Lockport, IL
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This story comes to us from team leader Nick with our team in Joliet, IL:
On another occasion, a woman named Noelle came up and took some rosaries and medals. She said she was going through a difficult divorce, and was technically homeless with her children because she didn’t qualify for government aid and she made “too much money” yet couldn’t afford a place to stay. We prayed right on the spot for her and her whole family, and that God would bless her and walk with her. Afterwards she said she felt strengthened after this and she said she knows things will work out in the end. Please pray for her. Another man in a difficult situation, Bob, said he wanted a Miraculous Medal for his daughter, and when I asked if he was Catholic himself, he said he used to be but left after the abuse scandals, saying that he didn’t like how it was covered up and priests were moved around. He thought it had been happening for centuries. I told him it was evil, but there are now many safeguards in place. I said I’d like to share why I’m Catholic, but he didn’t want to get into it and started walking away. But before he left, he said that maybe the new pope would change something, and he has hope he will. Please pray for Bob to come back to the Church and be open to Christ again.
A final memorable encounter was with a woman accompanied by two young adults, both women. The older woman was a sacristan at the local parish, and the other two had just completed their Christian initiation at the Easter vigil. Therese had just been confirmed, saying that her mother had baptized her when she was a baby, and then never took her to church. She finally decided of her own free will that she wanted to come home, and receive her Confirmation! The other young woman, Pam, said that she was baptized and went through OCIA this past year and said she had learned so much and has felt immense joy since being baptized. They appreciated us being there and we told them they would be prayed for by our whole team. We invited the young ladies to the local Theology on Tap next month that I regularly put on, and they were excited to know there were more options for community among young Catholics in the area!
Please keep all these people, and all the others we encountered, in your prayers!
Praised be Jesus Christ!