God brought a lot of people to us. So, thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.

It was the national holiday honoring fathers and God granted lovely weather. The plaza was very busy, and our heads were on a swivel. We were constantly replenishing the table. Several times, we had two different groups at the table at the same time.

A young-adult couple stopped by. They had “just moved to Boise this weekend.” Both Catholic, they wanted our map of area parishes. Lord, help them feel at home in their new parish and keep them Faithful.

Another young-adult couple paused at the table. He was here for a summer job and she was just visiting. The woman was Catholic and from the same area of another state as e. Nancy, so they reminisced about that for a moment. Meanwhile, e. Chuck talked briefly with the man, who told us there were a lot of Catholic churches in their hometown. It didn’t sound, though, like he’d made any effort to find a church here. So, the evangelist gave him a map to area parishes and encouraged them to find a Sunday evening Mass that day. The man said was glad to get a Rosary since he had none with him. She chose one, too, and accepted its booklet, as well as a Divine Mercy prayer card. She said she didn’t want the map because she has a Mass times app. Please pray that their relationship is grounded in Christ and that they seek Him with joy.

A woman, who appeared to have some health challenges, practically ran to the table and thanked us profusely for being there. She thought the Rosaries were so beautiful. She said she needed some help to pray. E. Nancy told her, “Don’t be afraid to ask God questions” and “The Rosary helps me quiet my mind and hear Jesus.” Of course, all thanks go to God, not us. Pray that Our Lord grant our visitor peace as she uses her new Rosary for prayer.

Another group stopped and said they were Catholic and named their local parish. They had lots of Rosaries but they shook our hands and said, “Thank you for being here, working for the Lord.” The man got a little emotional as he thanked us. Lord, bless this family and keep them close to You.

Two grade-school-aged girls, dripping wet from playing in the fountain and with their mother in tow, hurried to the table eager to pick out a “necklace.” When asked about their faith, the mother grew uncomfortable and said, “We don’t really have a religion, we’re just kinda spiritual.” She had gone to Mass this past Easter with the girls’ grandmother and had thought the Mass and the church beautiful, but she was not sure which one it was. We seized on her vague acknowledgement of the supernatural to encourage them to seek God in prayer, how the Mysteries of the Rosary would be a good way to introduce them to Christ and His Church, and how they would help them as they explored spiritual things. The more e. Chuck explained the Rosary, the more interested she got. They each picked a Rosary. The girls also wanted holy cards and a “Good News” brochure. Pray for this family, may their hearts and minds be convicted of the solid truth of Christianity and of our desperate need for a Savior.

One teenage girl, maybe 14 years old, was with a large group but stopped at the table by herself, with permission from her parents. She was very interested when e. Nancy said, “Jesus has plan for your life.” She was serious and not in a hurry, although her group was walking away. She got a Rosary, its booklet, and a Divine Mercy holy card. Lord, draw her deep into Your Heart and help her choose lifelong holiness.

One lady was visiting from across the Atlantic (for a week!, long flight for a week!), but she was originally from Boise. She had taken a “History of Boise Churches” course at some time in the past and seemed to remember quite a bit. (One evangelist characterized her as “kind of interesting and kind of prickly, lol”.) She told the evangelists, “The cathedral used to be called St Patrick’s but was changed to St John’s because, by the time it was rebuilt, there were more Basque than Irish Catholics in the area and the Basques funded it.” [However, this depiction of history is not accurate. Until the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist was completed, Basques worshiped at the Church of the Good Shepherd (about 3 blocks east of the current cathedral, which was completed in 1921 and, incidentally, has never needed to be “rebuilt”). According to a local wiki site, “During the early 1920s, … the American Catholic Church closed many of its ethnic parishes in an effort to unify congregations and emphasize loyalty to the United States. In 1928 Bishop Edward Kelly converted the [Church of the Good Shepherd] into his private chapel …. This forced the Basques to worship at St. John’s.”] Our visitor went on to say that in her current home country, she was the only Catholic that many of her friends knew. So, when a relative passes away, she gets all the left-behind Catholic things, including of course, Rosaries.  However, as she walked away, she said, “Church didn’t matter, everyone was going to heaven anyway”. Lord, call her back to faith in You, who alone can save her!

A couple with their adult son paused in front of us, the father asking if we were Catholic. When we said we were, he replied, “I have a word for you.” Then he asked if it was true that the Catholic Church said it was okay to believe in evolution back in the 1950s. Not knowing what he was referring to specifically, we assured him that the Catholic Church had not stopped believing that God created the universe and life from nothing, and that the Church is not limiting our theories as to how God accomplished this. We had a lengthy conversation about the limitations of science and recommended he listen to Fr. Spitzer for reassurance that scientists were becoming less militantly atheist. They did not go near the Rosaries but went on their way amicably. Pray that their faith in Christ remain steadfast and their suspicions about the Catholic Church are laid to rest.

A large family group, spread out over half the plaza, declined our offer but the father suddenly hollered at his wife to “come get a Rosary”. His adult son laughed and said, “Come on dad, mom hasn’t been Catholic for 30 years!” The mom said something to her family we didn’t hear, then ran to the table to pick out a Rosary. She did not stay to talk but dashed off to catch up with her family. Pray that she will heed the Holy Spirit’s call and come running back to the Church.

Two college-aged women came to the table led by the taller of the two, who immediately asked, “Are these blessed?” She confirmed that she was Catholic and was pleased to receive a Rosary. But her friend declined saying, “I’m Christian.” We showed her how Christocentric the Mysteries are and suggested that meditating on Christ’s life is very Christian. Between our explanation and her friend’s enthusiasm, she finally picked out a Rosary and accepted its pamphlet. Pray that she is brave enough to try the prayer and that her Catholic friend will find ways to show her the truth and beauty of the Church.

A man unfamiliar with the Rosary picked one out while affirming that he knew Jesus loved him. He was surprised that the prayer was not just rote nonsense and was intrigued by the Mysteries. He didn’t have much to say but didn’t leave right away either, so we dove deeper into the prayer and because he kept staring at the picture of Mary on the cover of the pamphlet. We reassured him it was not worship of Mary but rather a chance to pray, in friendship, along with the mother of Our Lord at our side. Pray that he seeks a deeper friendship with Our Lady and the whole Communion of Saints, knowing they will help draw him closer to Our Savior.

There was one scenario that was repeated several times. A family with 2 or 3 grade-school and junior-high-aged children would walk by. The older child would want a Rosary, the younger ones would follow. Pretty soon, the whole family is there, listening to our explanations and everyone selects a Rosary and gets a prayer booklet.

Many Catholics responded, “we have a Rosary”, or even, “we have lots of Rosaries”. A few accepted the Rosary booklet as a reminder. Several people said, “We’re Christian”, and did not stop. If they were close enough, we would say, “Jesus is for everyone.”

Altogether, the two evangelists gave away 40-50 Rosaries and its pamphlet, several maps to area parishes, and several prayer cards.

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 tha much good fruit for His Kingdom comes of today’s efforts.

God used the Rosary to draw lots of people to our table and conversation about Him. 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).