Once again, the Joliet Team ventured out to Grove Fest in suburban Downers Grove, but there were a couple of twists to this year's event. The first was that it was the hottest weekend of the year, with heat indices approaching 100 degrees and beyond! But despite that, our team came out to answer the call to staff the whole weekend. Yes, this was the first year since we started coming here in 2018 that our team secured a spot for the entire weekend! A big thanks to our Station Leaders Rachel and Buck for making this happen, and also a big thanks to the Bishop James E Fitzgerald Council #14649 for their generosity and assistance in securing the booth for our team!

I have here several reports from our team members for our recent event at Grove Fest from a couple weeks back. I've also attached some pictures (and one video!) for you to share along with the stories. We've gone to Grove Fest just about every year since our team's inception in 2018, but it was always only for one day in the "non-profit" slot for 2 hours. This time, we were able to secure the entire weekend with the help of the local Knights of Columbus! We were overwhelmed with many people during this very hot weekend, but many good conversations ensued! We prayed with many people and took their intentions. Please see our stories below!

From Angelica (Station Leader):

The city of Downers Grove, IL has a huge festival every year, called Rotary Grove Fest! I evangelized two days in a row, on July 20th and 21st. While Illinois did get hit with a heat wave, I felt it was much needed to help the Joliet team bring the Gospel to the public. Even with the heat, so many passer-bys showed up! I couldn’t count how many people stopped at our booth. A lot of rosaries, miraculous medals, and prayer cards were taken!

The box for prayer intentions got filled up both nights I was there. I still was able to have lengthy conversations with certain people. An observation I’ve made throughout my span of evangelizing is that people simply want someone to listen. They open up about their particular crosses when they feel they will be respected. One woman said she was trying to win full custody of kids, whose dad is emotionally negligent. Other people revealed their close friends or family are battling cancer. Evangelizing is important for peoples’ spiritual needs, as well as their emotional needs. Rotary Fest is one event the Joliet team should come back to!

From Eric:

A recent HS graduate said he is heading to the Navy and said he is allowed to bring two religious items. He was excited to say his medal would be one of them.

A teenager approached with her mom and shared that she attends a Catholic high school and was glad to take a Rosary, Mom was "non-denominational" and I was able to share a few of the pamphlets with her and witness to our belief in the Real Presence. She was very open and thankful.

Ernie a police office said he wanted a medal to protect him. We were able to give him a St Benedict medal.

An Orthodox father and son and family stopped by and said "Jude" was an important name in their family. They were so excited we had a St Jude medals and even a St Jude prayer card.

Another man gladly took a Rosary and said he really needs to go back to Church.

From Buck (Station Leader):

One interesting discussion I had was with the Window and Door Salesmen next to us.
Rachel packed up all our supplies and I came back to our booth. All I had was the prayer intentions box, so I asked passersbys if they knew of anyone that needs prayers - a few said, "no, we're good" The Window and Door guy said, "I've been watching you guys asking people all weekend if anyone wants prayers said for them, and I can't believe how many people say No. Someone in your booth gave me a medal yesterday. This morning I was buying coffee at Dunkin Donuts and a homeless guy asked if I could buy him a cup. I said, sure, I can buy you a cup. I also had the medal you guys gave me and I gave it to the homeless guy. You would not believe how appreciative he was to receive that medal from me. It made me feel good that I could help him like that. I wish I had more of those medals to hand out to people."

From Nick (Team Captain): I was only able to come out for one day this yea, and brought the whole family with as me and my wife switched off, taking our children to the carnival. My sons (10 and 9) had a great time staying at the booth after my wife went home putting together miraculous medals and other saint medals for the many passerby that came to the booth. My cousin, John, engaged with quite a few people while we manned the booth for our shift.

One conversation I overheard as I continued helping others was an elderly woman who was with her high-school age grandson. John asked if she wanted a rosary, and she answered by saying she had left the Catholic Church. John aske her why and she said that the Catholic Church is unfair to women and now she goes to a non-denominational church. John asked her to expound upon what she meant, and she said she didn't like how the popes have said women can't "minister" and be deacons. John tried to engage her in more conversation, and while she was polite, she wouldn't engage much farther. John offered her a "Reasons to Return to the Catholic Church" pamphlet, and she kindly accepted it. Please pray for her (and her grandson) so that she may return to the practice of her religion and to the Catholic Church.

One woman came up to the booth from a nearby vendor who was selling pizzas! I told her I was a fan of the restaurant she was at, and asked her if she resided in the same city. She said she did, I asked her if she went to St. Peter and Paul and she said "How did you know?!" and I let her know with the area she described, it only made sense that she goes there! She said she wanted some rosaries as her daughters would love them. Some of her daughters were still young and I asked her if she was familiar with the Formed.org platform from the Augustine Institute. She said she wasn't and I gave her one of the postcards we had and let her know the parish has this great tool and she can use that to watch many programs and shows with her children, and she can grow in faith as well with the content that is there. She was very appreciative and took it gladly!

Another woman came up with her high school age daughter, and we got to talking as she said she specifically wanted a St. Michal medal. I gave her one as well as a holy card of this great archangel. I asked where she went to church, and she went to a nearby parish in a neighboring town. I asked if there was any way I could pray for her and her daughter. She then said that her husband recently died earlier in the year, and that his name was Michael, and asked if we could pray for his soul. I told her I absolutely could and asked if we could pray together right there. She burst into tears and agreed and we prayed right there on the spot asking God to have mercy on his soul, but also prayed for strength in the Lord for both her and her family during this difficult time. She was very grateful and we parted amicably. Just from that one encounter alone, I realized that even if she was the only person we talked to that weekend, it would've been totally worth it to come out in order to pray with my sister in Christ, and for my brother in Christ. Truly, this is what St. Paul Street Evangelization is all about. Building up the Body of Christ, strengthening the brethren, and leading people into all Truth through Jesus Christ!

From Rachel (Station Leader):

We talked with a man volunteering here named Nat. He wanted two St. Benedict medals. He said he couldn’t go into a church because voices in his head won’t let him. I talked to him about the sacrament of reconciliation and gave him a pamphlet. He said he’s Christian but not baptized, so I gave him my OCIA flier and invited him to learn more.

Then I asked him if we could pray for him right then. I opened and closed with the sign of the cross in Latin, and afterward he said “Wow!” Later Nat came back and just wanted to hang out. He shared he struggled with reading and had been in special education and bullied as a kid. I gave him a FORMED.org card. But he was really excited to help hang up the Knights banner.

One of our evangelists, Tim, talked to a couple with their grandchildren (who look about first Communion age). The grandparents were excited to be able to take them to Mass for the first time today. They’re praying that their children will allow their grandchildren to be baptized. The kids were very sweet and were drawn to the rosaries immediately. Another of our evangelists. Ben had some lengthy conversations with a few people, including with one lapsed Catholic he encouraged to come back to Mass and to join OCIA. I followed up with an Examination of Conscience and told this gentleman to get back to Sunday Mass now! Ben also gave away many St. Benedict medals, explaining the power behind them! I also had a conversation with one lapsed Catholic, a salesman at another booth, encouraging him to come back to the Church. I told him it just takes one Confession to come back, and he seemed open to that.

On our last day, we had one comic left to give away of Bl. Carlo Acutis. A young boy came to the booth wearing a Minecraft shirt. He was interested in the illustrations in the comic. He and his parents were really excited about the rosaries and medals. A few minutes later, he returned and asked if he could exchange the Carlo comic for a "Why We're Catholic book (by Trent Horn) for his uncle who is Orthodox. Of course, I told him to take both and smiled. That was so touching to see from this young boy.

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So those are our reports from the field! Sunday wrapped up nicely when some of the young adults from the local parish came over. They come together every Sunday to pray Vespers in common. Three of those young people came to pray Vespers that night outside our booth, and they chanted it beautifully. A couple of them stayed to evangelize with us after!

All in all, it was a great time at Grove Fest! Please pray for all those that we encountered, and that our team will be able to do many more events like this in future!