Denton Square, Feb 12 2022
February 15, 2022
Four evangelists set up in historic Denton Square on Friday afternoon, 6p. It had been a beautiful day but cooled off quickly and got blustery once the sun went down. Passers by were fewer than anticipated given the balmy weather earlier in the day. Nevertheless, a number of substantive conversations took place. A few examples: 'M' from the previous post showed up as we set up the table and spent one-on-one time with each of the evangelists right up through 8p when we packed up to leave. Another young man expressed interest in the Catholic faith but confessed he didn't know how to approach God. He was ably assisted by an evangelist. A young man and his girlfriend asked for prayers for a young family member who was confused over her sexual identity. An evangelist prayed with them, fervently asking for the intercession of the Holy Spirit and that God's will would be accomplished in that young girl's life. The pair was grateful and noticeably relieved as they left.
My Words Shall Prosper
January 17, 2022
Pictured above: first-timer Lianna and newest Dallas-area Team Lead, Mark Young
We had three evangelists and a guest with us this past Friday evening, January 14, at the Town Square in Denton, Texas. Though the weather was seasonally mild, passersby were few. But you know, God doesn't care how many walk by.
and shall prosper in the thing whereunto I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
2018.08.18 Bear Creek Park
August 22, 2019
There were three evangelists from the Fort Worth team at Bear Creek Park in Keller, TX from 11:00 – 12:00 on Saturday, 18 August, 2018. We set up adjacent to the Keller Farmers’ Market. There was good pedestrian traffic. We had many good conversations today and handed out Rosaries and literature.
We spoke with a woman who is Methodist. She said she considered joining the Catholic Church a long time ago when she was in the military. We discussed the historical fact that the Catholic Church alone can trace its origins back to Christ. We discussed how the division in Christianity is not what God wants. She agreed with these points. She brought up the point that the Church is very black in white on issues of morality. She mentioned contraception. We discussed that Christ didn’t teach us directly on every moral issue. The Church interprets His teaching and applies it to moral issues. Christ commanded his Apostles to baptize all nations and teach them to observe all His commandments. Consequently, it is good for the Church to teach how to deal with particular moral issues. We invited her to consider becoming Catholic. She said she would think about it.
We spoke with a man who used to be Catholic but left the Church because it excludes people from the Eucharist. In making this point, he focused on Catholics who are divorced and remarried. We discussed this with him, but our conversation was cut short because his wife arrived and he had to leave. He asked when we would be at the park next, and he said he would come to see us.
We spoke with a Catholic woman who isn’t currently going to Mass. We asked her what was keeping her away from the Church. She said that was a good question. She thought about it and said basically said she just doesn’t go. We discussed the basic fact that all relationships need to be invested in to grow and develop. Building on this, we discussed the fact that we are made for God, and that He alone can fully satisfy our hearts. She agreed with this. I shared with her how important my relationship with God is to me and that was the very reason I was standing in the park. I wanted to help others have this as well. She said she had never heard anyone explain it like that before. I invited her to consider coming back to the Church. She said she would consider it.
We spoke with a woman who was raised Catholic but is currently Methodist. She explained the historical reasons for how she ended up in the Methodist church. When asked what is preventing her from coming back to the Catholic Church, she said all her siblings have returned to the Catholic Church. She said it was a good question and thought about it. She said it was her husband, who was also raised Catholic but is also now a Methodist. We invited her to return to the Catholic Church. She said he would discuss it with her husband.
A man approached us and began to talk with us. It was clear he was emotionally distressed. He told us wife had recently passed away. We asked if he wanted to pray together. He said yes, and we prayed with him. Afterward, he told us he was a lapsed Catholic who had been away from the Church for 46 years. We told him he was very welcome to come back and told him the local parish has confession every Thursday. He took alot of literature and a Rosary. I gave him my contact information in the event he needs help or just needs to talk. Please pray for this man. His name is Sam.
2018.07.21 Bear Creek Park
August 22, 2019
2018.07.07 Bear Creek Park
August 22, 2019
Two members of the Fort Worth team evangelized at Bear Creek Park in Keller, TX from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.
It was a beautiful morning. There was an event at the park today, so there was good pedestrian traffic. We handed out Rosaries and engaged with a number of people. We met a number of fallen away Catholics today. We met a woman who used to be Catholic but left because the Church is too black and white and she has alot of grey in her life. One of the issues she brought up was contraception. We pointed out that Christianity is a revealed religion, meaning it isn’t something humans made up, and it takes an act of faith to accept Christianity and to accept teachings that are difficult for us. We also pointed out that all Christians rejected contraception until the Anglicans accepted in in 1930. We invited her to return to the Catholic Church and encouraged her to pray about it. We met a young couple who had only a general belief in God. We discussed the similar moral norms of many cultures and pointed out that Christianity is unique in saying that God came down and lived among us. Building on this, we pointed out the importance of the Resurrection as verification of Jesus’ claim that He is God. We encouraged them to read “The Case for Christ,” which discusses the historical evidence for the Resurrection. They were interested and took Rosaries. We invited them to the Church. We met a woman who used to be Catholic but is now a Lutheran because she didn’t like the liberalization she saw in the Catholic Church. We encouraged her to attend a traditional Catholic parish. We discussed that the division in Christianity is a tragedy and that Christ desires that we all be one Church. We invited her to come home to the Catholic Church. We met a Methodist man who said he has wandered from church to church. We invited him to consider becoming Catholic.
Please pray for the people with whom we spoke and for us.
2018.06.02 Bear Creek Park
August 22, 2019
Saturday, 02 June, 2018, nine members of the Fort Worth team evangelized at Bear Creek Park in Keller, TX from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm.
We had many new evangelists working with us today, which was great. We had a total of nine evangelists working today, which is a record for this team. See the attached picture.
We set up next to the Keller Farmer’s Market to take advantage of the pedestrian traffic going to and from the Market. Pedestrian flow was good, and we engaged many people and handed out many Rosaries. Despite the large size of the team, we kept the team together because the venue was small. It was hot today. I’ll schedule earlier in the morning over the next few months.
On an administrative note, Susan from the Keller Police Department has confirmed that we DO NOT need a solicitor permit to evangelize at Bear Creek Park.
2018.04.07 Sundance Square
August 22, 2019
Saturday, April 7, 2018, three team members evangelized at Sundance Square from 1:00 – 2:45 pm. It was cold, but there were more pedestrians than I expected. I spoke with one young man who was going through a difficult time. We prayed together for his intentions. We handed our rosaries and engaged with people who were willing to talk. Please pray for the people we spoke with.
2017.10.07 Southlake
August 22, 2019
Saturday, 10/07/2017, Southlake Town Square in Southlake, TX. There were four evangelists from the Forth Worth team present from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.
The Southlake Octoberfest was in progress when we arrived. There were many people there. We set up our table in our normal location by the fountain. Two team members stayed at the table, and two team member walked through the Octoberfest crowd (which was a short distance away but out of direction line of sight) and handed out Rosaries and engaged people in conversation. This was very effective. We handed out many Rosaries and had many more conversations than we normally do when we are in a static location. The two evangelists who were walking returned to the table to restock on supplies. Because walking was so effective, the team decided to put the table and sign back in the car. All four took Rosaries and pamphlets and walked through the crowd in two teams of two evangelists. It was a great day. We handed out many Rosaries and spoke to many people about the Catholic Faith. The following is a short recap of some of the conversations I had.
A woman approached me who wanted a Rosary. She was Baptist, but her Mom, who is not Catholic, had many statues of saints. The woman said she took comfort from the statues of the saints her mom had. I explained the Communion of Saints to her and how wonderful it is to have brother and sisters in Heaven who pray for us. I then discussed with her the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of Christians. When I asked if she had considered becoming Catholic, she said he had always been Baptist. I invited her to consider becoming Catholic. I gave her pamphlets and my card if she had any questions later.
I met a Buddhist man whose wife and in-laws are Catholic. When I asked him if he had considered becoming Catholic, we discussed the nature of truth, the similarities and differences between Buddhism and Catholicism, the natural virtue of religion that is found in all peoples and cultures and the culmination of all these in Jesus Christ who is THE Truth. He felt that all religions lead to the same place. I encouraged him to consider that if Jesus Christ is who He says he is (God), then that is different from all other prophets or messengers who came before. I encouraged him to read “The Case for Christ.” I invited to consider becoming Catholic.
I met a young couple. The woman was raised Catholic but no longer goes because she is busy. She also recently moved to Austin. I encouraged her to go to Mass and reminded her that relationships require investment. She then said that they (the couple) should get the baby baptized. She was pregnant was was referring to the baby she was carrying. Later in the conversation, she revealed she had received her First Communion, but that her other children hadn’t received some or all of the Sacraments. She said they should get the other children to the Sacraments. I encouraged to contact her parish and tell them she wanted to get her children the Sacraments. I gave her my card and told her that if she had any trouble finding a church to let me know. She thanked me and said I was the first person who had spoken to her about the Catholic Church since she came to Texas.
I met another non-practicing Catholic who took a Rosary but didn’t want to talk.
I spoke with a woman who was working one of the booths. She was a Christian. She had never considered becoming Catholic. I invited her to Catholic Church. I told her that wherever she is in her personal relationship with Jesus, she can be closer to Him in the Catholic Church because of the Sacraments, which He gave us. She took a Rosary, pamphlets and my card if she has any questions.
I spoke with a couple who were working another booth. The man was raised Catholic but now goes to a non-denominational Church with the woman. We discussed Faith and Works, working out our salvation, the Sacraments, the authority Christ gave to men (The Apostles) to forgive sin. She stressed the importance of being able to go directly to Jesus. I told them both that they’ll lose nothing of what they had said was important by coming to the Catholic Church. They can still go directly to Jesus. I told them they would also gain alot by coming the Catholic Church. I invited them to consider it.
We met a number of Catholics who took Rosaries and were supportive and happy to see us out evangelizing. One man said he wanted to join the team. I gave him my card.
Please pray for the people we spoke to and please pray for us. If you are reading this, I invite you to join the team. It is a wonderful ministry.
2017.09.09 Southlake
August 22, 2019
We handed out Rosaries and literature. We had conversations with quite a few people. We were spread out throughout the area, so I can only comment on what I was involved with. I had a conversation with a high Anglican. She took a Rosary. I reminded her that the Catholic Church is her spiritual heritage and that the division in the Church are not the will of God. I invited her to consider becoming Catholic and gave her a “reasons to return to Catholic Church” pamphlet. We met a very active young Catholic man. I invited him to consider joining the team. I saw a family sitting in the shade. I offered them Rosaries, which they took. They said there were Catholics from the Austin area. Later in the afternoon, we met a Catholic man who was happy to see Catholics evangelizing. I invited him to join the team.
2016.12.10 Southlake
August 22, 2019
Saturday, 12/10/2106, Southlake Town Square in Southlake, TX. Three members of the Ft. Worth team were present in the Southlake Town Square shopping complex from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. It was cold, and we engaged people who were shopping.
2016.01.17 Sundance Square
August 22, 2019
On 01/17/2106 two members for the Fort Worth SPSE team were evangelizing at Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth from approximately 1:30 to 3:15. We met a woman who had recently begun to consider and investigate the Catholic faith. Her husband was Catholic. We spoke to her, answered some questions about the Pope, and gave her some literature and audio resources. We met two Catholics who were surprised to see Catholics evangelizing on the street. One was a member of the Diocesan staff and offered to send us some of the many Rosaries that are sent to the Diocese. We gratefully accepted. We met a couple that hadn’t gone to Mass in some time. We knew the area they live in and recommended a local church and encouraged them to attend. They took Rosaries. As always, it was a joy to serve. Please pray for us and the people with whom we engaged.
2015.12.13 Southlake
August 22, 2019
On Sunday 13 December, 2015, two evangelists from the Fort Worth team were present in the Southlake town center in Southlake, TX from approximately 1:30 to 3:15. There was decent pedestrian traffic, but few people stopped to engage with us. We spoke to a Christian woman who’s father was Catholic and had received some catechism growing up. She didn’t have any questions about the faith. She took a Rosary/pamphlet and we invited her to consider becoming Catholic. We met another Christian woman who was interested in knowing what the Rosary was. We explained how to pray the Rosary. She seemed interested, and the fact the Rosary is a “Catholic thing,” didn’t seem to bother her at all. She took a Rosary/pamphlet. Another Christian woman stopped because her two young sons wanted Rosaries. We explained to her what the Rosary is and how to pray it. We explained the Biblical nature of the Hail Mary and explained that anyone can pray the Rosary. They took Rosaries/pamphlet. We met a young woman who is currently in RCIA. When asked what drew her to the faith, she said it was the example and faith of her father, who is Catholic. A Catholic woman took a Rosary from us and returned later asked for prayers for her son, who is experiencing significant difficulties. We prayed with her. Please pray for him as well. As always, it was a joy to serve Our Lord in this way. Please pray for us.