Wayne sends us this report from Lincoln, NE. He, along with Mary and Russ, were evangelizing at the Farmer’s Market in the Hay Market.
According to Russ, they met quite a few Catholics that day, most of whom appreciated seeing Catholics evangelizing on the street – a rather unusual sight, truth be told. Among the many they met was a Catholic couple from Scottsbluff who were in town to help their son move into an apartment. They also met Myra, a fallen-away Catholic, who now attends a different church. She is pregnant and asked for prayers because of a previous miscarriage.
Then they met Stephanie and her young children. Her husband is Catholic, but when he arrived at the booth, he admitted that he no longer attends the Catholic Church, but instead attends his wife’s church. Because their young daughter asked for and received a rosary, her father was given a pamphlet on How to Pray the Rosary and was encouraged to pray the rosary with his daughter.
Another couple came by, and once again, the wife was Protestant and the husband a fallen-away Catholic. His son took two rosaries – one for himself and another for his paternal grandmother. They asked for prayers for the maternal grandmother who has terminal cancer.
Then there was Chris, a Presbyterian who says he loves Catholics. He thanked them for being there. Their nanny is Catholic, and she often takes the children to Mass with her. The daughter was given a Miraculous Medal and a rosary. Her father suggested that SPSE should have a “How to pray the rosary” for children.
Connie and James had apparently talked to the SPSE evangelists last year. Because she had been unable to get an annulment, she no longer attends the Catholic Church, instead attending the Presbyterian Church with her husband. Among others who stopped by was a woman who asked for prayers that her husband will return to the Church, and Megan, a Catholic, who took a rosary.
Praised be Jesus Christ! It’s not surprising that they met so many fallen-away Catholics. While the Church is growing in Africa and other places, it has long been losing numbers in the west. It’s apparent that people “fall away” for a variety of reasons. Often it’s because of marriage to a non-Catholic; if the Catholic partner’s faith is not particularly strong, it can lead to a slow drift away from the Church. The problem is that, in general, we have failed to adequately pass the faith on for at least a couple generations. The Good News is that many fallen away Catholics still have a soft spot in their hearts for the Church, no doubt the work of grace, and so the SPSE team was able to pass out many rosaries and “How to pray the rosary” pamphlets. Many of these went to the children of these fallen-away Catholics, and nearly all of the adults took “Reasons to Return to the Church.” Seeds were planted that day in several different generations! Please pray for our work, and consider joining us!