Rochester, MN
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The following is the third and final story in a series that comes to us from team leader Dr. Deb with our team in Owatonna, MN:
Fr. Sauer noticed a young man walking by singing Happy Birthday to someone on his phone. Father said he could join in, and the young man came over. He told us it was his dad’s birthday, so Fr. Sauer sang Happy Birthday to him too. His dad was so excited and happy. It turns out that they are Catholic and the dad asked for a blessing from Father. Then the young man came and picked out a medal for his dad. He was so happy that we were there and that Father blessed his dad.
Another woman was in Rochester with her husband and daughter. She had been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer five years ago and now had a brain tumor. She was preparing to go in for gamma knife surgery the next day. She was feeling hopeful about the surgery and took a Miraculous Medal, a rosary, and a This is My Body book. Bishop Barron prayed for her intentions and gave her a blessing.
A man and his wife also stopped by for prayers. He was in town for appointments and his wife told us about his struggles. He’d been severely depressed, alcoholic and went off the deep end. He ended up getting shot by police multiple times and is being treated to repair the wounds. He thought God saved him because of his wife and his four boys. We prayed for him to know God’s love for him and to know that God has an amazing plan for his life. We prayed for healing for his injuries and his mental health. They were very moved by our encounter.
We closed our time with prayers of thanksgiving for our encounters. Each time we are able to visibly bring Jesus to the Plaza is a time of grace, both for those we talk to and pray with and for our evangelists. It is even more special when we have clergy available to give blessings to people.
I had the phone for St. Vincent de Paul that day, and when I got home from our outing, I had 24 missed calls! I ended up helping over 40 people and praying for their needs. One woman I’d spoken to had lost her husband in a motorcycle accident in May. She’d been struggling financially, mentally, and spiritually as she tried to cope with his death and helping her three kids. I asked if she was part of a faith community and she said she’d grown up Catholic, and had her kids baptized. She stopped going because she felt judged by people there because her children were of mixed race. I told her how sorry I was that she experienced that. I told her why I go to Mass and reminded her of all the graces available in the sacraments. I invited her to come home to Jesus’s church. I shared with her where I go to church, offered to go with her, and said I’d be happy to connect her to one of the local pastors. Then we prayed for her needs, I gave her a blessed medal, and after a few tears, she thanked me and said she’d think about what we talked about. Please keep Katie and her family in your prayers.
Praised be Jesus Christ!