Watertown, NY
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The following report is a continuation of yesterday’s story, which comes to us from team leader Scott with our team in Watertown, NY:
Bill and his wife Sherri, along with Sherri’s son Damien approached our table and were asking questions about the faith. We provided them rosaries, instructions on the rosary, and information on the church. Sherri explained to us how her whole family has passed away. When they died, their Catholic items were taken away with them and she never got them back. She was very pleased to receive items that she grew up with as she was holding back tears. Her husband Bill wore a cross around his neck and he was dressed like a biker and had many tattoos. He looked very strong and tough. He told me how he was in Desert Storm (we thanked him for his service), had three heart attacks, and other surgeries. You never would have thought these serious medical conditions happened to him because he looked as strong as an ox! We had a good discussion with them and realized that Bill’s faith was very deep. He was also a Marine Scout sniper. I too was also a sniper in the Army, so we had something in common that helped him be more open to exploring what was on the table.
Their son Damien, who is 26, was telling us some things about himself and his family, and how his biological father passed away from lung failure in his bed while Damien was in the house and had to discover his father. Damien explained to me that his father’s ashes were in the car at the event and that he normally takes them wherever he goes. Please pray for this family and the soul of Damien’s father!
Next, Kathy and her husband and children came up to our table and were asking us questions about the faith. Kathy went to Catholic religious training as a child but was never fully received into the Church. Her husband is an ex-Mormon who became Presbyterian, but is now considering the Catholic faith. We gave them rosaries, information on the Catholic Church, and had a discussion about the Arian heresy which Mormonism subscribes to (they believe Christ is not from the same substance of God, but is more like a high level manager.) Kathy’s husband affirmed that in the Mormon church, they do not even claim to be Christian now, and their tactics for getting new members were very forceful and abusive. He could not take anymore of it and had to leave.
Kathy also described how she reads and studies the bible, but still has mental blocks into what she is trying to understand, and that she has trouble committing to anything because it is so overwhelming to her. I explained to her some key points about the faith and emphasized the importance of prayer in asking the Lord to help us understand His word. I also asked her whether or not she believes the Lord puts people in her life for a purpose, to which she agreed. I also explained to her that there are people who can help her understand scripture, and what she would be getting herself into when she professes the Church and the faith, so there is no confusion, and is why if she went to a Catholic Church and wanted to enter it, she would need to do OCIA which goes all the way back to the early Church period. She would have time to discern and study the scriptures in a laid back format where she can opt out anytime, and it wouldn’t be like a cult that would come to her door with pitchforks.
She was more open to this concept and wanted more information. I told her and her family about the local Catholic Churches in our area, but she insisted she go to whichever Church I was attending. When I told her the Church that I was attending, she told me how she lives right down the street from there and got into a story of how she met her husband in that area. Before Kathy and her family left to enjoy the eclipse festivities, I wrote up some contact information for her to Church, their website, and contact numbers. Please pray for this family to enter the Church and to partake in the fulness of worship!
Praised be Jesus Christ!