Somerville, NJ

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This report comes to us from station leaders Michael and Alpa with our Somerville-Immaculate Conception parish team in NJ:

Later in the afternoon at Bridgewater Commons Mall, shoppers were still out making purchases so we were able to meet more people in hopes of sharing the Gospel with them.

We met a couple who stopped to take a rosary. The man had the Latin phrase “my most grievous fault” tattooed on his arm! They said that they tried to get to Mass regularly, but sometimes weren’t able to. We talked about their faith, and both felt their faith was strong. We prayed with them, and as they were leaving, the man reached over and took a Reasons to Return to the Catholic Faith brochure. He said he’d be sharing this with his friend who was a lapsed Catholic. We offered him a Word on Fire prayer book, which he also happily took to give his friend.

A young woman with piercings, brightly dyed hair and tattoos walked by. Worst she could say is “no”, so I asked if she’d like a rosary. To my delight, she was open and spoke about her faith journey. Sadly, she felt lost spiritually as her family wasn’t religious. However, she was dating a Catholic man and was feeling called to Catholicism. She was going to join OCIA at his parish. We prayed and I felt the Spirit prompt me to pray for perseverance for her, which I did. After our prayers, I spoke to her about fortitude, and how important it is in our faith life. I told her there’ll be forces pulling her away; so remember to stick with it. She agreed and asked if she could hug Albert and me. She was a wonderful soul and the Lord blessed us in letting us speak with her.

Praised be Jesus Christ!