Boise

Country: United States
State or province: Idaho

Team Leader
Lucy Stamm
Contact

Admin
Login

Team Badges

Our Blessed Mother's Vocation - 2023-01-15

January 22, 2023

“To Jesus Through Mary” is a real thing. So thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.

A mom brought a small boy to choose a Rosary. He immediately grabbed the one bright green one that we had on the table. I don’t remember whether the mom was Catholic.

Two young-adult women, pushing a small dog in a stroller, hesitated when offered a Rosary, then continued on their way. On their way back, we asked if they wanted one “this time”, but they declined. Pray for them?

A group of four college-aged women stopped, led by an enthusiastic one who wanted a Rosary. The four were soon joined by a fifth woman. A talkative one told e. Chuck that she was a non-Catholic Christian. unfamiliar with the Rosary, but interested in how the prayer could deepen her walk with Christ. The fifth visitor listened in silence but decided not to select a Rosary. Meanwhile, e. Lucy explained the devotion to another of the women, this one also a non-Catholic Christian. By the end of the encounter, three had chosen a Rosary and accepted the booklet on how to pray it. Pray their lives witness to the love of Christ.

A young-adult, but economically challenged, couple stopped. He was Christian. As e. Lucy explained the devotion and the peace that people find when they reverently try to pray it, the man and woman became more animated. They each chose a Rosary, and seemed to look forward to trying the prayer.

A woman came to the table, accompanying two children/grandchildren. “Yes, I’m familiar with the Rosary,” she said, “I’m from [a country that is still predominantly Catholic].” After the two children had chosen a Rosary apiece, we encouraged the woman to get one, too, so they could all pray it together. She thanked us.

Two darkly dressed young women in their late teens responded to the word “free” in our offer of a Rosary. Only one of them engaged in conversation with us, and she said she wasn’t part of any specific religion. She told e. Chuck that she liked to pray to her loved ones who had died and “gone on to the next life”, pointing vaguely to the sky. We said Catholics also speak to and intercede for those who have died, that Heaven was real, and that Christ had come to our rescue and opened the way to Heaven. Both selected Rosaries. Pray they turn to their only hope of reaching Heaven.

A man walking a dog, and who never stopped, angrily declined our offer of a Rosary, saying he had been raised Catholic but was “done with it” because it reminded him of [a violent extremist organization associated with another religion]. His reasons were mischaracterizations of Catholic teaching, so we suggested he take a closer look at the Church. But he continued on his way. Pray his heart is softened and his mind becomes receptive to the Truth.

An elderly, homeless-looking man said he was Catholic and wanted a Rosary. His voice, though, was low and difficult to hear. He seemed to want to emphasize that we needed to obey what Jesus called the greatest commandments: to love God and neighbor. We agreed with that, but he kept on talking and the evangelists were unsure what he was saying. He had moved on by the time we pieced together that he may have been saying that “being good to others was all we needed to do”. Pray that he seeks Christ in the True Presence.

Altogether, the two evangelists gave away 15-20 Rosaries (pink and purple mostly, with a few dark brown, dark red, and 1 bright green), and the pamphlet on how to pray it.

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 thOur Blessed Mother'sat much good fruit for His Kingdom comes of today’s efforts.

Our Blessed Mother’s role is to lead people to her Son. We try to help her do that by introducing the Rosary devotion. 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).

P.S. We were so short on Rosaries by the end of our last session, that I almost asked you to obtain some for us. But, surprisingly, I received an unexpected email that very same day, granting me access to a company that sells inexpensive mission Rosaries. I jumped at the opportunity, and thanks to some donations given for Christmas, have already received a box containing of several hundred Rosaries. This very week. God is so good! And trustworthy with our needs.