Respectful interactions seem more productive. So, thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.

“Zach”, a 30ish man, dressed in black slacks and white dress shirt with no tie, approached with a nervous smile. He was carrying a Bible and a plastic bag full of those tracts that tend to be viciously anti-Catholic. He spoke in good faith, though, not wanting to put words in our mouths. He first asked how works fit in with salvation in Catholicism. We had an amicable and productive discussion over a wide range of topics and we advised him to look into why “once saved always saved” is such a recent innovation and only believed by a small portion of Protestants. He said he had just purchased the writings of the early Church fathers (praise God!) but hadn’t started reading them yet. We assured him that he was in for a treat. He would not take a Rosary, but wanted any of our pamphlets that we thought might help him. We gave him “Why Be Catholic” and “Common Objections”, as well as a copy of the Catechism, which we showed him how to use. First-time evangelist, “e. Carolyn”, accepted a couple of his tracts. Pray for Zach, that he will, like so many others, read his way into the Catholic Church.

A group of 5 boys in their early teens, and riding fat-wheeled bicycles, stopped after one of the boys wanted a Rosary. They each ended up taking one. May the Lord draw them to actually use the Rosary for prayer and lead them to salvation.

A man and woman stopped when he was curious about the Rosary. They were not Christian. E. Chuck explained how the Rosary was a good way to get to know Jesus Christ and how much He loves us. E. Lucy handed the woman a copy of our Good News/kerygma pamphlet as “a good overview of the Christian message”. Each of these visitors accepted a Rosary. Lord, reward their politeness with the grace to find You and salvation!

It looks like hockey season has opened and lots of people showed up at the sports arena with hockey sticks and lugging massive equipment bags. However, I don’t think any of them stopped for a Rosary.

A man and his primary-school-aged son stopped so the boy could get a Rosary. After hearing the evangelist extol the devotion, he ended up taking one, too. Lord, bless them and help them both grow in holiness.

A young-adult couple heard our offer of a free Rosary, and the woman responded, “No, thank you. I don’t support rapists.” We replied that we didn’t either but, as they walked on, she said, “You’re all rapists.” The boyfriend was shocked by her words and apologized to us, saying she didn’t mean it. So, we wished them God’s blessings, for which he thanked us. Pray for her, that she will let go of her hatred for the Church and that her more peaceful boyfriend can have a positive influence on her. Pray also for their conversion, that Christ becomes the foundation of their lives.

“Ernesto”, a student in the same evangelization class as e. Lucy and e. Carolyn, paused to greet us as he walked by. He let us know about his healing-prayer ministry at a nearby parish.

A young man riding a “fixie” (a bicycle with no brakes) circled back to the table and admitted he knew nothing about the Rosary nor was he a Christian. We shared the Gospel message with him and showed him how the Rosary would show him who Jesus is. But as we spoke, his countenance fell until he laid the Rosary, its pamphlet, and the Good New pamphlet back on the table, and politely said, “I will never use this so I’ll leave it for someone who will.” We tried to encourage him to at least look it over but he rode away. Pray that he will begin to listen as the Holy Spirit speaks into his life, calling him to Christ, and that the tiny seed we planted may grow into faith.

Two teenage boys on electric scooters skidded to a stop. One boy stayed away from the table, while the dark-haired boy spoke with us. The boy standing back whispered a warning to his friend, “They’re Catholic”, which startled the dark-haired boy. But, at our assurances that the prayer was Christ-centered, he went ahead and took a Rosary. The other boy, however, would not make eye contact with us. Pray that the one boy will let go of his prejudice and that both will grow in love and devotion for Jesus Christ.

Frequent visitor “Marty” stopped by, chatted briefly with e. Chuck, and greeted e. Lucy and e. Carolyn, before continuing on his way. He smelled strongly of alcohol, so please continue to pray for him?

Two members of the team spotted a formerly frequent passerby, “Cole”, whom we hadn’t encountered for more than two years. We knew him as a homeless man who carried around a very large duffel bag. E. Lucy was able to have a brief conversation with him, and is pleased to report that Cole is no longer homeless. God is merciful! Praise God!

A middle-aged couple, who are not Christians, paused for a Rosary. The man said that, though he was not a believer, he was “thinking about it.” We congratulated him on thinking about the most important question of all. The evangelist continued by saying that faith was not about agreeing to an idea but about coming into a relationship with a Person, and so the best way forward would be to get to know the Person of Jesus Christ. We showed them how the Mysteries of the Rosary are a good first step in getting to know Jesus, and gave them a Good News/kerygma pamphlet. They smiled politely, but were ready to move on. So, we let them know we were there every Sunday afternoon and encouraged them to come back if they have questions. Pray for this couple, may they open the door of their hearts as Jesus stands knocking.

“E. Carolyn”, a first-time street evangelist, joined us. Besides the above, she noted these other encounters during the session. So, please, also send up a prayer for each of the following people.

• • A young-adult couple, the woman wearing a shirt that claimed, “You are enough”.
  • A pre-teen boy was interested in us, but his parents walked on.
  • The husband of a nice family selected a Rosary.
  • Four young Catholics were riding through the business park. At least one of them chose a black Rosary.
  • A young-adult man, who has “a friend who is Catholic”, stopped and chose a Rosary.
  • A toothless, homeless-looking person took a Rosary and expressed his gratitude.
  • A middle-aged Catholic couple took a Rosary, saying they were very familiar with the devotion.
  • A non-Catholic Christian group returned our blessing when we asked God to bless them.
  • A couple stopped. The woman seemed interested until she heard that the Rosary was a prayer.
  • A man in his upper teens, sporting a fish tattoo and dressed in black, and the girl with him each took a Rosary.
  • A family with three children passed, the mother giving us a “thumbs up” of approval.
  • An older couple were visiting town and looking for an evening Mass. We gave them directions to a nearby parish that has one. Then e. Lucy remembered that our map that has a thumbnail of the parish and the actual address, and ran after them with a copy of it. They were grateful to receive the information.
  • Another couple walking by returned our blessing but didn’t take a Rosary.
  • But the next couple came to the table and each selected a black Rosary.
  • A woman, walking quickly by, frowned at our blessing and shrugged it off.
  • An older teen accepted a Rosary and gave us a polite smile.
  • Three teens on wheels didn’t accept a Rosary, but blessed us back.
  • A family of six very politely told us, “no, thank you”.
  • An elderly couple said no, but asked God to bless us.
  • A group of four non-Catholic Christians accepted a free Rosary apiece.
  • A man in a leather jacket told us, “It’s all about self.”

Altogether, the team gave away 25-30 Rosaries and its pamphlet, 1-3 Good News/kerygma pamphlets, a “Why Be Catholic?” and a “Common Objections” pamphlet, and a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Please pray for us again today? Ask God to send people to us with hearts prepared to perceive their need for Our Savior Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church, and that much good fruit for His Kingdom comes of today’s efforts.

We try to respond to everyone we encounter with the respect that Jesus wants us to show them. So, thank you again for your prayers and other support for this apostolate. In turn, may God protect and greatly bless you and all those you love.

“Go with the strength you have” (Judg 6:14).