Philadelphia - Lower Bucks County

Country: United States
State or province: Pennsylvania

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Nancy Hoyt
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• Suburban Station Phila 4-20-2024 and Good Shepherd Sunday

• Holy Saturday (3-30-2024) Downtown Philly

• Saturday at Suburban Station Philadelphia - February 3rd

• Suburban Station Philly with Encounter Ministry folks - 1/13/2024

• Street Evangelization at Frankford Hospital on Saturday, November 26, 2022

Suburban Station Philly with Encounter Ministry folks - 1/13/2024

January 15, 2024

"Showing the ropes" of a way to do street evangelization with others is a fun part of the ministry. We get to make new friends who have similar concerns and interests, and together share our love of Christ and His Church while serving others. Our Lower Bucks County St. Paul Street Evangelization Team, Nancy, Deacon Mark and Dan, were joined by newcomers Mary Ellen, Sue and Colleen. They are students at the Encounter Ministries School in Doylestown, held at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa (i.e., Polish) in Bucks County PA. They were looking for a means to do an assigned evangelization project and Mary Ellen and Dan are friends at Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Warminster. They made the plan for all to do an outing together! Our little team set out after Mass at Nativity, hoping to be a reminder of God's great love and care present in the world.

Since it is January in Pennsylvania, we went to Suburban Station in Philadelphia where we can serve indoors in a public location. On the outing we met commuters, workers, and many impoverished and homeless. Our newbies to street evangelization took well to our method of setting up signs and offering rosaries/blessed medals/pamphlets to passersby. We noted that sometimes people will take an item, sometimes they will speak with us and sometimes we get to pray with them. Much to God's grace, all this happened on the outing together! Many sacramentals were distributed and conversations and prayers were had. We also shared clementines, chocolate milk, PB and J sandwiches, men's socks, and Dunkin Donuts gift cards, remembering the corporal needs of our brothers and sisters as well as spiritual needs.

With many we met, their need is so great and our offering seems little, yet we can have confidence that Our Lord loves our act of mercy and will answer prayers. Many of the poor seemed to greatly enjoy having people to speak with, someone with a warm heart and open ear, someone to lift up their needs to the Father through Jesus, His Son.

One fellow Darryl mentioned how everyone thinks the middle finger is the biggest, but on him the finger next to it is tallest. We talked about how the finger next to it is called the "ring" finger because it goes straight to his heart on his left side. He noted this as why he did not want to give that middle finger to anyone. He was so full of joy and hope, and wanted prayers for all in the station to have his hope and peace in Christ. We told him that he was a beacon, a light for others, and it was apparent. Darryl wondered why our government seemed more intent on spending money on war than providing basic assistance of food, shelter, clothing, etc. to its millions of citizens in dire need.

Some people we met were fearful and worried and hurting, and several we prayed with had bullet injuries. Some appeared under the influence of substances or suffering mental illness. Some of the workers we met were very concerned about the individuals who frequented the station, with many so poor, in such great need of help, in the throes of addiction, noting that some had children too. When we meet and speak and pray with these souls who are willing to speak with us, we are keenly aware of how they were someone's baby once, they are someone's grandson, they are someone's mom or dad, they are someone's sister, they might be a fallen away best friend, they are Jesus' beloved poor and outcast.

We had the privilege of praying with the following people for their intentions. Please consider praying for them also:

Q- prayers for shelter to relieve his homelessness

Paul- prayers for direction in his life, he is currently in a shelter

Lisa- caregiver at St. Joseph Villa, prayers for a better world and improved physical health

Garrett - prayers for a smooth day and for everything

Linda- prayers for her and her family

Catholic gentlemen -Prayers for the repose of Irene Salcedo's soul

Unnamed man- freedom from drug addiction

Edward - for his family and himself, prayers for his physical health

Neek- prayers for her son Silas especially that the world does not take him

Richard- freedom from drug addiction and personal intentions

Catholic man- pray for his mother Amelia who needs physical healing in South Africa

Arty- prayers for him to find work

Gianni - prayers for a safe journey to New York City for work

Izzy-her Salvation

Rakeem- prayers for revelation of the truth and for an encounter with God

Rich - to be reunited with his family, especially his grandmom Madeleine whose birthday was the next day (January 14th), and for safety

Tianna - general intentions of health, welfare and faith

Tyree - to find a home

Darryl - for hope and peace in the world

Stranger - went by in hurry, asked for us to pray for him

Tyanna - to be kept safe, to have peace and hope

Pierce - he was in deep thought; he prays for peace and joy

Kaymaiyou - a very joyful person, prays for safety, joy and hope

Paul - prays for improvement in his situation, and food and safety

Gregory Jolly - (truly a jolly person too!) prayers for trust in his family and peace and love in his family

Hayward - (shared our evangteam1 gmail with him ) prays for safety, to grow as a missionary person sharing love of Christ and for God to bless him with a helpmate

Rosie - prays to get good work

Rosa - prayers for medical treatment / healing - awaiting biopsy results

Sheila - a worker in station, prays for the people there for their safety and care

Owen - for his discernment