Somerville, NJ
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This report comes to us from station leaders Ingrid and Alpa with our Somerville-Immaculate Conception parish team in NJ:
From Ingrid:
We met a mom who asked for prayers for her newborn daughter. She was born prematurely and is the only one of her four kids who needed to stay in the hospital after birth. The parents visit her every day, with the mother and father going together after he finishes work. Please keep this family in your prayers.
We also met a teenage Christian girl who was curious about the Rosary and wanted to know what it was. We explained that the Rosary is a prayer of meditation that helps us contemplate the life of Jesus through the eyes of His Blessed Mother. She was interested in learning more, so she took a Rosary and a brochure explaining how to pray it.
From Station Leader Alpa:
Many Catholics stopped by our table to receive a free Rosary, share their faith, or simply let us know they were Catholic. We thank God for every encounter. Two encounters out of the many stood out: We spoke to an older couple who asked for prayers for their kids and grandkids. After we prayed together, we started talking and learned they’re both Catholic. But during the conversation, the woman said, “When [her husband] got home from Mass that morning…” I asked if she’d gone to a different Mass. This question changed the direction of the conversation. She confided that she no longer attends Mass because of a trauma that happened to a friend. Now, whenever she’s in the church, she gets triggered and her mind goes back to that incident. She has a very strong faith, but just can’t get to Mass. We prayed for her healing, and I asked if she’s tried different liturgies. She said no. Meanwhile, her husband was very encouraging of the conversation and stood listening and smiling as we spoke. I apologized for the harm she’s suffered and as she walked away, she said “I’ll think about getting back to church.”
Later, we spoke to a young woman who was Protestant, but this past Lent, she prayed the rosary every day. After Lent, she became convinced of the truth of the Catholic faith. She shared her journey in detail and we spoke about OCIA, and I shared about my experience of going through RCIA. She said she especially feels that Mary is leading her into Catholicism, and I told her that she’s probably right. She’s planning on joining OCIA where she lives in Northern NJ and after our conversation, she hugged and thanked me.