Members of the newly formed Chicago SPSE team felt nervous as they set out to evangelize for their first time on that cold and rainy Saturday morning. Father Joshua, pictured, joined the effort.
But the evangelists were pleasantly surprised that people were actually open to receiving Rosaries — so much so that they ran out before the session ended! Evangelist Jayson especially remembers one non-Catholic Christian family who accepted Rosaries and then listened with interest as he explained that on each decade we meditate on an important event in the life of Jesus Christ. Like so many that day, it was a joyful encounter.
Father Joshua himself met many people who were open to discussion and conversation. He even heard one confession! Providentially, he also encountered a man who, although he had been an inactive Catholic, had attended Fr. Joshua’s Mass the previous week. To Fr. Joshua, it was clear that God was calling the man to return to active participation in the Church and her Sacraments.
The team reports that their fears were soon calmed by the positive and joyful response of the passersby. The evangelists all agreed to continue evangelizing regularly and to claim the area where they were as “Catholic Corner”. They finished the day by walking around the corner to the Saint James Chapel at Quigley Seminary for a time of prayerful reflection.
Great start, Team Chicago! Thank you! And thank you to all of our SPSE evangelists! This important work is indeed a source of great joy as God’s Providence confirms our efforts to reach the lost and wandering. We rejoice at the “coincidence” of the man who encountered Fr. Joshua himself on the street. We also rejoice at the openness of the non-Catholic family to the Rosary because we know that often the first step toward full communion with the Church is recognizing that she is, in fact, Christian.
Please send up a prayer for this new team and those they encounter. And, if you are not already an SPSE member and a part of this apostolate, please prayerfully consider joining us today!