “Some have come up to me and I say, ‘Hey, can I pray for you or with you?’ And the kids come back; it’s not just a one-time thing.”

While few expected the game to be as popular as it is, Fr. Wertanen said the extra foot traffic is a chance to introduce the parish to new visitors and show that it’s always there for the community.

“I met a young woman with a hat and no hair, and I went to her to politely ask if she was battling cancer,” Fr. Wertanen said. “She said she had ovarian cancer, and I asked if I could pray for her. She had her friends come near and we prayed. It’s important to do things like this, welcome all who visit. If there is a kid down the road, maybe he’ll come to church, but maybe if he needed someone to talk to, then I’m here.”



The increase in foot traffic and interest in visiting local Catholic churches and shrines is welcomed by the Archdiocese of Detroit, but it encourages players to be mindful of those who are praying and not to wander into places reserved for reverence, especially after hours when authorities could mistake it for trespassing or vandalism.

“The kids have been nothing but nice, polite and fun,” Fr. Wertanen said. “It’s great time to go out in clerics and meet them. They told me how the game works, and they thanked me so much for making the sign.”

The game has led players to historic and prominent sites they wouldn’t normally visit, causing parishes to brainstorm how best to use the opportunity as a tool for evangelization.

Aside from catching a rare Pokemon — short for “pocket monster” — players at St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Redford Township also have the chance to learn about Catholic art and culture.

Five statues on the grounds of St. Robert Bellarmine are “Pokestops,” which players can visit to obtain virtual items to help them capture more Pokemon. Laura Scanlan, pastoral associate at St. Robert Bellarmine, made signs describing each of the statues in an effort to create interest and educate players about the meaning of the places they’re visiting.

“We have several things that are Pokemon-related: our statue of the Sacred Heart, Our Lady of Fatima appearing to the children and some other tiny statues,” Scanlan said. “We’re going to print up cards that they can pick up that describe the statue and have the ‘Hail Mary’ printed on them.”

Scanlan said players are welcome to come again and earn more points and in the hopes they use the visit to learn more about the Church.

“It’s an evangelization tool,” Scanlan said. “They might as well know what they’re looking at, looking for the education part of it along with the Pokemon side of it. Here we want to make it more with what it means, and hopefully it strikes a chord with them, seeing how important God is, and how much Jesus loves us.”