Boise

Country: United States
State or province: Idaho

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Lucy Stamm
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Lord, have Mercy! - 2023-04-16

April 23, 2023

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, we encountered a variety of needs. So thank you again for your prayers for the Boise Catholic street evangelization effort.

Our first visitor, as we were just setting up, said he was Catholic and had just come from Mass (though without naming the parish). He asked for a wooden Rosary, of which we just happened to have one. He then asked for a scapular, which we also gave him. Please pray for him? Something seemed “off” in his manner.

The pseudo-Christian sect was holding another assembly in the sports arena. This is the first time we’ve seen them in several years. And, this time, they had four pairs of security guards patrolling outside the entrance, up from a single pair last time. None of sect members (readily identifiable by their formal “Sunday best” apparel on a Sunday afternoon) stopped to talk with us.

“Douglas”, a visitor from a few weeks back, was looking for a quiet place to call his father this week. After hearing the Gospel one-on-one in another state, he had now achieved six months of sobriety and was looking for e. Chuck, with whom he had visited at length before. He has been trying to find a church community in the area. However, in the denomination here that was associated with the one in the other state, he felt “looked down on” as soon as he admitted to being newly sober and renting a cheap room at another denomination’s mission facility for the homeless. E. Lucy explained that the Catholic Church was truly universal, and gave him a copy of our map to area parishes. She also waxed enthusiastic about the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, as well as about the error-free teaching of the Magisterium. She invited Douglas to the 3 pm Divine Mercy service at the nearby cathedral, but didn’t recognize him if he actually came. Please pray for Douglas?

A family, parents and 3 small children under the age of 6, stopped because the children wanted Rosaries. They weren’t Christian, so e. Lucy gave the 2 older children the Rosary pamphlet with pictures for each Mystery, and gave the mom a copy of the one-page kerygma, “in case the children have questions.”

A toothless, homeless woman stopped for a Rosary. She accepted a copy of the Rosary pamphlet, too, though her hands didn’t seem to work well, either. Please pray for her?

A man came to the table. He announced he was Christian, but was skeptical about the Catholic Church and uncomfortable with the Rosaries. So, e. Lucy explained how the devotion lets up do “a deep dive” into scenes from the life and Christ, and how the beads help you time it, so you spend about 5 minutes on each story. He decided he wanted to get one for his daughter, and they would learn to pray it together. He chose a purple one with pink Our Father beads, saying that purple and pink are his daughter’s favorite colors, and that she “included them in her prayers every night”. Please pray for them?

The teenage girls with masks, now pulled down under their chins, passed by again this week and said hi.

I have a vague recollection of another family all choosing Rosaries and e. Lucy encouraging the parents to have them pray it together “for peace and protection”.

Two parents with an older toddler stopped for a Rosary for the girl. Then each parent chose one for themselves. as well, after e. Lucy had extolled the benefits of the prayer.

Altogether, the team gave away 10-15 Rosaries and its pamphlet, 1 brown scapular (with white cord), a Jesus Knocking prayer card, and a Good News/kerygma pamphlet.

Please pray for us again today? Please ask God to send people to us with hearts prepared to perceive their need for Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Catholic Church, and that much good fruit for His Kingdom comes of today’s efforts.

Father, for the sake of His sorrowful Passion, please have mercy on us and on the whole world! And, 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).