It's difficult to guess who'll be interested in the Rosaries. So, thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.

A young-adult man on a fixie (a bike with no brakes) asked twice, as he was passing by, if we had said the Rosary was “free”. When we assured him that it was, he circled back around to the table. A Christian unfamiliar with the Rosary, “Jack” was very interested in the prayer and looked through the pamphlet before asking us, “What religion are you?” We said we were Catholic Christians, as was evident in the Christ-centric Mysteries of the Rosary. He sighed with relief and said, “Okay good. I wasn’t sure if you guys were Christian or not.” He didn’t elaborate but thanked us for the Rosary and rode on. Pray that Jack perseveres in his faith in Christ and learns to love Mary, Mother of God and our mother in the order of grace.

A man with the very friendly retriever/newfoundland mix passed our table a few times. He didn’t take a Rosary or even come to a full stop. Sadly, we got more attention from his dog. Lord, open his heart until the love he has for an animal grows into full love of You.

Four teenagers came to the table, although one of them stood back and didn’t want a Rosary. They believed in Christ but were not familiar with the Rosary. Then stood and listened with respectful politeness to our explanation and exhortation to pray. Three of the boys then chose a Rosary and accepted its pamphlet on how to pray it. All but one of them were then ready to leave, but one boy kept looking at the Rosary pamphlet. So, we asked him if he had any questions. However, he seemed too shy to say anything, so we let him know we were there at that time every week, in case he had any questions. Pray for these young men that they will hear the Holy Spirit’s call to a deeper conversion and devote their lives to Our Saviour.

A foreign family were all dressed oddly in brightly colored but mismatched clothes and one of them was wearing a large bulbous hat. They declined our offer of a free Rosary, but the preschool-aged girl with them waved to us. Lord, let the child lead them to a living Faith in You.

After pausing across the walkway and looking at our table for a while, two local 20-somethings brought their very elderly grandmother/great-grandmother over so she could get a Rosary. She’s a non-Catholic Christian from a neighboring state. Once we explained how Christ-centered the devotion is, all three of them chose one for themselves. After they had taken their leave, they again stopped, about ten paces away, and stood comparing Rosaries and talking for some time. Lord, draw them closer to You through the Rosary devotion.

A man was on the phone when he came to the table. Having trouble deciding which color Rosary to choose, he changed his call to video so the woman on the other end could see the Rosaries. He asked for a second Rosary for her but, since she was out of town and since it would be weeks or longer before he saw her, we said no. He told us that he was staying at a homeless shelter run by a non-Catholic Christian denomination, and that he was the one they always asked to offer thanks at the meals. Lord, You know his needs. Please heal him of whatever is keeping him from regularly engaging in meaningful labor at a just and living wage.

Earlier, a Catholic man had asked for a second Rosary for his 18-month-old son, who was at a nearby restaurant. We allowed him to have one but cautioned him about putting it around the baby’s neck. We also made sure he understood the importance of actually using the Rosary for prayer. He then accepted a Mary Untier of Knots prayer card. Lord, bless this man as he embraces his vocation of fatherhood and lead all members of his family to salvation.

A man on a bicycle stopped for a Rosary. He responded to our question, “Do you know anything about the Rosary?” with “No, but I like to make up my own stuff.” Then he asked us to explain the devotion. However, he then seemed put out that there were directions on how to pray the Rosary. He shrugged them off, saying, as he prepared to ride away, “I’ll just use it in my own way.” Please pray that he “uses” the Rosary in a reverent way that glorifies Jesus Christ.

As we were putting the Rosaries away, “Eric” stopped to see what we were doing and selected a Rosary. He is an airline pilot; his wife is a non-practicing Catholic and his family does not attend church. But he was very interested in the Rosary prayer and said he was on his third time in a row listening to “The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz”. The way Eric talked about “The Bible in a Year” moved e. Chuck to ask if he’d ever considered becoming Catholic. After a short pause, he said he had been seriously thinking about it but thought he had a lot to do to get ready to become Catholic, such as getting himself and his family to attend church regularly. The evangelists assured him that there was no perfect moment to wait for, and that the nature of life was that there would always be something else that needed doing before you felt “ready” to convert. He agreed that it was “probably” better to act than to wait. We then asked where he lived so we could show him where the nearest parish was. However, he lives in a distant part of the State. Fortunately, e. Chuck knew that town’s parish priest, from when he converted to Catholicism nine years ago, and suggested Eric go visit with him as soon as he got home. Besides a Rosary, Eric also took a Divine Mercy Chaplet card and a Memorare prayer card. Please join us in praying for Eric: May he cooperate with the graces God has poured into him so that they overflow into a changed life.

Foot traffic was light. It was windy with rather dramatic clouds filling the sky above us. But the rain held off until we were in our cars. (Thank you, God!) We gave away another 30-35 Rosaries and its pamphlet, one Our Lady Untier of Knows prayer card (our last one), one Memorare prayer card, and one Divine Mercy prayer card.

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.

There’s never a “typical” person who’s interest in the Rosary. And God loves them all. 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).