Jesus helps us use the Rosary to draw people to (or back to) Himself and the life-giving Sacraments He instituted in the Catholic Church. So, thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.

• A man came to the table declaring the Rosaries beautiful. Asked if he were familiar with the Rosary, he said, “Very. My family used to pray it.” So, we asked, “Do you know that Jesus loves you, and has an amazing plan for your life?” He smiled and said, “Yes!” Then we asked if he was Catholic. He paused, and then said, “I’m a recurring Catholic.” That was his humorous way of saying that he didn’t attend Mass regularly. Along with the Rosary he chose and its pamphlet on how to pray it, we gave him a map to area parishes and encouraged him to seek the grace of the Sacraments every week. We pointed out the evening Masses available nearby. Pray that his eyes are opened to his need to be fed every week with the Body and Blood of our Lord and Savior.
• We had a short visit with “Marty”. Nothing spiritual. And one of us also spotted “The Merchant” sitting across the plaza from us and pointed him out to e. Clare, since we don’t give him Rosaries anymore. Lord, we still ask You to bless and save each of these men.
• We gave away a large number Rosaries in the team colors of a local university, mostly to newly arriving students, I think. We gave each recipient a Rosary pamphlet to go with it and encouraged them to pray! Lord, draw them deep into Your Heart as they attempt to pray.
• Two students from a Catholic high school, accompanied by one girl’s mom, stopped. They’re in a theology class and were each assigned a question to ask random strangers. One girl’s question was, “Why do we have a body?” The other girl’s question was, “What is love?” (It struck some of us as funny that they indeed asked us the question but didn’t wait for an answer.) It turns out, though, that they were not familiar with the Rosary. So, e. Clare explained the devotion to them and each student chose one for herself. Later, the same evangelist saw them again on her way back to her car and stopped to encourage them to pray. Lord, thank You for the courage these girls showed in being willing to ask strangers important questions. Guide and protect them from error and every other evil.
• A young-adult couple, “Vladimir” and “Sydney”, stopped at the table, led by the man. They did not want a Rosary and the woman appeared unhappy that they had stopped. But the man wanted to ask us a question about the Rosary. E. Clare showed him how Christ-centered the prayer is, which prompted him to reveal that they belong to a pseudo-Christian religion. However, he told us, he has “an intense interest in theologies of all kinds”. He also told us that he had served a mission in a predominantly Catholic country and had developed a great respect for Catholicism. Then e. Chuck assured him that the Rosary was not the only prayer Catholics pray. He replied that he knew that and that he really likes Catholic YouTuber Trent Horn and listens to him all the time. We encouraged him to take a Rosary and try the prayer, e. Clare witnessing that, in her family, praying the Rosary together nightly is what she credits with protecting the faith of all six of her children. The man seemed profoundly affected by that, and said there’s almost no such thing anymore, where all the children stay in the Faith. The evangelist encouraged him to pray with his family and ask Our Lady’s protection over his family. He was then very grateful to receive a Rosary and said he would “definitely give it a try.” Pray that he continues to listen to Catholic voices in the media, that Our Lady will reach out to him as he prays, and that his desire for truth will lead him into the Catholic Church.
• Another young-adult man, who was some type of non-Catholic Christian, came to receive a Rosary. He was very interested in learning how to pray it, and said he would give it a try. Lord, draw him to You through his meditations on Your life.
• A group of young-adult people visiting Boise came by. They were not Christian but were open to receiving Rosaries. The young woman with whom e. Clare spoke, asked her if you’re “allowed to pray it even if you’re not Catholic”. The evangelist said, “Of course!” And encouraged her to give it a try and then see the ways that God would bless her efforts. Lord, do bless the young woman’s efforts to connect with You.
• The business park had repositioned the construction fence of the construction area so it no longer bisects the fountain. Some children were playing in it, off and on. The weather, though nice, was noticeably cooler than the highs over the summer. Foot traffic was sporadic but in good number. So, altogether, we gave away another 20-25 Rosaries and its pamphlet, as well as a map to area parishes.
• The following stories were from e. Nancy for our August 16th outing. I’m afraid I found her email too late for last week’s report. Please pray for each of these people, too?
  • A young couple with a baby in a stroller went by, they replied “No”, but we got to admire the baby, he’s only a month old, and of course, they were so pleased at our exclaiming over him. 
  • Another couple with a baby sleeping in a proud Dad’s arms, each selected a Rosary, this baby girl was only 2 weeks old. 
  • Three young men stopped, one was Catholic, I think he said he had gone to Mass at the Cathedral in the morning, one wasn’t Catholic but they both wanted a Rosary, the 3rd young man hung back. 
  • One young lady stopped and said, “I’m learning”, when asked if she knew about Jesus. She got a Rosary, a booklet, and a Good News/kerygma pamphlet. 
  • A young couple stopped, he’s Catholic and she isn’t, they both got Rosaries and he wanted a St Francis holy card. She was so pleased with her Rosary; I think it was blue. She had the happy face people get when they pick up their Rosary. 
  • There was a man that rushed over with his wallet out and wanted to give a donation, he was so surprised we don’t accept donations. I can’t remember if he ended up getting a Rosary or not. 
  • A fairly large group went by, they said they were Catholics and had Rosaries at home. They were offered Rosary booklets to jumpstart their memories, one man happily accepted one. 

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.

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