• Charles Town, WV – St. James team leader and Regional Missionary
• With SPSE since 2015 •
Dorothea learned how to evangelize at the SPSE Leadership Training Institute in 2015 where she was able to evangelize on the streets of Detroit with the SPSE team. This training gave her the skills and confidence to start a team. After a recent move Dorothea is evangelizing again at St. James the Greater Church in Charles Town, WV. The team has about 7 members, including a priest. Dorothea also evangelizes with family members to Shepherdstown and Harpers Ferry, WV. Every time I go out, I find people who want to talk about faith. They accept a rosary and pamphlets about the Catholic faith, and an invitation to attend a Catholic Mass. We continue to pray for them.
What is the relationship between evangelization, the spiritual life, and prayer?
I have had a strong faith life since I was 15 years old when I started attending daily Mass. My love for our Lord grew stronger as I got older. I was introduced to St. Faustina’s Diary at the age of 21 and have had a strong devotion to the Divine Mercy of Jesus, ever since then. Over the years, I was active in many different ministries at Church. I read many books about the saints and my Catholic faith. The Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy are prayed daily, which gives me much peace, and I pray for the salvation of souls and the conversion of poor sinners. My love for Jesus motivates me to go out to evangelize and share my faith with others. I want to bring more souls to know and love Jesus. I do everything for Him and want to live a life pleasing to Him. It does not matter if my family or others do not appreciate what I do for them, because as I go through my day doing my daily duties and activities, I do them with great love for Jesus. This is what really matters most to me, living a life centered on Jesus. I unite all my suffering with Jesus’ suffering on the Cross and offer it to our Heavenly Father for the salvation of souls and for the conversion of sinners. I encourage all of my team members to pray for the salvation of souls and the conversion of sinners, and to spend time in adoration.
How has Covid-19 affected your evangelization efforts?
When we go out evangelizing, we first pray and ask the Holy Spirit to open hearts and souls to talk with us about Jesus and the Catholic faith. During this COVID-19 epidemic, we stand a safe distance from the line of cars of people who come monthly for food at the Pantry at St. James and talk with them about faith. We offer them rosaries and pamphlets and invite them to come to a Mass when the Church re-opens. We also started delivering 100-150 boxes of food to needy families every 2 weeks. Local stores and parishioners are helping with donations. We make calls to let needy families know when we are coming with a box of food, to make sure someone will be home to receive it. When I talk with the families I am delivering food to, I first check to see how they are doing, and then talk about the faith, and lastly ask if they have any prayer requests. I have placed Divine Mercy cards in all the boxes of food Church members are delivering that week. A younger Church member, Grace, helps me deliver the food boxes on their doorsteps. We ring the doorbell and walk back to my car to maintain safety. We wear our gloves and masks. Even though I am tired when we are done delivering our boxes of food, I am glad that I am able to help others in this way, during this time.
Describe your evangelization outings with the Dover team
In 2015 my partner, Katherine Vallorosi, and I started evangelizing at the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk. Our experiences were both positive and humbling. Those who were willing to talk to us about faith and accept a rosary and pamphlets about the Catholic faith, were heartwarming. For the next 4 years, this was our preferred place to evangelize during the warmer months, once or twice each month.