Detroit, MI
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This report comes from evangelist Mark with the Parish Festival evangelization team in Detroit, MI:
Bob, Mike and I evangelized at the St. Thecla parish festival last Friday. The parish had tables in the vestibule with a generous selection of free books and sacramentals. Many curious kids and teens visited the tables and spoke to a deacon and a priest. The parish also provided us with a couple of tables in between the church and the festival tents. Mike and I walked around the grounds while Bob stayed at our table.
Very few people wanted Rosaries but a majority of people, especially children, wanted Miraculous Medals. Althea, the first woman that we approached, wanted a Miraculous Medal. Her sister leads a Miraculous Medal Society in the Philippines but Althea didn’t wear a medal herself. Althea, her daughter and two grandsons were happy to receive medals and holy cards. We approached a mother and her seven year old daughter. The mother didn’t want a medal and wasn’t particularly interested in talking to us. The father was even less interested and distant. However, the parents approved of us talking to the daughter. The girl was happy to receive a Rosary and a MIraculous Medal. As she put the medal around her neck, the girl said “Jesus is with me always.”
The vast majority, probably 90%, of those we talked to were parishioners. Mike talked about how the parish was one of few parishes that still regularly offered Reconciliation during the height of Covid restrictions, and how the grace of the sacrament helped him get through many difficulties. We gave Confession pamphlets to a few people and encouraged them to take advantage of the sacrament.
We approached a group of four and, at first, only one of them was willing to talk to us. Later, we passed by again and they became more interested. More people joined their group and by the end, all seven people in the group received Miraculous Medals, holy cards, and a pamphlet on Confession.
Our last conversation was with a young mother with a daughter about six years old. The daughter picked a colorful Rosary while Bob talked to the mother. She said that her family is Christian but not Catholic. Bob asked, “Can I give you one reason why I’m Catholic? …Because it’s the Church that Jesus started.” Bob continued and said “there are thousands of Christian denominations, they all claim to follow the Bible but they all preach something different too. How do you know who to believe?” The mother immediately responded with “that’s right” and appeared very open. Bob gave her a “Why Be Catholic” pamphlet and invited her to take a serious look at the Catholic Church.
Praised be Jesus Christ!