April 22, 2024

Nancy and Rich went downtown to Suburban Station in Philadelphia for a morning of street evangelization.  It was the day before Good Shepherd Sunday and prayers for following where God would lead brought them to meet and pray and speak with many people.

A man named Frank asked for prayers for his job and for help with mental clarity.  He noted that his thoughts caused him to be bothered and not settled.  We prayed for Frank to have peace and hope in his mind and heart through Jesus, the divine physician.  Frank definitely was less distressed after the prayer.  Speaking at length with Frank we learned that he was raised Catholic but found himself lacking in real knowledge and faith. He explained that he did not know much at all about scriptures and Christianity and Jesus until he started attending a non-denominational church in Philadelphia.   We told him that we understood, that we had times in our lives where we had to seek out God despite having been raised Catholic, feeling at times lacking in knowledge of the faith.  We noted the Holy Eucharist in our Church being a most important part of Catholicism, not present elsewhere and the nature of apostolic succession down to the Pope and bishops today.  He understood but noted that he found community and welcome, attended Bible studies weekly, and he was even going to a Phillies game with his church that evening.  He invited our team to come and see his church.  Perhaps we will go and see and gather some ideas for how we might find ideas for our parish and our lives to be more welcoming and helpful to seekers.

We spoke with and prayed at length with two young men, Steven and Jeremy, who are battling addiction.  We prayed for the soul of Steven's grandmom who had recently passed away and for his 4 year old daughter who is being raised by his mom.  The young men spoke of how some people treat others like they are inhuman, like trash.  They noted how they think that God loves all of humankind, rich, poor, addicted, clean.  Nancy asked what they thought about the possibility of coming to church and whether they thought finding Jesus in their lives might help them get off the streets and back to family life.  Steven noted that the only people he has met who have been able to resist the draw of addiction had done it through faith.  They prayed together for Jesus to heal them of their addictions and for them to be safe.  They prayed for Steven to become a good father for his daughter.  They shared their email and the team promised to contact them to see how they are doing.

There was a clean cut looking young man standing next to a column near the team for quite awhile.  He had seen the team give out food to homeless, share prayers with strangers and give out blessed medals and rosaries.  When the area quieted down a bit, Nancy asked him if he would like a blessed medal. He said he did not have any faith and did not need a cross.  We asked if he could use a prayer.  He said "well I don't believe but you can do it if you want".  We said a short prayer asking God for faith for us and him.  We asked him his name and it was Joe.  We noted that certainly is a name we find in the Bible.  Joe laughed and said yes he did know that.  He mentioned he was waiting for his aunt to arrive.  We asked her name, and it was Mary.  We laughed again, noting once again perhaps he had closer ties to Jesus than he mentioned.  He was a warm hearted fellow and was not bothered by our attempts to connect.  We asked if he would like to give our medal with Mary on it to his aunt when she arrived.  He said no that we could offer it to her.  She finally came and when we gave a friendly hello and asked if she'd like a medal with Mary on it she looked at us and our sign and was dismissive and hurried out with her nephew.  It was too bad; it is such a pretty miraculous medal with Mary in blue and with a crucifix lovingly placed on the strand beside her.  We don't know what people are going through when we try to help our fellow sheep, but we know God wants us to go out and try anyway.  Let go and let God!

Please keep the following people and their intentions in your prayers:

Cornell - for his mom and daughter and their wellness. For family healing from sickness

Maitay - for health and decisions / path in life

Frank - for peace and hope

Raymond - for harmony with his brother James and peace in their Muslim neighborhood

Ray - for financial blessings

Clive - a worker in the station, for safety at work and at home and for good health

Joe - to become a faithful follower of Jesus; to come to forgiveness for his cousins who have harmed him

Mary - to help Joe grow in faith and forgive

Fred - for his and his family's wellness

Steven - healing from addiction and for his grandmom; for him to come to faith in the Divine Physician Jesus

Gabriella - for her safety and health; for her dad and grandmom

Jeremy - healing from addiction and growth in faith

General intention

Marquis - to pass his course and for his family to become closer

April 1, 2024

February 5, 2024

Deacon Mark and Nancy went out on Saturday to Suburban Station for St. Paul Street Evangelization.  While it did not seem as busy as a couple of weeks ago, the little team had some good conversations about the Catholic faith, prayed with several people, and gave out many blessed medals and rosaries.

A man named David stopped to talk with the evangelists about the Catholic faith.  He was very knowledgeable in the Bible and had great faith.  He spoke with Nancy, asking for prayers for resources for his planned project to house the homeless, and he asked Nancy about her intentions for prayer.  When Nancy mentioned some concerns about stability of employment for one of her adult children, David shared his email along with some suggested jobs he might have.  It was an incredibly kind gesture!  David noted that he had been a Roman Catholic but he questioned the need for going to confession and wondered why we do not just go "straight to God" with repentance and prayers.  The team discussed how it is a merciful act for the priest to be in persona Christi in confession and what a wonderful experience it is to do what God asks and confess our sins to one another as the letter of James instructs.  He seemed like he might think about this more.

A woman named Pam saw the team from a distance and excitedly came over.  She exclaimed that she knew that she saw the prayer station and team there because God was at work.  Pam asked us to pray for her employment.  She had been let go from a job that she loved because she had been late to a work meeting.  Pam had filed a grievance, and having been out of work a few weeks, she noted that she only has resources to last a couple more weeks and truly needs the workplace to bring her back.  Her job is cleaning at the station and Pam explained how much she loves to clean and that the job is good and that she takes great care to clean things that others miss.  Pam asked "who else in this world wants this job so badly because they wish to make it clean for everyone?"  Deacon Mark and Nancy noted that probably nobody in Philadelphia did!  Dear Lord please have mercy on Pam and bless her with work that she loves and provide the resources she needs for her life.

Please consider praying for the following people and their intentions:

Matt - for his dad Dave and his sister Jen

Jaffar - for his well being

Hezekiah - for his health

Adreese - to find a home

Terrant - for his health, for his family, for safety and for resources

Chackary - for his well being and for his friends

David - for the resources to come through for his homeless housing development project

Jeannette - general intention

Pam - to get her job back or a better new job

Charmaine - for his health and well-being

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

November 27, 2022

After attending the 8 AM Mass at Saint Christopher’s Parish in Somerton, Nancy and I drove down to Frankford Hospital in northeast Philadelphia to try evangelizing again in front of a hospital, as we had often done before the Covid pandemic.  It was a beautiful, sunny morning, and we were grateful for the nice weather as we set up our stand and giveaway items in front of the main entrance to the hospital.  While there were not many passersby at the outset, given that it was only 9 AM, we began meeting more people, especially visitors, as they walked up or drove up to the entrance.  We eventually met with at least twenty people or families and gave away at least two dozen rosaries or religious medals after speaking with them.  There were many instances of people going through very painful circumstances, and several of them told us that we were there at just the right moment in the midst of their suffering.  One of the most touching encounters was with a tall African-American woman named Kelly, who began shedding abundant tears as she poured out her story to us.  About a month ago, her husband Bruce was murdered in cold blood in Reading in front of their sixteen year old son Brandon.  Nancy and I immediately placed our arms on her shoulders in a group hug and began praying for Kelly to feel God’s consoling embrace in her profound grief.  When we finished praying a few minutes later, Kelly wiped her eyes and thanked us profusely for the prayer and the crucifix, and we gave her another bear hug before she went on her way.  There were several Hispanic families that I managed to pray with in Spanish, and in one case, a poor woman from the Domican Republic who is tending to her ailing husband and mother insisted on giving our ministry $ 5 in order to purchase more medals and rosaries.  In another instances, I approached a young woman walking up Frankford Avenue, and when I offered her a crucifix, she broke down in tears and told me that she had not eaten a proper meal in four days.  We offered to buy her breakfast, and she revealed that she had been robbed at gunpoint only a week earlier, which seemed plausible, as one of the garage attendants who accepted a rosary from us told us that one of his coworkers had been murdered very close by only a few days earlier.  At any rate, the needs of the people living in the poorer areas of Philadelphia are overwhelming.  Their hearts are wide open to the message of the gospel, and they are eager to have us minister to them.  It is our intention to not only return to Frankford Hospital, but to also set up our station in front of the nearby children's hospital, Saint Christopher’s in Juniata Park.  If you are able to lend us hand, please let us know.  In the meantime, we promised to have our group pray for these intentions:

• Ann, who is undergoing treatment for a second bout of epilepsy after being injured in a car crash, and for her seven year old newphew Andrew.
• Maria, a patient in Frankford Hospital (requested by her daughter)
• Jayden, who is hospitalized for flu-like symptoms and possibly other complications
• Michelle, who is undergoing treatment for epilepsy
• Tiffany, who is undergoing treatment for depression and anxiety, and who almost leapt to her death from a bridge last week
• Kelly, whose husband Bruce was murdered in Reading last month, and for their son Brandon
• Alfonso, who is being treated for high blood pressure
• María, who is bedridden, and her son-in-law Celino, who is currently hospitalized with an unspecified condition (request of María’s daughter)
• William, a security guard at the hospital who requested prayers for his safety after the murder of his coworker
• Denise, who was robbed at gun point and whose two children are in child protection services
• Keith, who recently underwent brain surgery
• Diane, for a new home and job security

We look forward to working with more team members at our next event!

God bless,

Deacon Mark Kuhn

July 31, 2022

Deacon Mark and Nancy were joined by new teammate Allen in Ambler PA for street evangelization.  Deacon Mark's home parish, St. Joseph, is in Ambler and the team hoped to get to meet and speak with passersby who lived in the area.  The little team setup the prayer station on the sidewalk next to the entrance to the Saturday Farm Market.  The number of people milling about was significantly greater than has been seen on other Saturday mornings on Main Street.  There were some friendly folks who stopped to chat, pray, receive sacramentals and tracts.  Many were not too open to stopping or receiving anything.  It was a bit reminiscent of experiences in Philadelphia where suburbanites frequently rush by and sometimes avoid eye contact, hurried to get by.  However there were some notable impressions and some intentions prayed about.

A family visiting from Toledo were happy to receive blessed medals and rosaries.  They said that they knew about St. Paul Street Evangelization from home and that they were thankful for our witness.  It is so nice when people are open and friendly!  The one little girl with them, Reese, was nonverbal and her mother explained to us that she would like a rosary and that she's struggling because she is nonverbal.  The little girl was learning sign language.  Our new teammate Allen also knew some sign language and tried to communicate, but little Reese was overstimulated and her big sister picked her up and hugged her, to try and ease her anxiety.  We prayed for mom, kids, and family and for Reese's progress.

Diane, in a motorized chair, attended by her helper Shakeela, stopped to speak with us and to received blessed medals and a tract on "the Ultimate Relationship" (Catholic Christian Outreach) from Allen.  The team prayed for Diane's continued healing and recovery, and for the Holy Spirit to anoint her and Shakeela with peace, joy, and hope.  Diane told us that she had been bedridden for a time and how wonderful it was to be out and about.  She told us she planned to read the ultimate relationship at home later.  The tract that Allen brought and provided happened to be the same one that Deacon Mark has used in door to door visits in Ambler.  What a coincidence!  It may be found here:  https://cco.ca/resources/ultimate-relationship/

Please consider praying for the following people/intentions in your prayers:

• Peggy's sister Nell, for healing from her anxiety and for her upcoming health tests and effective treatment
• Patty's friend Shelly, who has suffered for years from polycystic kidney disease, for her comfort, treatment, healing and recovery
• Reese and family members for Toledo, for their family's health, safety and continued faithfulness; for Reese's cognitive and emotional development
• For a lady's grandsons, Timmy and Connor, for wellness and faith
• Dianne, for continued faithfulness, comfort and healing, peace, joy and hope
• Shakeela, for a special intention

July 10, 2022

The weather was quite pleasant for Street Evangelization on Saturday July 9th with just a few drops of rain.  In July in Philadelphia if it's less than 90 than that's a win!  Deacon Mark, Chris (5th year in Diaconate formation) and Nancy setup a prayer station a block from the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul, adjacent to Sister Cities Park.  The team was blessed to meet and pray with many people.  Our teammate Chris, who is doing street evangelization as part of his formation, was exceptionally good at striking up conversations with people passing by.  A nice technique he used was to find commonality with some people's attire, whether they had a tee shirt with something on it, or a hat, etc. and ask a question about it.  This opened up many people to conversation and then it could lead to more talk about faith and prayer, versus just walking on by.  There were many people and intentions, and they are at the bottom of this post.  Please consider praying for them in your own prayers.  Also here are a couple of stories we'd like to share first.

There was a man walking up the sidewalk and as he approached us and our sign he was heading straight for us, not trying to avoid, as some passersby do. He was making a beeline straight over. He told us that we wouldn't believe what he needed to tell us. As he was changing his shirt this morning, the rosary beads that he wore around his neck for the past 7 years broke and all of the beads were strewn across the floor. He spoke of how wearing the beads and the crucifix on them reminded him of how incredibly blessed he is. His name is James.  He spoke of wearing the beads ALL of the time, while bathing, while sleeping, never taking them off. James told us that he cried a bit because of his sadness over breaking the beads and that he castigated himself for being careless when dressing and his regret over it. James had taken another set of brown beads off of his little elephant decor at home and wore them out this morning since he was missing his tried and true rosary. You can imagine how happy he was to be offered a new rosary. He picked a burgundy one donated by the Legion of Mary at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Nancy's parish.  He told the team how this type of thing happens to him all of the time, with God always meeting his needs as they come along. He spoke of how he is blessed by God everyday in so many ways and that this wonderful meeting with us with free rosaries to give out, just down the street from where he lived, was yet one more blessing in a lifetime of them. James face-timed his girlfriend on the spot; he had told her earlier this morning of his sadness of his broken beads and was so excited to tell her and show her our team and his new rosary beads. He was thankful for our presence. James' joy and trust in the Lord was infectious and he truly was full of the Holy Spirit. We pray for continued blessings on his life.

A bit later there was a young woman standing at the crosswalk with two children. We did not have an opportunity to speak with her but then the little girl took a fall on the sidewalk.  Mom pulled her close and was hugging her well as the little boy looked on, remarking about a nasty scrape on her knee. With the little family sticking around to handle tears, Chris asked if the little girl might like a blessed medal to make her feel better. Mom agreed and the team gave Lucy and Jack miraculous medals with crucifixes. The mom told Jack "ask about who is on that necklace". We spoke of Jesus who saves us from when we do naughty things on purpose, when we sin, and of Mary who is His mom and how moms are the best. Jack agreed. Lucy perked up and the mom told us about how she and her husband have moved to Philadelphia a couple years ago and they've gone to the Presbyterian church nearby but she would like to go into the Catholic church in the neighborhood, St. Francis De Sales. She spoke of a nice Catholic couple that they were friends with that attend the church there and that anytime she has passed by the priests or people there, they are very friendly. Our team spoke positively of how she is most welcome at any Catholic church. We told her that she could ask the couple what time Mass they attend and tell them that they'd like to visit their church too. We told her of the Catholic Cathedral across the street from us and that it was open and she should consider going in with the kids. We told her how both Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Francis had said Mass there and that the heiress St. Katherine Drexel's body was entombed there, after the Motherhouse closed in Bensalem. We told her of how the windows in our cathedral were placed up high to stave off the risk of firebombs when the cathedral was built as there was significant anti-Catholic sentiment at that time, in the late 1800's. The mom spoke of how her little Jack had always wanted to go into a very pretty church in their old neighborhood. We spoke of how some question church expenditure on art yet there were many who drew close to God thanks to beautiful art and music. The mom agreed and they decided to head off to see the cathedral before going to see the dinosaurs at the Academy of Natural Sciences. We did first pray with Jack and the family and he asked particularly for prayers to score well in baseball and for his friendships.

We also spoke and prayed with the following for their intentions:

Margie - for peace on earth and in Philadelphia; she is worried we are in the end times
Frankie - for perseverance and good grades in anatomy and chemistry, towards his degree as a respiratory therapist
Leonardo - a Mexican immigrant here for a year now, asks for prayers for his health
Joelle and Ariana - for his brother in FL, Roy Henriquez' healing and recovery for his spinal cord injury from a bad auto accident
Calloway - for financial stability, spiritual clarity and for his family
Amy - for her family and to go to Mass
Victor - for safe travels for his family, peace and joy
Maggie - for her aunt Laura's miraculous healing from her cancer; she is 41 and has small children and the cancer is metastatic
James - for joy and peace and continued blessings and faith
Mia and 3 small children - she has moved to Philadelphia from VA, leaving a struggling marriage; she has help from her mother in the area and she prays for wellness, safety and peace
Roger and Kadesia - for peace and hope and freedom from violence and threats to trans people
Tunisia and Robert - for their peace and wellness
Barbara Christian - joyful woman "cheesehead from WI :)" prays for our street evangelization mission and teams and we pray for her health and safety and continued faithfulness to God
Grace and kids - for Jack to score well in his athletics and for his friendship; also for the family to be welcome in the Catholic parish near their home
Willam Howell - for miraculous healing from his addiction, for self control, and for love and home
Denise - for her peace, hope and joy

June 21, 2022

Our little street evangelization team was blessed with many who answered Yes! to come out and share their love of Christ and His Church in center city Philadelphia last Saturday.  Deacon Mark and Nancy were joined by Deacon Joe (i.e. just ordained a week before!), and Diaconate candidate Chris, as well as Rich (Director of Faith formation at his parish) and Dan (RCIA leader and music ministry).  Wow ~ Talk about a great team for doing SPSE!  We had a couple setup near the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul, another down by the Franklin Institute, and Rich and Chris spent much of their time over at nearby encampment of homeless/needy people.  The three groups met many people, offering blessed medals, books, prayers, and warm hearts.  Spending time with one another and meeting people and speaking about faith matters and God at work brought great joy to our teammates and many of our new and old acquaintances.

At the cathedral Deacon Mark and Nancy saw Hank, an atheist who the team met once a few years ago.  Hank grew up in the same town as Nancy and went to the same high school.  Deacon Mark spoke with Hank at length about faith in our Creator and how his faith has been a priceless gift in his life.  Hank left not wanting a prayer;  however, one cannot help but think that our team remembering Hank from so long ago, with details about him must have some impact, letting him know God is there and is watching over and loving him.  Please Lord heal up Hank's spirit!  Deacon Mark also met Barb, who had asked for blessed medals to give to her friends some months ago.

Joe and Nancy at the Franklin Institute met a man named Garry who was a homeless veteran with mental illness difficulties that landed him back on the streets.  They spoke with Garry and prayed with him and he went down the street to a bench.  About an hour later he came back and gave Joe a paper he had been completing with information about himself and his life and his contact information.  Joe hopes to meet up with Garry again.  There were some visitors to the city who stopped to chat also.  A young Mormon couple visiting from out of state gladly accepted miraculous medals and listened intently as Joe explained that the medal is akin to a picture that reminds us of Mary.  He noted that Jesus' Mom prays for us when asked, and that since she is the Mother of the King, she has exceptional access to ask for favors.  The fact that this couple were friendly and open to receiving the medals and dialogue about how Catholics regard Mary was very uplifting.

Rich and Chris met and prayed with many people who were being served a meal and offered clothing by another charitable group.  They noted how a line formed to receive blessed medals, rosaries, and prayers.  It certainly shows that spiritual hunger is palpable for these people in difficulty, in addition to corporal needs.

After much of the group had left, Dan, Nancy and Joe setup for a bit in front of Sister Cities Park, a block from the Cathedral.  Dan was happy to get his feet wet again doing street evangelization and based on the receptivity of those who accepted rosaries from him, he was on fire!  There was a family of 3 visiting from California who gladly accepted rosaries and the adult son of the family asked for prayers for their friend Mitch who has Covid.  After the team wrapped up for the day, Dan reported going back to the Cathedral to spend some time with St. Katherine Drexel, who is now entombed there.  At church Dan saw the family who had asked the team to pray for Mitch.  Since Dan had been a tour guide for the Cathedral a few years back, he offered to answer any questions about the Basilica.  The lights came on, and it appeared that a wedding would be starting. Dan asked the family if they'd like to stay and listen to the organ and trumpet music that was certain to start soon.  They stayed and spoke with Dan and it turned out that they were from Vallejo CA, where Dan lived for 12 years in the Navy and where his children were born.  Both Dan and the family were so excited for this connection and their time spent in the Cathedral was a beautiful welcome to both our Archdiocese and our city.  Dan was feeling very encouraged and blessed by this "God wink". Praise God always!

Please pray for these people and their intentions:  Hank - to come to faith in God, Mr. Green - for his wellness, Garry - for health, family, education, Jonathan - for his life, Jim (a ray of sunshine!) - for his continued peace and joy, Cedano - for his health, Joel Brown - for housing, Rashan - for direction and purpose, Q - to follow God's will for his life, Maria - for her right choices, Marissa and Tim - for their wellness, Mitch - for his healing from covid

May 21, 2022

Saint Paul Street Evangelization on 20 May 2022 at Campbell Park in Port Richmond

Nancy and Mark began the day by attending daily Mass at 8 AM at Saint Christopher’s Parish in northeast Philadelphia.  We knew beforehand that Archbishop Nelson Perez was ordaining six men as priests at 10 AM at the Cathedral, and that the whole surrounding area would be jammed with traffic and pedestrians.  After Mass, we decided to try a completely different area:  Campbell Park in Port Richmond.  There are three Catholic churches within a block of the park, which is beautifully planted with stately shade trees.  It is located on Allegheny Avenue, the main thoroughfare through Port Richmond, with large sidewalks, bus stops and many pedestrians.  It seemed like an ideal spot to conduct street evangelization, and we were not disappointed with the results at the end of our two hour stint.  We arrived at 8:50 AM and found a good spot to park about a block away from the park itself, and within a few minutes, got our equipment set up.  At that relatively early hour, there were not many people out and about, but within an hour, there was a noticeable uptick in traffic.  Port Richmond has an incredible blend of people from all races, ethnicities, faiths and social-economic statuses, and we were able to engage with peoples from all walks of life during our session.  We probably gave out three dozen religious medals and rosaries over the two hour stay, and had a good number of lengthy, heart-felt discussions with people dealing with family problems and addictions.  Whenever possible, we prayed with the individuals after talking with them, and it was obvious from their expressions that they were touched by our ministry.  Please say a prayer for the following people that asked for our intercessions:

Eddie - for family challenges and wellness.  He lost a brother suddenly four years ago due to a blood clot following surgery, and their mom has suddenly developed dementia weeks after receiving the J&J Covid vaccination.

Dawn - for her family problems.

Marge - for her uncle John's comfort, wellness, and healing. He has COPD and recently had pneumonia.

Bertha - for her sister-in-law Helene who is bed-ridden.

Bob - for peace and hope in his troubled family life.

Mark - for his mom Eleanor.

Antonio - spoke at length; he's concerned about continuing to learn and about people being open-minded and kind to each other.

Austin - (Catholic) for all aspects of his life and for his dog Ozzy's wellness and safety.

Norman - he misses his mother who passed when he was only 4 years old.  He is suffering with mental difficulties and prays for stability and to know motherly love.

Herbie – who had to move from the suburbs into Port Richmond after his driver’s license was revoked for ten years after his fourth DUI.  Herbie was almost killed in a motorcycle accident on Frankford Avenue when he was 19, and his passenger friend died as a result of his injuries.  After two full years of medical treatment, he was able to walk again, but he has been wracked with physical pain ever since, which has led to his alcoholism.  He was a truck driver for almost forty years before losing his license, and asks for prayers for his well-being and restoration.  He has a strong faith in God but has not been to Church in years.

Eddie -  who asks for prayers for healing from his alcoholism, as well as for his daughter Courtney and granddaughter Ellie Mae.

Al - for success and goodness in the production of the show that he is performing in.

Luis - for increased faith throughout the world.

Margie – who is battling addiction, and has four children (two in college and two teenagers living with her sister).  She prays for courage, self-control, perseverance and financial stability: come Holy Spirit!

Ed – whose daughter spoke with us in the park.  He is a very devout Catholic who lives in New York and is currently battling cancer and has many problems following a contentious divorce.

April 10, 2022

Deacon Mark, Don, and Nancy went to Suburban Station in Center City Philadelphia for St. Paul Street Evangelization on Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday.  This was Don's first time back in the city for street evangelization since the pandemic and he agreed how eerily empty the streets and the station seemed, compared to before. Walking through the station to go to our usual spot, we saw a worker in the station, Eric, who we met before and who had joyfully accepted a blessed medal with crucifix for himself and his wife Monet. Nancy had spoken on the phone with Eric's wife, the last time, as he wanted to share the news of his joy in meeting us and praying with us and having a gift to bring to his wife. Eric seemed pleased to remember us and for us to remember him.

Our little team setup in the station and gave out many blessed medals and spoke to many passersby. It was a more difficult mission on this morning due to a needy young man named Mikhail who was not well at all. He stopped to talk with us and it became clear early on that he either was schizophrenic or high or both. We offered him a juice and a cereal bar or clementine and he asked us if we were trying to kill him. Carrying on a conversation with Mikhail was nearly impossible because anything that was spoken seemed to bring his mind off in many directions. The team tried to help calm him by speaking of peace and loving thoughts and of God's love but Mikhail would take anything said to a strange and frequently bad place, with topics of pop stars, Pope Francis, racist remarks, recollections from his Catholic education, and choice obscenities filling his mind and words. For two hours he stayed in our vicinity, getting loud at times and quieting a little at times, but constantly agitated and talking. The poor man was in a world of his bad thoughts. Our team did the best we could to carry on, speaking with others and praying with them, all the while praying and hoping to God for a healing for Mikhail, loudly nearby, as well.

One particular young man, exiting his train and on his way out of the station stopped to speak with us. His name was Johnny and he was new to the city, in law school at Temple University. He was from Louisiana. Johnny saw the many needy around with our little prayer station setup and he built our little team up with kind words about how good it was that we were here to serve and that he would very much like to pray with us. We prayed for his family and his schooling and for his safety in the city. The team asked whether he had a church that he went to and he said he did at home but was not looking right now. He was pleased to take a miraculous medal with him as we wished him a Happy and blessed Easter.

The team, now having been to the train station a few times this year, met and prayed again with Ebony, Miracle, and Rosa. All were happy to be remembered and to remember us. What a blessing!

When it was time to pack up and leave, we told Mikhail that we were glad to have met him and that we would continue to pray for him and for his dad, who he mentioned had visited him the day before, giving him $20. However, Mikhail decided that he wanted to follow us on our 3 block walk back to the cathedral parking lot. When we got to the car we told him that we needed to go home and fortunately he was not aggressive, but he did seem so lost. On these trips downtown for street evangelization it can be very hard feeling utterly unable to provide homes, and mental health services, and addiction treatment programs, and community, and jobs, and care for the many many many needs of the poor in our city. Imagining that these folks were once wee babes, hopefully loved by mom and/or dad, and grown and now seem to be tenuously hanging on to life full of difficulty and sorrow. May the risen Christ see to the needs of his beloved and may we continue to see and plan means of serving Him and His flock.

Please pray for the following people and their intentions:
Mikhail - for his healing and to come into good relationship with his family
Eric and Monet - for their marriage
Joseph - praises God for his life and prays for his work at the airport and for peace
Kingata - for work and shelter
Mad - for life and wellness
Miracle - for her life
Alvin - for a place to live, for better health, and for God's protection
Ebony - for her wellness and joy
Philip - for wellness, shelter, and human dignity
Archie - to be reunited with his family; for a place to live and to stay on the right path for life
Johnny - for his family's wellness, safty and health as well as his own and for his good studies
Kenny - for wisdom
Lateev - for shelter and food
Taheer - for a better life and not to be homeless
Malik - for world peace and peace in Philadelphia

March 15, 2022

Nancy and I were joined this blustery morning by Deacon Franz Fruehwald and diaconate ordinand Joe Hosack.   As it was beginning to sleet by the time we arrived downtown, we opted to stay inside and greet passengers and homeless people seeking warmth and shelter in the station.  We barely began setting up our stands and sacramentals when the first row people showed up and began talking with us.  Joe Hosack was engaged close to 45 minutes with one man who initially claimed to be illiterate but who was well versed in the Bible and at times a bit argumentative, but Joe was remarkably able to stay focused and respond well to the man’s comments and questions.  In the meantime, the rest of us spoke with a number of other passers by and often prayed us a group with people who welcomed our presence and intercessions on their behalf.   Please join us in praying for the following individuals that asked for our help:

• David, who asks for prayers for Patricia who has already passed and for his Uncle Clint, that he may pass safely to Heaven.
• Dada, for her safety and well-being
• Jeremy, who feels strung out in the freezing weather on the street, that God may restore his sense of well-being
• Gamma, for her parents’ healing from addiction to alcohol
• Abigail, a homeless woman who wants shelter
• Thomas, for the relief of his stress concerning the well-being of Diane and their child Corinne
• Jeanne, that she can find a way back to her home in California
• Jasmine, for more strength
• Anthony, who has been homeless for a week after not being able to pay his rent: that he can find new employment and freedom from addiction to alcohol
• Joseph, a homeless man who wants shelter
• Rosa, a woman from the Dominican Republic who had stopped by a month ago and still had the rosary that we had given her then. She asks for continued prayers for her needs
• Jeremy, that he may have safe travels
• Frank, for his well-being, renewed faith and for his friendship with Darrell

Of interest, Franz Fruehwald helps coordinate summer internships for men in diaconate formation, and he will be addressing the candidates at their upcoming workshop about the possibility of them getting trained by our evangelization team and then joining us in our ministry this summer.  Joe Hosack will also be there for his final workshop and will give his personal testimony to the men, as he has worked with us on several occasions and is convinced that it is effective.

February 21, 2022

Deacon Mark and Nancy went downtown for St. Paul Street Evangelization at Suburban Station in center city Philadelphia.  The team quickly met a young man who was staggering around near their prayer station.  He was very thin, shaky, and confused, but did respond when asked if he would like a blessed medal and perhaps to pray.  The man said his name was Joshua.  To this we exclaimed that he was named after Jesus.  Joshua was perplexed and then repeated, what do you mean, my name isn't Jesus!  We told him that Joshua comes from Yeshua, which is the same name as Jesus, from Greek.  We told him that his name meant Jesus, which means "God Saves".  He allowed us to place a crucifix on his neck and to say a short prayer with him.  Joshua came back a few times, asking again, are you serious, does my name Joshua really come from Jesus' name? Our team assured him we were telling him the truth and that we would be praying to his namesake for his healing.  Jesus, please heal Joshua spiritually, physically, and mentally!

An older lady came by, Yolanda, and while she seemed to be on her way to work, she was happy to stop and receive a blessed medal and to pray.  She told of her son Joseph that moved up from Texas and who was living with her, and her family who was unhappy about this.  The team prayed with Yolanda for her son to have direction in life, to get a job and home of his own and for her family peace.  She left with St. Michael the Archangel medals with crucifixes, one for herself and one for Joseph as well as St. Michael prayer cards.  God willing, her son Joseph prays the prayer, wears his sacramentals and turns to God for perseverance and right judgement.

Nancy and Deacon Mark prayed with several others, many homeless.  A bag of clementines came in very handy for a little nutritious snack for our friends (i.e., baggies handy too for peel).  As always, we make our little effort the the Lord and he shows up.  A man Rick who we prayed with was obviously moved by the Holy Spirit, praying for his wife Juanita.  He passed us again on the way out of the station and thanked us profusely, proclaiming that we had some good prayers!  Praise God!

Please consider praying for the following people and their intentions in your own prayers.  Thank you for your consideration! May you be greatly blessed 🙂

Joshua - healing from his addiction and for shelter and direction
Verona - for shelter and good health
Yolanda (mom) - for son Joseph who has moved up from Texas, for him to find own home and job and for family peace
Tyeer - success and direction in life
Rick - for his wife Juanita's health and for the couple's fulfillment, peace and faith
Young mom - for her pregnancy and her two little girls
Ebony - for shelter and food
Sherman - for work and the ability to clothe and house himself
Raymond - a veteran, very joyful man, for peace hope and happiness in Phildelphia
Rosa - from Dominican Republic, to find a home and a job
John(ell) - for shelter, care, healing from addiction and abuse

February 5, 2022

Nancy and Keith (i.e., from Morrisville PA team) went downtown on Saturday morning to do St. Paul Street Evangelization at Suburban Station in Philadelphia.  With books, medals, rosaries, sign and granola bars on hand, we were ready!  Since the pandemic, the station is not quite as busy, but there still was good foot traffic to allow us to reach out and speak to many people and to pray with several.

Our first encounter was with a woman named Michelle who blessed us for being there and told us that she prayed for happiness, which she said we all need more of these days.  Next up Rayford spoke with us about how he wanted to get more involved with ministry and that he felt a calling to do more.  A fellow Michael accepted a blessed crucifix with miraculous medal and he told us that he was Jesus.  Funny thing... we agree with him because he was certainly our Lord in disguise, as St. Teresa Calcutta reminds us of whenever we serve the poor.

Mindy, a lady from Downingtown, came over and thanked us for our ministry.  She told of her church and ministry, Hopewell and Hope Point Methodist, and how they were trying to discern how to serve God with evangelization ministry.  We prayed together with her for clarity of path forward.  She was so pleased to see us and our little prayer station.

Our little team spoke at great lengths with Martin.  He told of how he has battled alcoholism and drugs his entire life, with times of healing and times of relapse. He spoke of many family members who drank themselves to death. Martin told us that two days ago a woman friend told him how he needed to clean up.  He told us he agreed and that he wants to get into treatment as soon as possible and that he knows he must reject worldliness and turn to the Lord for strength.  We prayed with Martin for his healing and strength and Martin prayed for us.  He was raised Baptist and was well versed in the Bible and had great confidence that God was going to see him through for healing from addiction.  His apartment had burned down in November and he is living in a shelter now.  He also prays for provision of a new home as his name is on a waiting list.  He was pleased to receive a blessed crucifix and St. Michael the Archangel / guardian angel medal.  Martin and Nancy exchanged email addresses and follow up was promised, both ways.  Martin told us of his gift of teaching, which he certainly did have, telling us of God's love and many Bible stories.  He wishes to be able to share this and teach young folks who are in need of help.  He had spent some time in prison and wanted to help others live good lives.

Finally, a young man named Drahp came up to our little team.  He told us that he desperately needed prayers for help with his anger and rage.  Drahp worked nearby at the mural arts and he showed Nancy the windows and art.  It was truly beautiful!  The windows and the interior were filled with little hearts and art and it looked to be incredibly joy filled place, even though it was currently closed.  What a God-send in the station!  He plans to look to God for help in self-control and looks forward to continuing to work at the shop.

All said, another beautiful outing where Jesus was with us all of the time, in the faces of a hurting world and in our hearts and prayers.  Praise God for allowing us to be His little instruments of love, peace, and hope.

Please consider praying for the following people and their intentions:

Michelle - for happiness

Rayford - to find some type of ministerial work

Michael - for his wellness and safety

Mindy - for her church and evangelization ministry

Richie - for prosperity

Indian man - for his son Victor and for Victor's deceased mother to be in heaven with Jesus

Martin - to be healed of his addictions and for doors of opportunity to open for him to teach, for a new home

Tom - for safe and effective arm surgery and for excellent healing and recovery

Drahp - for peace and love instead of anger/rage, for faith, for self control

Timothy - to get a new home

Melissa - for healing from her mental and physical illness

January 17, 2022

Street Evangelization at Suburban Station on Saturday, 15 Jan 2022

We knew from the weather forecast that Saturday would be the coldest day so far this winter (8° F, and a stiff wind to boot), so we opted to try working in Suburban Station in center city Philadelphia after attending Mass in Somerton.  We had not been there in nearly two years, since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.  At that point, several team members expressed concern about the possibility of coming down with the virus when working in close quarters often frequented by the homeless.  Now that Covid has become endemic and most of us are vaccinated and/or gone through the illness, those concerns had all but evaporated, and we were actually astonished at how the station had changed for the better since our last time there.  The transportation company had made access to the platforms and other open areas largely restricted to passengers with a ticket, and the building was so empty that we wondered if it would be worth our while to set up our sign.  We soon discovered that our worries were groundless, and that it was easier than usual to reach out to passersby.  We spent more than two hours at the station, and there were very few moments where we were not speaking to someone during that time.  Some of the conversations were quite lengthy, and people seemed far more receptive to us than in the past.  It was truly a wonderful experience, and when we packed up to return to the cathedral parking lot, we were convinced that we should return to station again during the winter months.

Please join us in praying for the following people, whose intentions we addressed on Saturday morning:

Shaheed – for peace, health and matrimony

Brian – for his family and all their health

William – for health and life

Eugene – for health and life

Jeffrey and Mercedes – for longevity and joy

Elijah – for his upcoming cataract surgery, so that he can read again

Lemiel – for health and shelter

Cory - (shared our contact info) for his mother Sharon and his father James; for his employment, his life choices and struggles with alcoholism

Jeanne – for shelter and protection

Gisele – a wonderful 83-year-old Catholic woman who lived in eastern Germany during World War II.  She is incredibly spry and has outlived two husbands and raised five children.  She asked for prayers for her husbands, her sister who died recently in Germany from Alzheimer’s disease, and for her younger son, who has left Catholicism for an evangelical church.

Daniel – an airport worker who was almost killed in a hit run accident involving a tractor trailer while he was walking home near Oxford Valley Mall in November 2016.  He has requested prayers for his continued healing and to meet a nice girl.  He is active in his church and knows the Bible very well and was thankful for our prayers on his behalf and accepted a crucifix from us.

Eric and Monet - for their marriage and good health. Eric spoke of the "coincidence" of coming our way while cleaning the floors at the station, and asked Nancy talk to talk to his wife about our prayers for them and the gifts given to Eric (a crucifix and miraculous medal – one each for both of them).

November 16, 2021

Deacon Mark and Nancy setup a prayer station on the sidewalk in Amber, PA this past weekend.  Deacon's parish, St. Joseph's, is about a half a block away from the prayer station setup.  It was the first time that the Deacon did "sidewalk prayer station" street evangelization in his own parish, which was a great thing to do.  Usually the evangelization effort here is on door-to-door parishioner visits, but with the nice weather, it seemed an opportune moment to get out on the sidewalk and bear public witness on the main town thoroughfare.

While there were many suburbanites that were not very receptive, there were some who certainly were.  The team met a young nursing student, Katherine, who gladly accepted a crucifix with a miraculous medal and prayers for her success in school and good fortune to be blessed by the kindness of others.  Another young woman, Elizabeth, asked for prayers to conceive.  The team chatted with her about how joyful this prayer answered would be, about how St. Elizabeth had difficulty conceiving John the Baptist and God pulled through answering that prayer in a big way 🙂  and that Deacon Mark's own daughter's name is Elizabeth too.  God please hear and answer our prayers!

An older couple walking with a baby stroller went by and the husband seemed a bit irritated by our presence.  After passing, the wife came back and the team offered a crucifix and miraculous medal.  She asked for prayers for her daughter Melissa's healing from syncope.  She mentioned that the grandbaby was a true miracle because her daughter, who was away for a birthday weekend, was quite disabled from her illness.  Her daughter's name is Melissa, which was quite a blessed coincidence as Nancy also has a daughter Melissa, whose birthday was this weekend as well.  The mom left then came back a little later, asking for a blessed medal for her daughter also.  She exclaimed that if she (mom) got one and she didn't have one for Melissa, she would be so disappointed.  Of course our little team was happy to oblige.  It is such a privilege for Our Lord to allow us to serve others through prayer, faith sharing, compassion, and little blessed anchors (medals) in life!

The team also prayed with Sonny who goes to Deacon Mark's parish and owns an Indian Restaurant in town.  A young woman named Kate prayed with the team for peace.. on earth, in nation, in community, in life, in family, all around.  What a kind and needed prayer.  Mary queen of peace pray for us.

The team was asked to move after a little over an hour.  The own of the storefront was not pleased with the team there.  The store had been vacant on last outing by Joyce and Nancy last March, but despite looking vacant, it was not.  The team exclaimed "sorry! we thought it was vacant" and "would you like to pray for your new business?".  The owner did not want to pray and the team crossed to another fairly empty looking sidewalk area.

Here, on the other side of the street, a joyful couple (Heidi and Michael) were walking their dog and they wanted to pray for their upcoming wedding, taking place Christmas Eve at the restaurant next to where the team was now setup.  The couple wanted prayers for patience with one another :), for health and a lifetime together.  The man had a crucifix on already and the woman was glad to accept a crucifix from the team, matching up with her mate's.

As usual on the Street Evangelization outing, God showed up.  We merely spread the seeds and expect and thank God for doing the rest.  The blessings of the ministry are great.  Please consider keeping the following in your prayers too:

Katherine: nursing school, Kate: peace, Liz: to conceive, Melissa: healing from syncope, Sonny: success in business, Heidi and Michael: for patience, love, faith, and joy

September 20, 2021

We (Deacon Mark and Nancy) were at the St. John Bosco Fall Festival, next to the Legion of Mary, last week.  The carnival goers seemed so happy to be out and about on a beautiful night in Hatboro.  We were very pleased as well, as it's been awhile since we've done St. Paul Street Evangelization at a parish celebration!  Our team gave out many miraculous medals, crucifixes, and saints medals.  We spoke and prayed with many folks.  Our last encounter was with a father who had been raised Catholic but was not able to get the sacraments for both of his daughters because of difficulties with doing so in the past.   He seemed very open to coming back to Mass with his girls and getting them into religious education.  Nancy also invited him to her parish 11 am Mass, in case he was looking to go to a local church where he would know someone.

Please remember the following people and their intentions in your prayers:

• Tiffany and baby (expecting) - good health and safety
• Reyna and husband - for their peace and wellness
• Barbara - suffering from the death of her mother; for healing from her anxiety and for strength and motivation to carry on
• Angie and Ralph - for a restart of their ministry work with the poor and food cupboards
• Steven - for door of opportunity / work to open for him
• Angelique - (a mother in law) in hospital very sick; for her comfort and healing and to know Jesus is with her
• William L - for his healing and recovery from his liver cancer and for his return to faith in Christ and His Church
• Charlotte - (William L's mother) for her faith and wellness
• Cassandra and Family - for health, wellness, healing from anxiety, and for Peace on Earth
• Francisco - (in Mexico) for healing from his digestive problems
• Young teens Jonathan and Alexa - for their well being, health, safety, good choices and to grow in faith to know, love and serve Jesus
• Ted, Emma, and Caitlin - for their family, wellness, and growth in faith and community

March 13, 2021

The weather was less than optimal when Nancy and Deacon Mark met in the parking lot of Saint Joseph’s Parish in Ambler, so we decided to use the car to visit inactive parishioners on the perimeter of the parish.  We chose a neighborhood a few blocks away from our last session, and within a few minutes, we parked in front of the first home to visit.  When we rang the bell, we waited only 30 seconds for the door to be opened, and we were met by a pleasant woman in her early 70s who immediately invited us in after our brief introduction.  She had us sit down in her living room, asked if we wanted coffee or water, and within a minute, a lively conversation was underway.  As it turned out, Kate is still a very active Catholic but is now attending a nearby Franciscan Chapel that is active in social issues such as immigration and poverty.  The reason that she had stopped attending our parish was essentially its lack of outreach groups, and it was quite evident that Kate was sincere in her personal mission to help the poor and marginalized.  After a half hour of talking, which included Kate sharing the names of possible Catholic community groups for us to join, we blessed her home before taking leave.  We then went to her next-door neighbor’s house, where we were greeted by a teenaged girl who reported that her parents were upstairs napping.  We handed her a goody bag with a kerygma pamphlet, rosary and our contact information, and asked that she give it to her parents later that day.

We drove about a quarter of a mile to the next home, which looked like it was under major renovation.  As it turned out, the people that we wanted to visit had moved away, but as we left, we regretted not taking the initiative to invite the new owners to the parish.  We resolved right then and there to keep that in mind for future visits and moved on to the next home on the block.  When we knocked on that door, a middle-aged woman met us an invited us in without a moment’s hesitation.  After we explained the reason for our visit, we asked Maryann if she had any recommendations on what the parish could do to revitalize the faith community.  She did not hesitate to tell us that she had become inactive, mainly because she preferred to pray to God from home.  Mark told her that while the Church certainly encourages a prayer life at home during the week, there was a value to coming together as a community.  As he began explaining how the church community had risen up to help him when his 8-year-old daughter died suddenly in 2000, the doorbell rang again.  A woman came in carrying a triangular wooden box shaped like the folded flag used at funeral committals, which she presented to the husband as a birthday gift.  We could tell that she was also there to console the couple, and then read the back of the box.  It had the name of a man, along with his birth date and death date (16 Feb 2021).  We instantly knew that the couple had just lost their young son, an Army veteran.   We teared up as we offered them our heartfelt empathy and condolences, and the grieving couple knew that we understood their pain from our own losses.  We told them that we had absolutely no idea of what had happened to them when we set off for their home that afternoon, and that the encounter had to have been the work of the Holy Spirit.   Maryann was trying very hard to keep her composure and told us that she was not ready to talk at length with us, but eagerly took our goody bag when we told her that it contained our full contact information.  We prayed for the family right then and there, blessed their home, and gave the couple a big hug before departing.

At that point, Deacon Mark had to return to the parish for the 4 PM vigil, but we were both deeply touched by the last encounter.  We had no doubts about the necessity of such personal visits to the inactive members of our faith community, and upon arriving in the church parking lot, thanked God for guiding our mission and leading us specifically to the bereaved couple before going our separate ways.  Upon returning home, Mark sent the couple a two paged condolence letter, opening the door for further interaction, and we are hoping that they will soon contact us.

January 31, 2021

Hello friends –

After a hiatus of ten months, we are pleased to report that we have recommenced the efforts of the Lower Bucks chapter of the Saint Paul Street Evangelization.  Nancy Hoyt and I had made one attempt on Labor Day weekend to try setting up our stand, complete with literature and give-away items such a rosaries and religious medals, in Tyler State Park in Newtown, but we were only able to engage a few people where there, mostly with members of a Latino protestant church who were there for the baptism of several people in Neshaminy Creek.  In early December, I spoke at length about our dilemma with Ms. Meghan Cokely of the Archdiocesan Office of New Evangelization, trying to come up with a way to get in touch with people who might otherwise be afraid to speak with us due to their fears of contracting the Covid virus.  Meghan had received samples of small Catholic pamphlet explaining how to form a deep relationship with Jesus, and we then came up with the idea of handing them out to inactive members of Saint Joseph’s Parish in Ambler, where I am serving as a deacon.  Nancy and some other members of our group had done some work in that community in 2018 and 2019j, but there are still many dozens of Anglo and Hispanic families who were never contacted in that period.  I asked Meghan if her office would be willing to purchase the pamphlets for us, and she agreed to get us 100 each in Spanish and English.  I printed address labels from the parish and applied them to the back of each pamphlet, drafted and printed out an invitation to return to the parish both in English and Spanish, and included a rosary with instructions on how to use it on the back of the invitations.  We assembled transparent doorknob bags containing the pamphlets, invitations and rosaries, and then set out to distribute them.  We not only had a list of the inactive parishioners, but divided them into Latino and Anglo families, and then had Nancy use her IT skills to import the data into Google maps, making it easy to locate the parishioners.

For the first two weekend afternoons, a Hispanic couple and I visited Latino families, and in all but two cases, we were invited into the homes.  In the two cases where no one answered, we hung the goody bags on the doorknobs.   We began by introducing ourselves, asking how the parish could better address their personal spiritual needs, offering to pray with them about their personal worries and concerns, and then blessed their homes using the rite from the Book of Blessings.  This past Saturday, Nancy and I used the same method on visits to English speaking parishioners.  All three sessions went far better than possibly could have imagined, and we would now like to share just one of our wonderful experiences with you:

One Latino family with three young children had not attended Mass since last March, and their oldest child, a girl in second grade, had attended the parish school prior to the lockdown.  However, when my wife (the parish DRE) tried reaching out to them last summer in order to re-register the girl, the mother reacted very negatively, saying that she had no interest in having her child take virtual classes or go to Mass.  The woman offered no explanation for her decision, so I attempted to call and speak to her in Spanish.  After leaving several voicemail messages and sending a letter, but still getting no reply, we gave up on the case.  I had no idea when I first entered the house that I was visiting that same family, but I could tell that the wife was not very pleased by the unannounced call.  However, the husband was very polite and welcoming, and he asked us to sit down and talk.  The wife decided to join us, and we soon learned that none of the three children were baptized and that the couple was not married in the church.  We told them that their present situation was a hindrance to them attending Mass, and that if they acted immediately, we could probably get the girl back on track to receiving her first holy communion in May.  They were receptive to our offer, and after explaining to them how they could also strengthen their relationship with God by reading a chapter a day from the Gospel.  They fetched their Bible, and showed them with a ribbon how to locate the Gospel of John, which is chock full of people’s encounters with our Lord.  They agreed to give it a try, and promised to be at Church the next morning by 9:45 AM for the second grade PREP class, and we blessed their home before departing.  When I returned home later that afternoon, my wife refreshed my memory about our prior unsuccessful attempts to enroll the girl and get her baptized.  Imagine her surprise when the family did show up 20 minutes early for the class the following morning!  They not only filled out the registration form and paid the school fees, but returned for the Spanish Mass at 2 PM.  Furthermore, they agreed to attend the baptism preparation class this coming Monday, got the letters of good standing for the godparents, and filled out the forms and envelope for all three children.  We are pleased to report that all three children will be baptized on 14 Feb 2021 when Bishop Deliman celebrates Mass for the Hispanic community.  In the meantime, the older daughter returned dutifully for class and Mass for the second consecutive Sunday.

My friends, this family and seventeen others have been personally touched by our home visits of the past three weekends.  It is not a quick process, but it is already bearing fruit.  The goody bags give us a way to reach out to people who do not answer the door or feel comfortable with us entering their homes, and they proved very useful when we made calls on Anglo families.  On several occasions, we spoke through storm doors, but in no instance were we met with hostility.  In fact, most of the people were impressed by our willingness to go out in cold weather and make the calls, and it is difficult to describe how good all of us felt inside after each session.  After such a long stretch of inactivity, we were truly grateful for the opportunity to jump start our ministry, and we are hoping that others will be willing to join us in the field.  Next weekend, the Hispanic couple and I will continue our work with the Latino parishioners, and weather permitting, I hope to visit Anglo parishioners on alternating weekends.  Please prayerfully consider joining our efforts to help inactive Catholics reconnect with their Lord and our faith community, and let Nancy or me know if you are willing to help out.

March 1, 2020

• Dante - for healing from probable drug withdrawal problems for this 27 year old man
• Dora - for housing for her, her husband Larry and their four year old daughter Miracle
• Duke - for his finances (he shone Deacon Mark’s shoes for a donation)
• Vladimir - for God’s blessings and healing from nighttime worries
• Lamar - for the safe delivery of his son Sameer due next month, and for Sameer’s mother Angela and her daughter
• Patrick - for God’s blessing on him and his family
• Victoria - to be reunited with her family
• Marguerite - to find a new church community in Lancaster
• Jeanne - for reunion with her friend Connor, who was supposed to meet her in Suburban Station a day ago
• Justin - for help in getting through the rough patches of life
• James - raised Saint Stephen's parish, and asking for God's blessing for his son, his daughter and their mothers, as well as for himself
• Marie - a Filipino woman asking for God's blessing on all areas of her troubled life
• Burton - who was an independent job contractor but whose bad relationship with a woman led to the failure of his business.  He plans to dress up and go to Church tomorrow, and asks for God to restore his business
• Rudy - for healing of his painful hip and knee
• Jay - for health and prosperity; asked for replacement Miraculous Medal, which he received from us last year outside the Cathedral
• Mark - Protestant Christian who stopped by to pray for our ministry with us!
• Taisha - for healing from alcoholism
• Harrison - for God's blessings on his days
• Michael - for healing after being shot in the head and for a home.  He is now confined to a wheelchair and has only the use of one arm.
• Timothy - for physical well being

February 10, 2020

(NH) Nancy and Deacon Mark headed downtown, once again to Suburban Station, to get out of the February chill.  Our little team was blessed to speak and pray with many people.  While we met many homeless people, seeking shelter in the warm dry station, we also met quite a few people commuting into town.

A older man named Will was heading out towards the exit.  He was wearing hipster looking sunglasses, a bit roundish with a yellowy orange tint to them.  He had long hair that was tidy and trimmed nicely.  Nancy asked him if he could use a prayer.  Will stopped and said “Sure! Who couldn’t use a prayer?” ? He spoke of his special intention, for his eyes to be healed.  He said that he needed to wear the sunglasses because he had an eye condition that was painful and difficult.  Nancy asked if it was ok to touch him, and Will took his gloves off so that his hands could be held.  We asked the Lord to hear and answer our prayer for Will’s eye condition to be completely healed in Jesus’ name.  Asking Will if his eyes felt any better, he said that yes, the spasm that had been making them very bothered had mostly stopped.  Upon hearing this good news of God answering our prayer we continued and prayed for Will’s complete healing of his eye disease and ailment.  Will mentioned that he was a Catholic and that he thought it was a wonderful thing that we were out there in public praying with people and reminding them of God’s presence in their lives and in our world.  We gave him a postcard detailing the upcoming Alpha at Nancy’s parish in Feasterville, with email address, in case he would like to try and come to the Alpha or get in touch.  We hope and pray that we will hear from him that God has completely healed Will’s eyes.

A man was purchasing tickets at a nearby machine and his wife was waiting.  We asked her if she could use a prayer.  We got another “Who can’t use a prayer?!” comment ?  Upon asking if she had a special intention, she started to tear up and told us that she needed prayer for her son Eric.  While she did not get into the details, Deacon Mark and Nancy assured her of our and God’s great mercy for her son and her suffering as a mother.  Deacon Mark spoke of how Christ became man to show us His mercy for our suffering and of the blessed Mother’s suffering for the same.  She asked us to wait a moment before praying, for her husband to be finished with getting tickets.  He came over, maybe at first with a perplexed look, possibly thinking ut-oh ~ strangers with prayer station in the station, but when his wife said “We want to pray for Eric” the husband expelled a deep breath and then seemed completely open for praying.  After praying for Eric’s health and choices and guidance and good doors to open for him, the mom gave Nancy a big hug and thanked both of us greatly.  She accepted a miraculous medal as well as a postcard for the upcoming Alpha at Nancy’s parish, in case she and her husband and/or perhaps Eric, might want to try and come by and see if they like it.

A fellow named Carlos was walking by and was pleased to accept a crucifix to wear.  He was curious about what church we belonged to and why we were in the train station.  He had a map for the Big Bus tour in Philadelphia and we showed him where the Cathedral Basilica of SS Peter and Paul was, and told him how all are welcome and that it was a beautiful place.  We spoke of how our home churches were in Bucks County but the church for the whole Archdiocese of Philadelphia was this cathedral.  He thought that it might cost money to go in and we assured him that it would not.  Carlos wanted to pray for direction in his life.  He told us about his work in a meat packing plant, which was quite laborious and dangerous.  Carlos spoke of his step children who did not want to work despite the fact that they were able bodied adults.  He said they always were asking him for money but were unwilling to work.  We all spoke about how we can show our kids by example and teach them right from wrong, but in the long run we are all given free will to live our lives as we choose.  We spoke about how God gave us His commandments to teach us how to live in peace, hope and joy together, and that the next day, Sunday, we were to give God his Holy Day, the Lord’s day, by praising Him and worshiping Him at Mass.

Please remember the following people and their intentions in your own prayers:

Marcellas – for peace among all peoples of the world

Dana and her two little boys Jameer and Sincere – for Dana’s complete healing from her breast cancer and for the boy’s good health and happy lives.

Jerry – homeless for a month – for his wellness and shelter.

Joel – homeless, asks for God’s blessing on his life.

Susan and Charles – for their loving marriage.

Rich – on way into work but stopped for a moment, took a “Daily Bread” book and we pray for his wellness.

Eric – to turn away from corruption and towards the Lord.

Carlos – for direction in his life.

Kenny – homeless young man, for his well-being and for good influences in his life.

Sam – for his life.

Anthony – accepted a miraculous medal for his Mom Louise healing and to walk again.

Will – for complete healing of his eye condition.

Reggie – for personal growth and to find a home.

Tony – for a home and a job.

Mark – 40 year old father of four, divorced and homeless with severe health problems and horrific childhood.  For his healing and for his brother and children to love him.

Eugenia – for complete healing of spinal injury from car accident and for the perpetrator to show kindness instead of hate.

Lewis – for his wellness.

January 21, 2020

(NH) It was a frigid day with a bit of snow in the forecast, so we (Deacon Mark and Nancy) headed into Suburban Station.  Knowing that we would likely meet many homeless and poor, we brought some clementines and apples, some granola bars, gloves and socks, nail clippers and small packages of wipes, along with ourselves and our prayer station, our rosaries and blessed medals, our Bibles and our books. As always, we found it a great privilege to be allowed to minister to God's poor. We heard of many personal struggles. We received great appreciation for giving little things to try and help out in a small way. We were blessed to get to lift the prayers of His little ones up with them, to our ever-loving Father in heaven. We were allowed many times to place a crucifix or a miraculous medal upon a stranger's neck, an intimate exchange, reminding us both of Jesus at work.  We were built up by them thanking us profusely, frequently shedding tears. A hard part is leaving; we go away to our warm homes and full fridges and they still live on the street and in shelters. They still have long days ahead of them with nothing to do and no place to go except to try and get their human needs met.  Dear God, please bless our Philadelphia poor, especially this winter.

Nancy spoke at length with Jill who told of the horrors of her childhood with a terribly abusive and uncaring mother and a kind mild father who left when he could not stand to be at home any longer. She was a middle child with four siblings but they all are scattered and disconnected. Her father had been Episcopalian and Jill recalled that they went to a church called St. Augustine for a little while as a child. She cried thinking about how things had once been sort of normal before they became awful. Jill spoke of having her things stolen so many times and not understanding how so many people can be so cruel. She told of how she likes to help others who are in need and if they would ask her she would try her best to help. I asked Jill if she ever tried going to the Hub of Hope in the station to ask for help to get shelter. She told me that it is always crowded with people and that she does not trust being around all of those people. I asked her to consider hanging out around the entrance, eyeing it up for when it was not too crowded, and going in for help. She said she might try. A little while after I first spoke with her, Jill called to me and asked me to teach her about the rosary. I gave her a purple rosary and showed her the pamphlet that tells what beads go with what prayers. I asked her if she knew the Lord’s Prayer and she did and we said it together, pointing out that the big beads that are for it. I also showed her the text for the Hail Mary and explained how we were quoting the conversation between the blessed mother and the angel Gabriel and then we were asking for Mary, our sweet Mother, to pray for us, just like Jill could ask me to pray for her, as a friend. I told her that even if she didn’t say the entire prayer on every bead that just saying the words “Hail Mary pray for us” or something like that would be a very good prayer to make. She was so thankful and she promised to pray for me and my kids and I promised to pray for her.

A fellow named Jerrold was talking at length with Deacon Mark.  He was a giant of a man, to which we asked him if he played football back in high school.  He said no that he was the musical type, not athletic.  He told of how he once had a home but he had given in to great anger, feeling hate for a boarder at the house.  In his hate he burned his home down and now was homeless.  Jerrold told of how he had been raised a proper Christian but turned away from God and now realizes how far he fell away.  He said he repented and was so very sorry and wanted nothing but God's mercy.  We asked him if he was going to get himself to Mass or services the next day, Sunday, as it was the Lord's day.  He told us that he played keyboard and was playing at a Pentecostal church the next day for their services.  He said it was a nice job for him, that he got a little work and got to serve God altogether.  Deacon Mark had to run to the lavatory and when I was speaking with Jerrold I asked if he prayed in tongues and would like to pray.  Jerrold said "yes, but it's not like it is something that you can just command".  No sooner had he said that then he said "oh, actually I do want to pray" and then he was praising God in tongues.  I prayed my prayers with him too, yet tongues never seemed to come to me, but Jerrold's prayer and Hallelujahs and Amens in there were an amazing and surprising blessing!  After a few minutes we opened our eyes and found our little prayer station surrounded by 5 people who all wanted rosaries and prayer cards.  Jerrold exclaimed "look at that, as soon as we prayed all of those people came around".  It really was astounding.  We didn't have that many people around the whole time we were there, until Jerrold prayed in tongues.  He remained with me and Deacon Mark for awhile longer.  Jerrold said several times that this prayer was just what he needed and that he felt so good.  He said he had seen us and felt strange coming up and speaking with us but he knew he needed to, and now he knew why.  Praise God 🙂

We prayed with many people.  Please remember these sweet souls and their intentions in your prayers:

• Jermaine - in a hurry; leaned in for a crucifix to be placed on his neck.  He prays for God's protection.
• John - University of PA student, would like to join us for Mass sometime.  We gave him our contact email and name of Assumption parish in Feasterville.  He prays to grow closer to God.
• Rayford - prayers for his well being, finances, and to "get it together".
• Cecilly - prays for healing in her relationship with sons Malachi and Tyrone.
• Jill - prays for healing from wounds of her childhood and for peace with others.
• Shane (met him many times before) - prays for his property sale to go well.
• Tyrone - prayers for his life.
• Another Tyrone - prays for making good decisions and choices especially regarding friendships with others.
• Quintelle - (a Muslim woman) prays for her well being.
• Aaron - had no problems but lifts prayers for the praise of God (we talked about how we are born again by Baptism).
• Steven - young man, very faithful, loved to hear the story of St. Stephen the first martyr, he never heard this.  Prayers for his well being and shelter.  Was incredibly pleased to get nail clippers.
• Justin - prayers for his success as a musician to help him get off the streets; he plays in the station (country music and Christian music) frequently.
• Dante - he was half dressed and strung out.  Prayers for him to get clean, off the streets, and friends who are good for / to him.
• Justin - also strung out; recognized miraculous medal and said "may I have one of the miraculous ones?" and told us he was raised Catholic.  Prayers for him to get clean, off the streets and friends who are good for / to him.

December 31, 2019

• Rosita, whose son Terry is struggling with drug addiction and trying to wean himself off methadone
• Tiffany, who requests prayers for her children
• Frankie, who was just released from the hospital and wants to fully recover his health
• Karima,, who prays for a better year in 2020 and for help for her son Zafir in Chicago
• Michael, who asks for prayers for his son Cole and Louis
• Darryl, whose is providing home care for his wife Dolores, who is to be released from the hospital with a feeding tube
• Joe, whose sister-in-law Caroline is suffering from Stage 4 breast cancer and has multiple metastases
• Sharon, who is going in for testing prior to cancer surgery scheduled for January 29.  This is her third bout with cancer and she is understandably very scared.
• Maria, whose 2.5 month old granddaughter Harlow, is in Children's Hospital with Surge-Weber syndrome and suffering from seizures
• Anthony, who needs help with his finances
• Cyril, whose sister Molly is in the hospital with end-stage breast cancer

December 8, 2019

Nancy and Deacon Mark attended Mass at Saint Christopher’s Parish in NE Philadelphia at 8 AM before heading downtown to the Cathedral parking lot.  It was chilly enough that the parking lot had black ice and caused Nancy to slip as she emerged from her van, so we opted to go to the warmth and shelter of nearby Suburban Station.  It sometimes takes a bit of effort for us to go out and evangelize in less than optimal weather, but the Lord never fails to reward the sacrifice of our time, especially in this very busy season of Advent.   It took but a minute after setting up our station to receive our first visitors, and we had many wonderful encounters over the next 90 minutes.  Our last encounter in the train station (but not the very last, which occurred in front of the cathedral), we met a middle-aged man with two teenaged girls.  They were from a Methodist church in Delaware, but had spent the night in the basement of a church in Roxborough before heading downtown today to help feed and clothe the homeless in center-city Philadelphia.  They originally walked past our stand after we wished them a happy advent, but the girls convinced their chaperone to come back and talk with us.  They were all very kind and personable, and accepted the crucifixes that we gave them before joining in a huddle to pray for our missions.  How blessed we all felt as we parted ways with a renewed sense of purpose in our various efforts to bring the good news to the poor and oppressed!

Please consider joining us later this month for another session of street evangelization, and say a prayer for the following people whom we met:

• Isadore, a woman who is suffering from spiritual warfare and who was extremely grateful to Nancy for praying with her, saying that she made her day.
• Dennis, who is hoping that he will be approved for Section 8 Housing on Tuesday.
• Taylor, for healing of his heart.
• Chris, for his general intentions.
• Shady, who is homeless and apparently suffering from mental problems.
• Edward, who asked us to pray for his well-being and who learned how to pray the Hail Mary with Nancy.
• Mia, for the gift of patience.
• Kennan, for better finances and the gift of the Holy Spirit, who filled him visibly with joy after praying with Nancy.
• Emir, a Septa employee who has a three-month-old boy also named Emir, and who prays for good health for his son.
• Michael, who is seeking shelter, restored finances and the ability to sense the presence of his deceased daughter Michelle.
• Jill, a well-groomed and articulate peace activist who is homeless and living out of a duffle bag in Suburban Station. She took a religious medal and allowed us to pray with her, but is not seeking anything other than peace in this world.
• Rhoda, a well-educated woman in her 50s who formerly worked as a counselor and educator, and who has been homeless for 13 months. She is polite, well-spoken and kind, and it was shocking to listen to her pour out her story.  She was housed for a short time in a government shelter but the landlord made life miserable for her and forced her back out onto the streets.  After a lengthy conversation, Deacon Mark took her to Dunkin Donuts a few feet away and treated her to breakfast, as she had not yet eaten.
• Ronnie, a 50-year-old man who lost one child from a birth defect years ago and whose 26-year-old son Shawn is currently in jail for 9 months in Norristown for violating his parole by using marijuana. Ronnie himself had to clean up his act as a young man and is now a fervent Christian, and has an impressive knowledge of the Bible.  He accepted a crucifix and prayed with us for Shawn.
• Rob, who is currently homeless but starting a new job next week. He is estranged from his wife Valerie, with whom he has seven children, and wants them to get back together again.
• Anthony, who is homeless and looking for housing.
• Steven, who is asking for God’s blessing and help with multiple problems in his life.
• Ron, who is asking for God’s protection in his life.
• Jimmy, who is praying for world peace and shelter.
• Nancy, who is looking for a new job after being laid off recently.
• Molly & Richard, a Puerto Rican couple who are seeking housing, who prayed with us, received crucifixes and were very touched by Nancy’s generous gift toward a meal.

November 21, 2019

St. Teresa of Calcutta's writings in Come Be My Light tell us that "His ways are so beautiful, to think that we have God almighty to stoop so low as to love you & me & make use of us & make us feel that He really needs us.  As I grow older my wonder at His humility grows not for what He gives but for what He is, Bread of Life, The hungry One."  This sweet, amazing, little, Holy Saint truly brings home the thoughts that a street evangelist praying for others may have.  God does not need us but loves for us to want to participate in sharing Him.  What a privilege!

Deacon Mark, Nancy and a new team member, Jim, went downtown to Suburban Station in Philadelphia for St. Paul Street Evangelization last Saturday.  The station provided good shelter from the chilly wind outside.  There were many commuters coming through the station going places in town for weekend events and some going to work.  There were also many homeless individuals keeping warm inside the comfort of the station.  On this little mission the team brought the typical Prayer Station with rosaries, blessed medals, books and pamphlets, but also some items for the corporal needs of the poor.  A collection of granola bars, winter gloves, new socks, nail clippers and toothbrushes were well received.

On heading down from the sidewalk into the station below, the team met Yuann and Wendy early on, in from out of town, looking to find a way to Independence Hall.  This station is up at 16th street and Independence Hall is down past City Hall, near 5th street.  The team recommended the Market - Frankford subway and helped the couple find the ticket counters.  On leaving and asking if they would like to join in prayer, Yuann said that she would like to know more about God in her life.  It was so good that the evangelization team was able to help provide physical directions and then also ask God for spiritual direction in the lives of these women.  May they be greatly blessed and continue to desire to know more about God.

Upon setting up the prayer station in the concourse, Deacon Mark arrived from his train that he took separately into town.  Many people passed, accepting  sacramentals, prayers, and care items with great thankfulness.  The team has found time and again that offering little items for free to people passing opens up the opportunity to speak with them, possibly asking them how they are doing, if they would like to pray and whether they pray or go to church, whether they know about God at work in their lives, if they were ever baptized, whether they know about why Catholics pray to Mary asking for her intercession, etc. etc. etc. Bringing along a new team member and leading by example, it takes little to no time for a new person to get some comfort in reaching out to strangers as well, for love of God.  Jim told us that he would very much like to come out with the team again.  Praise be to God!

During the ministry we met:

Kendra, who prays to get a good job as a health aid for the elderly.  Nancy mentioned the great need for elder care workers in Lower Bucks at all of the nursing and assisted care facilities, plus public transportation that runs up from the city.

Rasul, who prays to get a home.

Michael suffers from a degenerative brain disease.  He prays to gain control over the illness and clarity of thought.  He accepted a St. Michael the Archangel medal and told the team that we were doing a good job.  He was sad that his daughter had no Christian faith and that there was no truth, only what people want to believe to guide them.

Rodney, prays for general intentions.

Ashley, who prays to find a job and a home.

Ricardo, who came from Mexico and has been homeless for 3 months following hernia surgery and loss of job; he prays for work and a home.

Henrique, a Guatemalan immigrant who prays for a home.

Nasir, who traded email addresses with Nancy who promised to check in on his plans.  He prays for his plans to obtain shelter when he gets his check, and then to get training for work. Nasir would like to become either a flight attendant or a health care worker with primary focus on dialysis patients.

Michael, who prays for his mom Betty on dialysis.

Walter, who has been homeless for 4 months but his wife Sherry is in a nice shelter, prays for his shelter and for his wife.

Rudy, whose housing is due to come through the first week of December, he prays for this to occur with no problems.  He asked for an extra blessed medal and a pair of ladies gloves to give to his caseworker Angelina, who works at the Hub of Hope in Suburban Station (https://www.projecthome.org/hubofhope), and has been so kind to him.  What a blessing to help this man give a little gift in thanksgiving to her!

Andrew, who prays for his pregnant ex-girlfriend Alexis to allow him to come back and be a respectable and good husband and father.  He repents of his previous bad choices and prays to make amends.

Chris, who was on his way into work, prays for a good day of good work and for well-being; he exclaimed "I really needed this, you guys are in the right place at the right time for me!"  Amen!

Colleen, who prays for her health and welfare and for her daughter Nancy.

Joseph, who prays for his walk in faith.

Luis, who is homeless and prays to find shelter and food.

Dennis, who prays for his Section 8 housing application to be approved soon!

Darryl, for his general intentions.

Anthony, prays for the health and safety of his friends and family.

Nicky, who is pregnant, prays for her and her baby's and her 2 daughter's health, safety, and faith.

November 12, 2019

Joy. It is a short little word that brings a great big punch! For a Christian, it has everything to do with complete trust in God's love and promises for His children.  When we are told that we bring joy, it is a great blessing.

Nancy and Joyce were downtown on the feast of All Soul's Day for St. Paul Street Evangelization near Logan Circle. Joyce is leading up a new team in Tamaqua PA and was looking forward to getting out on the street for evangelization ministry. Many people who passed gladly accepted rosaries and blessed medals and the little team was privileged to pray with many faith-filled people. There was a mix of tourists, suburban visitors to the city, and the poor.

A man named DJ, who had emigrated from Africa years before, and was living on the street, happily accepted a blessed miraculous medal. He was so pleased and asked us to pray with him. We prayed for his finances and his shelter. DJ was beaming with joy ~ it was absolutely contagious! He told us that he was so happy that he met us. We talked about his faith life and he said that he was raised having to go to church with his father daily and that it made him not like church at all for many years. But he said that he would like to start trying to go back to church and that he thought it was a good idea to try and get closer to Christ. He told us how much he wanted to go out and help people too and he wanted to be more like Jesus. Having emailed him after the weekend, his response
was:   "yo I'm so happy I have tears in my eyes I have been touching my chain that you put on my neck and I miss you. I Miss Joy! Thats what you brought me in speaking to you." God-willing, DJ will stay safe and get his life on track and will grow closer to Christ in His great joy and hope. We plan to keep in touch.

We also met a family with three children visiting from Baltimore. They stopped at our prayer station and said that they would love to receive blessed medals and prayers for their trip. It was a lovely privilege to play a part in this family's little vacation by offering their prayers up for good health, safety, and faith in their trip and family life.

Laura who is in remission from her stage 4 cancer came up with her two daughters. They tearfully asked for us to pray for their uncle Carlos who had it worse, with esophogeal cancer, and also to pray for Laura's permanent healing from her cancer. They gratefully accepted miraculous medals and the one daughter planned to take hers to uncle Carlos when they were back home. The thought of being part of helping this young woman share her love of our sweet Blessed Mother with her very sick uncle is so humbling.

After meeting many others, we packed up and were heading to our cars.  There was a lady walking up the cathedral steps. She turned and looked at us and we said
"hi, would you like a blessed medal?" She told us that her name was Joanne and that she met our little team downtown some time ago and that we prayed with her for her sick mother, Mary, and gave her a medal.  She said that her mom wore that medal to her last day and that our prayers with Joanne and that medal gave her mom great peace.  She said that she wanted us to know that what we were doing down there, with our prayer station and offering to speak with people about God, was a good thing and that she knew that we were volunteers taking our free time to do it and that it meant so much to her and her mom. We thanked Joanne for her sweet encouragement and praised God for His blessing of letting us know this lovely fruit of our ministry. Joanne is now caring for her father Ed, and we are keeping them in our prayers too now.

Please remember the following people and their prayers to God in your own prayers:
Pete - for good health
Thomas - for warm, comfortable, safe shelter
DeViohnn - for his financial stability, safe shelter, and continued joy and desire to help others
Hugh - general intentions for well being
"B" family from Baltimore - Brittany, Bree, Braden, and parents - for their excellent health, growth, safety and faithfulness
Joanne - may her mom Mary rest in Jesus' arms for all eternity, and may Joanne have strength in caring for her father Ed, and for Ed's peace
Joseph - emigrated from India, is Catholic, prays for his son Stanislaus to remain faithful to Jesus and His Church throughout life
Mr. Doyle - for his mom Yvonne
Deena, Mark, and Rich - for their well-being
Carlos - for healing and comfort and strength against his cancer
Laura - for complete healing and recovery from her cancer
Michael S. - a 13 year old who committed suicide, for Michael to be received into heaven and for the comfort of his family and loved ones

September 19, 2019

• Luis Enrique, an elderly homeless man who came to America from Nicaragua back in 1999, without his family.  He was raised Catholic and accepted the Spanish version of Matt Kelly’s book Resisting Happiness, along with a rosary and guide to praying it.
• James, who was born in Taiwan of mixed Chinese and American heritage and is now homeless in Philadelphia.   He is extremely articulate and intellectually curious, and asked Nancy many thought-filled questions about the Catholic faith.   James talked animatedly with her for more than 45 minutes, and accepted a Bible and religious medal before heading off to the nearby park.
• Gary, whom we first met three weeks ago and has been living in Logan Circle for six weeks.  Gary lost his three year old son Luke to leukemia on 07 Jul 2018, and his fiancee Amy, Luke’s mother, died exactly one week later from a heart attack.  Gary was born and raised in a troubled family in Kentucky, became a nurse working in pediatric oncology, and eventually moved to California.  He fell into deep depression after the death of Amy and Luke, and headed eastward to reassess his life.  He has all his belongings in a backpack and became so despondent yesterday, his 46th birthday, that he climbed onto the side of the Walnut Street bridge, ready to leap to his death.  After resisting the temptation to end his life, he went to Jefferson Hospital for assessment, but they turned him away because he is legally a resident of California and should return there for treatment.   I spent more than an hour talking with Gary, got him a cup of coffee, and then headed over to the cathedral to give him a tour.  Gary was raised Baptist but listened attentively to my explanations about Catholic theology and worship, and we spent a good half hour in the cathedral before meeting up with Nancy.  We showed him how to find Catholic Social Services on Monday at the archdiocesan center at 222 N. 17th Street, and after we got home, Gary sent us an e-mail from a main library computer.  He thanked us sincerely for our help, and promised to see help.  On Monday, was given a one-way bus ticket back to Los Angeles, and he should reach the west coast by Thursday.  He will still need lots of prayers, as he needs to get on his feet and back to work.
• Jasmine, who needs help making decisions in her life without the element of fear haunting her whenever she has to act
• Pam, who has cancer that was initially misdiagnosed and has a medical malpractice lawsuit starting on Monday.  She lives alone in Philadelphia, and also asks for her brother Dwayne
• Theodore, who asks for strength in battling addiction
• Myer, who asks for a pleasant week ahead
• Michael, who is suffering from stomach and colon cancer.  We gave him a Bible at his own request, and he promised to go to his church on Sunday.
• David, for improvement of his health
• Wilbur, for a new apartment, as he is having problems with his landlord.  He also promised to go to church on Sunday.

September 19, 2019

(NH) Deacon Mark and Nancy braved the humid Philadelphia weather to go downtown for St. Paul Street Evangelization on Logan Circle last Saturday.  Many people were out and about at 930 am, probably trying to beat the worst of the heat coming in the afternoon.

The team met some tourists, many people homeless or living in shelters, and other city/suburban folks.  Altogether over 50 blessed medals and rosaries were shared in a two hour span.  Here are some stories and prayer requests from the outing:

Early on Deacon Mark met a fellow named Carry.  He told of being from Kentucky and now living on the streets of Philly for 3 weeks.  He appeared tired and beaten down.  Carry spoke of having recently lost his Fiancee to a sudden heart attack.  Deacon Mark told of how God is at work even when we don’t feel Him at all.  In our depths of suffering, He is always there.  They prayed together and Carry was pleased to be given a crucifix to wear and he planned to try to let God show him what to do with his life.

Dee and David were visiting from Australia.  They were in Philadelphia for an overnight, having traveled from NYC and heading down to Washington DC the next day.  They spoke of a lovely trip to date and friends who told them they must stop in Philadelphia.  Dee and David were excitable and pleased to be in our city.  To top it off, Dee was exceptionally pleased to be offered a Miraculous Medal.  They were Catholic as well, and we pointed out our Cathedral down the street.  The couple planned to visit the art museums and walk around town.  We told them we were happy they were in to visit our city of brotherly love and we prayed for their safe and healthy travels.  They were very thankful.

Frequently people on bikes ride by without any stopping, however, that was not the case with Marshall.  Nancy asked as he was pedaling by if he would like a blessed medal or a prayer.  Marshall stopped right away, got off his bike and said Yes! I would love to have both!  Marshall asked us to pray with him about his finances.  He said that he had been at work and was dropping his bike down the street where he could safely leave it, to get a train or bus back to Upper Darby where he has a small studio apartment that doesn’t fit his bike.  Marshall told of how he got behind on some bills but made phone calls to the companies and sezzztup payment plans and that he knew it would work out alright.  He prays greatly for God to bless him in making it work out alright and making ends meet.  We talked about how working out a situation instead of just hoping it will go away is what God wants us to do and that He guides us how to do it always, if we be quiet and listen in prayer.  Marshall agreed greatly.  He was glad to put on a crucifix and ride off.

Please remember the following people and their intentions in your own prayers:

• Hah ~ for her safety and for the bad men in her apartment building to move elsewhere
• Carry ~ to find permanent shelter and workable life plans
• Dee and David ~ for safe travels and good health
• Marshall ~ to be blessed with resources and plans to make ends meet always
• Pancho ~ to be able to take and pass test for CDL license
• Nathan ~ for guidance and direction in following God’s will
• Steven ~ given a Bible; for open mind and soft heart open to God’s word
• Thomas ~ blessed to have shelter and prays now for better access to food and resources
• Agustin and Antonio ~ Honduran homeless immigrants – for their livelihood, good health and friendship
• Melanie ~ for Joseph’s heart surgery
• Chris ~ Asked to pray for Nancy ?
• Joan ~ for her health
• Santiago ~ from Panama, prays to walk the Camino with his wife next year
• Rosalee and Al ~ for shelter and work
• Emanuella and Lawrence ~ for their welfare
• Diane ~ for her peace and care
• Asidiri ~ from Guinea, for his welfare
• Pete ~ an altar server, for good health

September 19, 2019

• Chris, who is homeless and needs food
• Elsa, who needs to reconcile with her atheist brother-in-law
• Sonny and Eric, who are homeless and need jobs
• Winnie, who is homeless
• José, who is gravely ill with cancer
• Diane and Latoya, who are trying to save money for a weekend getaway with their family
• Melvin, who is dying in Temple University Hospital
• Kenneth, who is homeless
• Mimi, who battling Alzheimer’s
• Patricia, who is homeless

September 19, 2019

(NH) We were fortunate to have 4 Lower Bucks / Philly St. Paul Street Evangelization team members available to go out on Saturday morning in downtown Philadelphia.  The team of Deacon Mark and Rich sezzztup near the Cathedral and the team of Don and Nancy sezzztup down the parkway a bit, across the street from the Franklin Institute science museum.  This report is regarding the team of Don and Nancy at the Franklin Institute.

It was quite hot and sunny, but the shade across the street from the museum made it a nice morning for street evangelization.  This area is frequented by tourists, homeless people and joggers.  We easily gave out over 30 rosaries and 20 blessed medals in two hours.  Additionally, having a box of protein bars and extra water helped with corporal needs as well!

Our first encounter was with a young woman named Elizabeth.  She was sitting on the curb down the street a bit, playing with her phone, watching us sezzztup our prayer station sign.  About five minutes after sezzztup she got up to walk by and we asked her if she would like a rosary.  She said yes and we gave her one and a pamphlet on how to pray it.  We asked her if she would like us to pray with her and she said yes but told us she didn’t speak much English.  We traded in her English rosary “How to Pray” pamphlet for a Spanish one, and lifted Elizabeth and her needs for safety, health and welfare up to our Lord.  She left us thanking us greatly.

A young African American man named Nemo came by and when we asked him if he would like a rosary and if he could use a prayer he told us that he had done bad things in life and that he did not think he was the kind of person who God wants to hear from.  We spoke to Nemo about how in the Bible we are told that Christ came for sinners and not just for a bunch of good people.  We told Nemo about how all of us did some bad things but the great love that Our Father has for every person he creates calls us back again.  We asked Nemo if he was regretful of doing the bad things that he has done and Nemo told us yes he was.  He told us that it was a good thing we were doing out there with our prayer station and that speaking with us gave him much to think about.

A coincidental encounter happened with a fellow named Hank.  When walking by, we asked if he would like a rosary or a prayer, Hank told us no and that he used to be Catholic.  He stopped to talk.  When asked if he went to Catholic school he stated he did but it was not nearby. Upon further discussion, it turned out that Hank attended the same Catholic high school as Nancy and graduated two years earlier.  In addition he lived and grew up down the street in the same small Pennsylvania town as Nancy.  We asked Hank if he thought that maybe meeting a couple of Catholics on the street in downtown Philly with a prayer station with one having grown up and gone to school in the same place about the same time as him might be a means by which God was letting him know that He is indeed at work in his life.  Hank said no, and that his only god was desire for revenge.  He told of many people who had done bad things to him, especially his father and how he only gets satisfaction when he feels he has gotten back at them.  Hank did not want to consider the thought of trying to forgive so that he could stop carrying the weight of it.  We told him of how sometimes people’s relationships with their own father, when not good, can cause problems relating to the possibility that we have a creator, a Father in Heaven, who created us out of great love.  Hank was dismissive of the thought.  We asked where all this around us came from and he said factories.  Moving on, what about the earth and its atmosphere, and all of the creatures, and the trillions upon trillions of stars?  Hank remarked that a big explosion created it all.  We asked where the big explosion came from and Hank stated “from nothing”.  We wondered why it would be easier to believe that everything came from nothing instead of a loving Father in heaven whose relationship with humanity has been communicated for many thousands of years through history and encounters.  Hank left without wanting a prayer and without wanting any book or sacramental.  Hopefully Hank left with some food for thought about the possibility of God truly being here and truly loving him.

A family of about 12 came by and they came up to us, telling us that they were in Philadelphia for a family reunion and they would like to pray with us.  What a blessing!  They were the Brooks family and they had 4 generations with them.  It was a great privilege and we shared blessed medals and rosaries with them.  When they were leaving the teen girl said do you have a Legion of Mary where you are?  She told us that she was a member of the legion where she lived.  This was so adorable and here we were giving out rosaries to her!

Finally we were getting ready to pack up and leave. A young well dressed couple came by and said they would love to have a rosary and how to pray it pamphlet.  The young woman said she was Catholic.  Also they said they would very much like to pray.  To our surprise, because of how ‘chic’ they looked, Francesca and Chris told us that they needed prayer for sober living and that they were in recovery.  We prayed to Jesus, the divine physician and great healer, for this couple to be healed of any desire to be under the influence, today and everyday of the rest of their lives.  May God greatly bless this humble couple and answer their prayers!

Please pray for the following intentions:

• Elizabeth – for her health, well being, and resources
• Nemo – for him to know God’s mercy for him and for him to continue to have strength and reject sinfulness
• May and Will – homeless mother/son – for them to be blessed with getting a home
• Hank – that the Holy Spirit will change his ways from revenge to love
• French family – for their safe and healthy travels
• Gail – for things to get better in her life
• Brooks family – for good health of all the family members and for them to know the love of God in their lives everyday, growing in faith and love
• Francesca and Chris – to never desire to use drugs or alcohol again
• Kamal – for his well being

September 19, 2019

For the third Independence Day in a row, our group sezzzt up our stand along the parade route in Southampton. We began by attending the 9:00 Mass, which readied us spiritually to share our faith with the our fellow citizens. The parade began a few minutes after Mass ended, and all we had to do was gather our equipment and walk less than fifty yards to the end of the church driveway. There were literally hundreds of people lining the street, and we decided to have Nancy stand alongside our display while Don and Mark walked among the spectators to offer them either a rosary or a religious medal. The first few people whom we encountered politely declined the free handouts that we were offering, but before we had time to get discouraged, other families began reacting very positively. Over the next hour, we distributed several dozen rosaries, crucifixes and religious medals, and had the opportunity to give encouragement to a young mother whose husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago. They are faithful Catholics in an adjoining parish, and we ask everyone to intercede for Scott McDowell, who is scheduled next week for a CAT scan to see how his case is progressing.

September 19, 2019

(NH) Don, Nancy and Deacon Mark headed down to the Philadelphia Cathedral area, certain that with St. Patrick’s weekend, there would be tourists.  There was a large group of kids on tour who were very excited to receive rosaries and blessed medals.  Many of the adult tourists and suburbanites hurried along, wanting to get out of the chill.  Early on, a pickup truck stopped at the traffic light in front of us.  A young worker jumped out, running up, asking for prayer for his family, and a rosary.  We were happy to oblige.  His truck mates started leaving without him and he had to quickly leave to catch up and jump back in.

One lady that stopped, Lucille, was very pleased to meet us.  She told us that she had just left serving breakfast at a homeless shelter and was heading to the library to do some research on some ideas for helping them.  Lucille told us how happy she was to see us out there on the sidewalk, offering to pray with people and speak with them about God.  We told of how we are so privileged to be allowed to be the hands and feet and heart of Jesus and Lucille agreed.

A young man named Charles told us that he would like to pray.  When asked if he had anything special to pray to God about, any intentions, he said that he wanted to thank God for being able to get up that day.  It was amazing to hear this young man, apparently quite poor, want to praise God for what he had.  We lifted up his prayers of thanks with him and asked God to especially bless Charles with great knowledge of His love for him and his job to share the love of Jesus with all who he meets.  Charles was please to accept a blessed crucifix to wear.

An older man named Stan came by a little later.  He had a green coat on to which we exclaimed that his coat was particularly celebratory for St. Patty’s day!  Stan was pleased and told us that he was part Irish and Catholic to boot.  He told us that he wanted to pray with us about his methadone treatment and how good it would be if he were done with it.  Stan wanted to move upstate to live with and care for his 84 year old sister, Teresa.  He said that the methadone treatment worked and helped him but he was struggling with other health issues and worries too.  Stan was told that he had hardening of the arteries and that he might have to get his left leg amputated if it “goes downhill”.  We touched his left leg below the knee, and prayed for Jesus the great healer to have mercy on Stan and heal his left leg.  We greatly pray for God to move in this way of mercy for Stan.  We also spoke of the importance of receiving the blessed sacrament and Stan assured us that he went to the Cathedral frequently and that he had not thought of how important it was to receive Christ in the Eucharist.  He wanted to hear more about it.  Nancy mentioned a quote from one of the talks she heard, “We consume Christ in order to be consumed with Him”.  How beautiful is it that Our Lord wants us to receive Him in such an unfathomable and intimate way!

Finally, a woman named Hah came by.  She was immediately recognized as we prayed with her almost two years ago (https://streetevangelization.com/lowerbucks/2017/06/10/saturday-june-10th-warm-day-warm-hearts-philly/).  Hah, Vietnamese immigrant, had been homeless and seemed in dire straits when we last me her.  She was beside herself with anger and hurt over her family ties that were broken.  She appeared to be under the influence of something.  Today Hah was tremendously better!  She said that she now has an apartment.  She spoke of an outreach worker named Chris who helped her get identification and food and shelter.  Her eyes were clear and she looked lovely.  Hah said that she still was not in touch with her family, that she could not even go to them to get her identification worked out, for fear of her father killing her.  Hah continues to struggle with the pain of loss of family.  She tells of how her brothers who have done wrong were forgiven but she will never be because she is a daughter.  Nonetheless, Hah praised God for His working in her life and she wore a little pin of the Blessed Mother with infant Jesus on the lapel of her pretty wool coat.  The difference in Hah’s appearance from two years ago to this day is nothing short of miraculous!

Please pray for the following people in your prayers:

• Hah – for healing of her family brokenness and bitterness to that of loving and merciful
• Stan – for his well being and good health and for healing of his left leg
• Bruce – for his health and well being
• Charles – to feel God’s presence strongly in his life guiding him
• Lucille – for blessings on her ministry efforts and her good health
• Young construction worker – for his family and continued faithfulness in Our Lord at work in his life
• Two young women from Tallahassee – for their safe travels and continued faith journey (one is preparing to become Catholic!, very pleased to receive and hear story of miraculous medal)

September 19, 2019

(NH) Nancy and Deacon Mark took to the streets of Ambler to knock and speak with St. Joseph’s parishioners.  There was a chill but it was fortunately a sunny February day.  The team went to Mass at St. Alphonsus to be readied for ministry, as St. Joe’s has no Saturday morning Mass.  Using Google Maps uploaded with parishioner addresses, the team sezzzt about knocking on parishioner doors to explain that Deacon Mark is from the parish and they were looking for input on how the parish and Church is serving them and whether they would like their homes blessed and for any prayer intentions.

Details:

A kind man answered at the first home and invited us in to chat.  The woman of the house exclaimed how pleased her mom would be that we came to visit.  She told of how her mom had a considerable reversion, following the death of her father on this exact date 10 years prior, and now is an Extraordinary Minister at her parish.  This adult daughter explained that she is raising her children in the Catholic faith but that she is having difficulty getting to Mass and growing in faith herself.  Nancy witnessed to her own reversion some years ago when realizing that she struggled with Church teaching and lack of understanding why many things were taught.  The faith had been more a sezzzt of rules to follow, then a relationship where one prays and worships and loves out of love for God.  The homeowner agreed that she wanted to learn more too and that a recent sudden death of her best friend has brought her to looking for God in her life more than ever.  The deceased best friend’s name happened to have been Nancy as well. She accepted Rediscover Catholicism and Rediscover Jesus books.  Deacon Mark wanted to bless the home.  He had forgotten to bring holy water but this woman happened to get holy water the day before and a paper with a house blessing on it, and he used this to bless the home and family.  Truly, the number of “coincidences” with this home visit was staggering.  It is a beautiful privilege to see God’s hand at work in clear amazing ways.

At another home a young man answered the door in pajama pants.  He was not comfortable inviting us in but wanted to speak with us.  He told us that was going to get changed and for us to wait.  Mike came out and was pleased to speak with us.  He told us of having been raised in the parish but then left to go to a Baptist church for a bit and now considered himself an atheist.  Asking him “what does he believe in?” he told us that he was a type of atheist that thought that any religion could be right and that he did not know which was right nor what it mattered.  He said that he did not have any particular complaints about the Church or St. Joe’s.  We asked Mike if he considered the possibility that there was a creator.  He said yes and that there could even be more than one.  We agreed that yes there have been religions that have believed this throughout the centuries and Greek and Roman mythologies particularly lean towards the idea of many gods creating.  Going back to the possibility of one God, the team asked again if Mike thought it was possible that there was one God who created all.  He acknowledged that he thought it was a possibility.  Nancy told of her recent talk with some fellows at a nursing home and their discussion about the number of stars in the universe exceeding the number of grains of sand that would fill a 5-mile wide x 5-mile high x 5-mile long box!  Mike liked the idea of chatting with old guys at a nursing home about the universe ?  Going back to the single creator idea, we asked Mike if he could believe that a creator made this universe, this immense number of stars, and all else… and then the craziest thing, this super powerful creator, thinking of us individually in advance, and then creating us because when He thought of us He loved us.  Mike said yes he thought it was a possibility.  Then a most fantastic thing occurred next, we asked why would this God send Jesus? Mike told us that God would do that to show humans His love for us, that it would be a natural way for an amazingly powerful creator to draw his human creatures closer to Himself.  Wow!  We asked Mike if we could join hands and pray with and for him and he said yes.  We prayed that our visit was going to help him come to know and love God and the Christian religion he was baptized into.  Mike accepted a Crucifix telling us he did not have any of those for his room and would like one.  Praise be to God who works in the most mysterious ways!

The team visited another home with a family and the dad answered the door and invited us into his home.  He said that he and his family regularly attended Mass as St. Joe’s and that he has told his kids that it is important to keep their faith.  The homeowner mentioned that he is very pleased to have Deacon Mark at the parish as he finds his homilies very good and relatable to family life since the Deacon has a family himself.  He spoke of the difficulties of raising kids in today’s world and Nancy and Deacon Mark agreed.  He thanked the Deacon for his service to the parish and for our prayers for him and his family.

Finally the team visited a Hispanic family where Deacon Mark’s Spanish speaking skills came in so handy once again!   The homeowner told of how appreciative she is of the parish, that the recently formed Spanish prayer group was a great blessing to her.  She also told of how parish staff helped her navigate her way to become a legal citizen of the US last year and how grateful she is for having St. Joseph’s parish in her life and the life of her family.  The Deacon prayed with her and blessed the home and the family’s little shrine to Our Lady of Guadeloupe.

It was a fantastic blessing to have had the opportunity to speak about the Church and the parish of St. Joe’s with these parishioners.  Please consider praying for the following people and their intentions:

• Vincent and his Uncle Joe – health, faith and well-being
• Tina and Joe – for their continued evangelization ministry
• Ron and family – strength as parent, growth in faith and love
• Charlie – anxiety difficulties
• Michael – to grow in faith and share it with his family
• Shauna and Chris’ family – faith, health, and safety
• the parish of St. Joseph’s in Ambler

September 19, 2019

(NH) Nancy and Deacon Mark went downtown to Suburban Station in Philadelphia for St. Paul Street Evangelization ministry on Saturday morning.  The station was bright and dry, decorated with Christmas trees and shop signs, with Christmas music playing in many areas.  Then there were the homeless, whose presence is a stark contrast to the tidy, clean, efficient looking station…  Many were coming in from being outside in the rain, dampness clinging to their clothes and their scent.  As found before at this location, as soon as our team enters the station we are approached by homeless people.  Many tell stories of woe that are shocking and scary.  They tell of lives of abuse and neglect, foster homes, addiction and prison, violence, theft, hunger, fear and bitterness.  Many also tell of belief in God at work in their lives, of gracious love for Jesus and His Mother, of tremendous concern for the others who are homeless, of hope in getting places of their own, of getting jobs, of being healthy, of getting married, of making contact with their families.  They are typically kind and sweet and so thankful for us to pray with them and speak with them about life and God and what He asks of us and what He does for us.

Wanting to do something special for Christmas for some of those that we would meet, the team brought several $10 Dunkin’ Donut giftcards, as there are a few of these shops in the concourse.  This seemed a good idea so that we were not carrying cash and could steer use of our gift towards food instead of being used for drugs or liquor.  In addition to our usual sacramentals, we also brought some knit gloves, purchased at the dollar store, to offer folks as a little Christmas gift, along with cookies and waters.  The people were very appreciative for anything and everything that they received from us, corporeally and spiritually.  After giving out all of the gift cards to the needy, there were some who came by later who had drinks from Dunkin’ Donuts but we had not given them gift cards.  Apparently those whom we gave gift cards to shared what they had with others and bought them food and drink with their cards.  The care of many of the homeless for their brethren truly cuts one to the heart.  Our team is so appreciative of being given the privilege to serve the poor in the name of Jesus.

There were many encounters that were moving and this post could go on and on and on.  However, for the sake of getting some things done today in addition to this post ? and for the sake of the reader, here are some excerpts and intentions:

Keith – A young man who told of his prior life of alcoholism and being on the wagon for over 6 years, but in need of work and getting back in touch with his family after having been in prison.  We bought him a train ticket to Lansdale, per his request.

Odell – A man who was sitting up against the wall in the station, but looked healthy and well dressed.  He said he was very blessed.  Odell had a speech impediment that made it very difficult to understand him.  This has been noted before when ministering to the needy in Philadelphia; many have speech difficulties and it makes one wonder if that is part of the source of why they are not employed or being left behind in the culture.  It certainly makes for a difficult life.  Odell wanted to pray for Nancy and her children before wanting her to pray for him.

Salim – A young man who was heavily tattooed prays for forgiveness.

Elderly woman – She was mute and tried to sign her needs but was not understandable.  She left seemingly pleased with a prayer, a new pair of gloves and a dunkin donuts card.

Charlene – A middle aged woman who we met on previous occasions.  She said “Hi I’m back and I need prayer!” We prayed for her needs for shelter and stability and peace and for her daughter too.

Keith – A middle aged man who had spent some time in prison and wants to make good choices in alignment with God’s will in his life.  He told us that he gives himself to Jesus and loves the Blessed Mother.  His deceased mother’s name is Mary also, and Keith prays for a sign that his mom is well and with Christ.

Dante – 26 year old man who we met before.  We prayed for him to have doors open in his life for stability and peace and for him to have strength to make choices to bring this about.

Leonora – For her health, shelter, and care.

Henry and Marcus – For their health, shelter, and care.

John Williams – For the repose of his loved one’s souls.

Jerold – A gentle giant of a man ~ for his needs.

Larry – Released from prison two days ago, having served a 20 something year sentence.  Larry is on-fire with the Holy Spirit!  He tell of how he has a job sezzztup, is living in a halfway house and wants to build a good future for himself by following what God asks of him.  Larry speaks of how he gets “thumped” on what he should do, sometimes it is light and gentle, sometimes it is strong and he knows what to do based on this.  He plans to “Keep Holy the Lord’s Day” tomorrow by going to services at a Pentecostal church where he is comfortable, having been raised in that denomination.  He accepted a medal of the Blessed Mother and enjoyed speaking with us about her love of us as her children.

Jackie – A soft spoken gentle women who originally came from Louisiana and speaks with a lilting southern accent and excellent vocabulary.  She told of how she has no family in the area but came to Philadelphia for the promise of a job, after losing a job of 3 years in New York.  The Philadelphia job never came to fruition and Jackie speaks of being stuck in Philadelphia.  She has had some college education, which was not surprising considering how well spoken she was.  Jackie’s story makes one think about how any of us could be a homeless person, due to job loss, lack of family or friends, mental illness, poor choices, health problems, and bad luck.  She asked for a ride to the Art Museum but then having gotten there and seeing the rain, asked to be brought back to the train station.  We recommended she go to the Hub of Hope in the station to ask them to help her get work, that she had employable skills.  She said she would.  On driving home, we saw that she did not enter the station after all but was walking down the street in the rain.

September 19, 2019

(NH) We (Deacon Mark and Nancy) braved the Philadelphia November chill for street evangelization on Saturday.  Our little team started in front of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) but decided to switch gears when it became apparent that nobody wanted to be out on the sidewalk in the cold.  So we packed up the car and drove back into center city, with a plan to go into Suburban Station.

Down in Suburban Station, with the cold outside, we had the privilege to meet, speak, and pray with many homeless people as well as share our protein bars and bags of nuts.  It is always a humbling experience to have strangers willing to stop and connect with us.  It is even more so with the poor.  They demand nothing.  The smallest gestures of kindness are met with a deep gratefulness not often experienced in life.

Early on we met Donna.  She was hard to understand because she was missing many teeth and it made speech difficult.  Despite our lack of ability to communicate well with each other, she allowed us to pray with her and she accepted a blessed crucifix.  Donna gave Nancy and Deacon Mark big hugs.  Her hug, which could be considered a small thing, built us up for the rest of our ministry that morning.  God bless that sweet Donna!

A young woman named Tara came up to us and told us that she would like us to pray with her.  We prayed for Tara to find permanent shelter and for her baby girl, who was with relatives, and gave her some blessed medals for her and her little one.

A short time after Tara left us, she returned with her friend Bree.  Nancy said, “Hi Tara, do you want to chat some more with us?” and Tara exclaimed, “Oh, you remember my name!”.  Another small gesture, the recollection of a name, does not seem like much. However, to someone who is struggling, it can mean very much.  Tara explained that her friend Bree would love to pray with us too and that if possible she would also like a blessed medal.  We were happy to oblige.  We spoke at length with the young women about how the choices we make every moment of every day are either a choice God would want us to make or would not want us to make.  We spoke of our need to do our best to make our choices in alignment with what God wants. This will bring the peace and hope and joy in Christ that He promises us.  We spoke of how if everyone on earth did this and rejected turning away from God that it would be like we were living in heaven already.  The young women enthusiastically agreed.  Tara and Bree were pleased to accept Matthew Kelly’s Resisting Happiness books, which promise help in seeing one’s choices clearly in life.

Finally, we spent much time in conversation and prayer with a man named Albert.  It was funny because he came up to us and asked where we were from.  We told him Lower Bucks County.  Albert went on to tell us that he went to school at William Tennent.  Wouldn’t you know, that is Deacon Mark’s high school Alma mater and Nancy has a daughter there now too?  To top it off Albert went to the same junior high as the Deacon as well. We asked what neighborhood he was from and Albert told us about how he had been placed at Bethanna in our town, then a residential facility for children from abuse/neglect situations.  Nancy had volunteered at this same facility in the early 1990’s as a young college graduate, working with a little boy who must’ve been just a few years younger than Albert; this made Nancy and Albert miss each other at Bethanna by about 4 years.  What a small world!

Albert spoke of his great faith in Christ but the need for all of us to get along with each other, regardless of religion.  We wholeheartedly agreed that this is certainly what Christ wants of us, to love ALL His people.  Albert, however, did not speak lightly of sinfulness nor of the need to turn away from it.  He mentioned, without prompting, that Jesus calls us all to repent of our sins to receive Him and live in Him.  Albert spoke at great length of his childhood history in Lower Bucks playing football and running track.  He seemed so happy recollecting this with us.  He briefly mentioned that after high school he dropped out of vocational tech school due to illness in his family and never went back.  Now he is planning to try to complete some classes for a certificate that will help him get a good job.  He mentioned that speaking of his sports made him remember how good the physical outlet was for him and that he should try and do more of that to help when his mind is full and needs to let some thoughts out.  Upon asking about his housing situation he mentioned living in North Philadelphia and said it was OK.  We told him about some affordable housing near mass transit in Lower Bucks and that perhaps he might consider trying to move back up as he has such fond memories of his time near our home.  Upon leaving, we realized that our conversation with Albert brought back good memories for both us and him.  It was a lovely blessing from Our Lord ?

Please pray for Albert to get his classes, job and life on track and also for the following:

• Jenise and Robert, for their well being
• Jenise’s husband David, for healing from his cancer
• Donna, for her well being
• Tara and Bree, for them to continue their friendship and to be guided and given strength to make choices in alignment with God’s will and good for their lives; Also for Tara’s baby girl
• Trevor, for his family
• Angel, for direction in his life
• Laura, a victim of domestic violence, for a new home
• Dante, for healing from his addiction and continued openness to hearing the Lord’s call
• Shaina, to be blessed with being able to return to her home and family

And for the many people who accepted rosaries and blessed medals to receive great grace from God when looking upon them and praying with them.

September 19, 2019

• Marcel – for his senior housing to come through
• Leonard – for his needs and shelter
• Two Indian men – for peace in the world and for their families
• Salim – gives glory and praise to God
• Kim – for complete healing and recovery from alcoholism; we prayed healing prayer for her to be relieved of any desire to drink.
• Tony – for his needs and life
• Rachel and Alexis – for blessings on their life
• James – to find permanent housing
• James – for his foster mom’s healing and wellness
• Rich – for peace in Philadelphia and the world
• Lissee – for her family members to come to know the beauty and truth of faith in Jesus and His Church and for Lissee to be guided by the Holy Spirit know what and when to speak and act in her love of Christ and when to be quiet and still
• Adrian – 42 year old man who has been on the streets for three weeks following the loss of his job due to relapse in drug use.  His step mother evicted him from her house, and he has been going to Saint Francis Inn for food and shelter on cold nights, and he desperately wants to put his life back together again.

September 19, 2019

Some of our team members have been busy visiting parishioner homes as part of their evangelization efforts in recent weeks. Nancy joined the evangelization team at her home parish of Assumption for their bi-annual home visit mission and then last weekend, Deacon Mark and Nancy started parish home visit efforts at the Deacon’s new parish assignment of St. Joseph’s in Ambler.

Both parishes ran information in their parish bulletins about the evangelists coming around town. All parishioners who answered their doors were welcoming. When a parishioner did not answer, a parish bulletin along with a note explaining that we stopped to say hi and to please contact us or the pastor if they would like to speak about anything related to the Church, the parish, or ask for prayers, etc.

For the Assumption parish visits a few weeks ago, about ten teams of two prayed first and then went out with planned routes to knock and try to visit with any parishioners, active or inactive, who lived on their assigned route. The team members wore tags that identified them as members of Assumption parish. It was a beautiful Saturday morning and the joy of the team members was palpable. We met some people in their driveways, we knocked on a few homes without answer, and then we were invited into homes as well. When we had the opportunity to speak with folks we explained that we were from their parish and were volunteers coming out to visit parishioners. We asked them how they felt about their parish,how they were doing, we asked how going to Mass was working for them.  We witnessed to our own experiences of faith at work in our lives. We asked how the parish can support them and to see if we could pray with them. We were blessed to be allowed to pray with many of the parishioners we met.

On the St. Joseph’s parish visits that began last week, just our single team of two went out, to begin an effort that Deacon Mark has looked forward to for a long time :). The plan is for our St. Paul Street Evangelization team members to support Deacon Mark in his parish visits as needed, and to hopefully get other St. Joseph’s parishioners interested, trained, and on fire for the Holy Spirit to join the effort for their parish as well.

The day prior to going out at St. Joe’s was All Soul’s day and we had no idea of the delight that was in store for us in the homes of Hispanic parishioners. Upon invitation into a parishioner’s home, we were greeted with what appeared to be a party. There were flowers, balloons, food items, pictures, sacramentals and all sorts of colorful celebratory items everywhere! The homeowner, speaking in Spanish to Deacon Mark,  told us that the decorations were for the day of the dead that was yesterday. The entire living room was sezzztup as a shrine to remember this family’s faith in God and His mercy for their recently passed loved ones. The beautiful blending of hospitality, fellowship, joy, faith, and prayer was like a beautiful work of art with the Holy Spirit as the artist. It was a privilege to experience it! We were invited into another home of a Hispanic family and were invited to see their beautiful shrine as well. This next family spoke of the difficulties of working long hours and being unable to get to the Sunday Mass as a family.  Deacon Mark told them about all of the different parish celebrations and gatherings during the whole week, in the hope of some of them fitting into busy schedules to help bring the family into the parish to a greater degree.

Finally the team was fortunate to sit and enjoy a coffee at the table of a parishioner who confided that she was battling breast cancer.  Her twenty-something daughter sat with us as well, and we cannot help but think that our outreach effort also had a positive effect on the young adult daughter’s thoughts on her Church and her parish. We spoke of how the Lord is with us so in our times of trials. Our parishioner told us that she is confident that God will heal her completely.  We gave them miraculous medals and we prayed greatly for mom’s healing and recovery from the cancer, as a beautiful blessing to her and her daughter.  Please also offer prayers for this mom and all who we visited.

See picture of Deacon Mark at a home decorated for dia de los muertos:

September 19, 2019

(NH) Deacon Mark, Don, Bernard, and Nancy served in the St. Paul Street Evangelization ministry at the Fall Festival hosted by St. John Bosco parish in Hatboro.  We served alongside the Pontifical Mission Society, helping to remind festival-goers of the reason why the Church stands there today – for love of Christ and Church and the call for all of us to spread the good news of Christ!

The atmosphere was wonderful with families, rides, and carnival food everywhere. We gave out lots of rosaries with pamphlets on how to pray the rosary, as well as many blessed medals with prayer cards, easily numbering in the hundreds.  We found people open to receiving gifts of sacramentals and several willing to stop and pray.  Some also came up on their own accord to request prayer with us, seeking help in their lives.

On Wednesday evening a young couple came up to us and asked us to pray with them.  They told us that the young man of the couple, Christian, needed prayer because he had to go to court on Friday and they were very concerned about charges brought against him and that they needed assistance in praying for an outcome that was desirable.  We prayed with the couple that Christian’s hearing would go well.  On Saturday this young couple came by, telling us that they knew the carnival was done on this day and that they needed to come back and tell us that our prayers with them were answered, that all worked out beautifully for Christian and the young couple could now get on with their plans for making life together.  We spoke with them about how sometimes in life it seems as though the commandments from our Father are just a bunch of rules that God gave us.  However, thinking on it more, we can come to realize that God was giving us the path to peace and joy on earth with these commandments, and the wonder of how the world be would so charitable, peaceful and hopeful if everyone would follow these gifts from God.  Deacon Mark spoke with the couple about how they may be married in the Church, that an annulment may not be difficult to get, and that he would help them do so if they felt they needed help.  The couple told us of how they plan to try and do so, to get married in the Church, and that they also hope to have many children someday also ?

A teen group of young men came by and asked us to pray for them to meet some nice girls.  We happily prayed with them, asking our Lord to bless them with meeting some lovely young women, who love God and would lead these young men to loving Christ more and more in their lives, and would be good friends to the young men.

On Tuesday an encounter with a woman named Michelle left me thinking.  Michelle came up to our prayer station.  Her mom Margey is dying of cancer and Michelle is beside herself with grief and fear.  She reflected on her anger with God, remarking that He is nowhere for her and her mother.  Upon asking Michelle for further details on what she is dealing with in life, such as what cancer is your mom battling, and how old is your mom, we came to realize that she was not in any state to speak of her terrible suffering.  Poor Michelle lashed out, what does it matter?  Michelle told us that she is sick and tired of people asking these questions, she called them questions that she used to ask, as if somehow it is ok for her mom to die because it is this kind of cancer or because she is this old.  Michelle exclaimed that her mom is her best friend and that the doctors took months to figure this out and now they finally did and now Margey is going to die from it soon and Michelle cannot bear to lose her.  All that I could offer was kindred sorrow.  I told Michelle that I was sorry that I had asked her these questions and I was not sure why I did but that I did not mean to make less of how awful her and her mom’s situation is.  She came back a little while later explaining that she was sorry for getting angry.  I told her that she was right, that I should have listened more and spoke less, and that I am truly sorry for her and her mom’s suffering, and that I had lost my mom to cancer and that it was awful to see a loved one suffer so.  I told her that even when she thinks she is completely alone, she never is, that our Savior Jesus, is with her always, loving her and having complete mercy for her sufferings.  I asked her to consider taking a “Beautiful Hope” book from Dynamic Catholic, and she did.  I gave her our email address and asked her to consider keeping in touch as we are very concerned and would love to keep in touch with her.

On Tuesday we also were blessed to meet a woman who we prayed with last year.  She came up to us and asked if we remembered her from last year, and praise be to God, it was Lauren from last year.  This young woman had given birth to her child in emergency, after a horrific car accident.  The accident left Lauren with many injuries and difficulties in life.  There have been many many times over the past year where I have thought of this woman and prayed for her, never knowing how her life was going but certain that God was listening.  This fortunate meeting again makes me realize that she continues to need prayer.  I gave her my cell number, hopeful that she will consider following up.  Last year we recommended that she get to adoration some and start going to Mass.  Perhaps she could use a friend to help with this and will call to make more connection.  Come Holy Spirit!

On Saturday a woman named Maryann came up to our prayer station and she did not know what she needed but told us she needed something and could we help her?  It was apparent in her eyes that she was suffering greatly.  Maryann told of her sister Lori who died a couple of weeks ago, and the loss of her mom and grandmom also, all within the past year.  We prayed with her and spoke with her.  She did not want to take anything.  About an hour later Maryann came back again.  She said, did you say you have some blessed medals that I may have one? I asked her if she wanted any special saint or a crucifix…  she said she did not know.  I realized that Maryann must be the one for whom what I was wearing was appropriate.  Upon receiving my medals from SPSE a few weeks back, there was a single Holy Spirit one.  I did not order any Holy Spirit one, but found it at the same time I was going to my first charismatic prayer experience, and wore it.  I had added a little crucifix to it and had been wearing it these weeks.  I told Maryann that I thought that this was the medal she should have.  She balked that she did not want to take it from my neck.  I told her that as she could see there were plenty of new ones and I promised this one wasn’t dirty (i.e., teasing) – I gave it a new chain and voila, this was the medal I thought she needed.  Maryann told me that she believed that she met us there for a reason and that she received this medal for a reason and that she was so thankful to us for being there for her, praying with her, and speaking with her.  I gave her my cell number and name and email and asked her to keep in touch.

Finally, one last encounter to mention, is Wanda and Sabrina.  Wanda (mom) came up with Sabrina (young woman, daughter) and asked us to pray with them.  We asked if they had any special intention.  They did and relayed that Sabrina suffered from epilepsy.  Sabrina went on to describe how she has many seizures a day.  Her mom said that she cannot be left alone at all, not even to use the bathroom, for fear of seizures, falling, and getting injured.  Oh the suffering and difficulties some live with, dear Lord have mercy!  We spoke of how God works miracles in today’s day and age to help us all grow in faith and that we greatly prayed that He would work a miraculous cure for Sabrina.  We prayed healing prayer for Sabrina to not be afflicted by epilepsy any more.

Please pray for the following people and their intentions:

Christian and girlfriend – for their lives and good choices

Sabrina – healing from epilepsy

Wanda – for strength

Nick R. – Seminarian – for strength and guidance

Maryann – to come closer to God, to know her sister with Christ, and for her marriage

Zaria – for her birthday blessings and for her family

Hayley, Kyle and mom – for their family

Megan and Ryan – for their family

Melissa – for forgiveness and strength and for her family

Nicole and Gabriel – for Gabriel’s father

Michele – for her mom Margey’s healing from cancer and for Michele’s comfort and faith

Daniel – for kindergarten

Brianne – to get job she is interviewing for

Dominic – for wife Donna’s healing from hip surgery

Jackson – for his family and for him to grow closer to our Blessed Mother

Nathan and Alfredo – to meet nice girls who help them grow in faith to Jesus and to play basketball better

Marybeth – for her family and for her to feel the presence of her deceased daughter Erin whom she misses greatly

Wallace – little boy – for his well being

Juliana – for her well being

Robin and Michelle – for Puerto Rican people suffering

Megan and Ava – (young mother ) for healing from depression

Lesba – for healing and recovery from cancer

September 19, 2019

Mary, Nancy and Peachie went downtown for an hour of street evangelization on Friday evening prior to attending a Holy Hour of Reparation at the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul in Philadelphia.  The Cathedral was open for the evening for prayer, from 6 until midnight.  The time for street evangelization was short but the encounters made were memorable and, God-willing, fruitful.

Early on the team met and prayed with Naomi for her peace and well being.  She was a lovely woman, with great faith, and appreciative of our prayer time with her.  We told her of the open Cathedral for prayer.

Next Scott and Joan came up and were very open to speaking with our team.  We offered them rosaries and blessed miraculous medals.  Joan happily exclaimed that she loves Our Blessed Mother and would love both.  She spoke of how she was once Catholic but left the Church and is now Lutheran.  Joan told us that her Lutheran pastor and church were praying greatly for our Catholic Church and that they were very upsezzzt and sympathetic to our pains.  We told her of the open cathedral for the evening and welcomed them to attend.  They did not want to go in, but did want to pray with us for their granddaughter Sloan whose parents (i.e. their son and daughter in law) did not want to baptize.  Joan mentioned telling Bible stories to the young Sloan and her enjoyment of them but her not knowing them whatsoever.  This pained the grandparents greatly and we prayed that Our Lord would send His Holy Spirit to guide them to speak the words that the parents needed to hear and to guide them to bring their dear granddaughter and her parents to Himself through their example, words, and works.  Joan and Scott were very thankful to us and we are so thankful for them and their church and pastor for their prayer and concern for us!

Another encounter which was quite amazing was with Jack.  Upon asking him if he would like a rosary he stopped and told us that he would and that he was Catholic but he needed us to pray with him that feminist women would stop killing their babies that they did not want.  We certainly agreed to pray with Jack to Our Lord for an end to abortion.  As time went on and we spoke to Jack at length we heard his story of being fooled by his ex-wife into losing much of his money by additional mortgages and excessively high child support payments and all to a woman who ended up trying to have him killed.  We sympathized with him greatly, and he spoke with us about how blessed he had been despite the bad circumstances that befell him from his marriage to an unfaithful wife.  Jack told us of how he was fortunate to earn plenty of money to make up the losses he suffered, the ability to coach little league games despite the awful tales the ex-wife told his boys and the kindness of police officers who helped him when he was being accused of malicious intent to his ex-wife.  We asked Jack if he would pray for forgiveness… to be able to forgive this person who had caused him many years of pain.  Jack agreed! ~  it was amazing to see the difference prayer made in his demeanor, taking him from seeming agitated and upsezzzt to peaceful and even gleeful after.  We gave him a “Everybody need to forgive someone” book from Dynamic Catholic and he was very pleased.  He told us that he was raised Catholic and that it was his faith that got him through the darkest days of his divorce and that he considered killing himself but did not, through faith and knowledge that his children would suffer greatly for it.  He promised to read the book and felt that meeting us was a sign from God of His continued working in his life.  Praise be to God for He is so great and His mercy endures forever!

Three kids probably around 18 years old or so came by and we asked if they would like a rosary or blessed medal. One, Daylin said Yes!  The other two were joking and laughing at her for wanting to stop but they stayed with their friend and listened.  They were from nearby Catholic schools.  We could see that Daylin was in need of something, we asked her if she would like to pray and if she had any prayer intention.  She said that she did and that she was sad most of the time and did not know why.  She also told her of her worries for her mom.  We asked the group to hold hands with us and pray and her friends agreed to as well.  We prayed for Daylin’s healing from her sadness and for great blessings upon her life and the life of her mother.  Tears fell from her eyes.  We asked her friends if they would like to pray for any intentions also and the young man, Jimmy who was a practicing Baptist, asked us to pray for him to know God’s will for him and his courage to follow it. We invited them to the cathedral also, but they had other plans.

The Holy Hour at the Cathedral was a moving experience.  There were many religious, clergy, seminarians and laity gathered and the church was full.  We sang, prayed, listened to the Word of God and had silent prayer.  Afterwards we visited with some of the seminarians, as Mary who was with our team this evening has a son Declan in the seminary.  The hope and joy of the seminarians from St. Charles Borremeo was contagious and we are so thankful for their continued desire to become priests even in the face of so much more difficulty than many who have gone before.  We pray especially for Declan, Luke, Dominic, Thomas and David.  May Jesus Christ remind them daily of His presence in their lives and His deisre for them to be His heart, mind, hands, and feet to the world.

Please pray for all of the following in your intentions:

• Naomi – for her life
• Portuguese family – for safe travels and good health
• Joan and Scott – for good health and for their grandchildren and children to grow in love of Jesus and be baptized
• Jack – to be able to forgive completely and to grow in love of the Lord and His Church
• Jimmy – to know God’s will for him
• Mackenzie – for her life
• Daylin – for healing from her sadness
• Tina – for blessing on her and her family
• Theresa and Tom – to be blessed with conceiving, carrying and delivering a healthy baby
• Christine – for God’s blessings on her life circumstances
• Declan – to grow every day in knowledge and love of our Lord
• Luke  – to grow every day in knowledge and love of our Lord
• Dominic  – to grow every day in knowledge and love of our Lord
• Thomas – to grow every day in knowledge and love of our Lord
• David – to grow every day in knowledge and love of our Lord

September 19, 2019

(NH) Rich and Nancy went downtown on Saturday morning to find the Parkway streets closed off for the Labor Day weekend Made in America concert.  This concert features many current pop stars and the street evangelization mission here felt like a good opportunity to meet with some concert-goers, in addition to the usual tourist and homeless population normally encountered at this location.  We were on the early side so would likely only meet the early birds to the concert.

After sezzztting up on the sidewalk, we were blessed to speak and pray with a few homeless men.  In a short time, a man came up and asked if we had been there around last summer.  We said yes we had and did we meet him before?  He seemed familiar, but not entirely.  He said his name was Donald and that we had prayed with him last summer.  Well that was all it took to realize that Our Lord was smiling on us especially this day, reminding us that though we do not frequently know the fruit of our efforts done out of love for Him, that He is there, He is listening, and He is moving in people’s lives all of the time, and He is allowing our little works to bring others to Himself.  This Donald was the same man who had come back to us last year to let us know the way that God was working in his life ever since we first prayed with him and gave him a rosary (i.e., april-30th-logan-square-center-city-philly).  He appeared healthy and well dressed.  We exclaimed how good it was to see him again and that we did remember him and wasn’t it a black rosary that we gave him?  Yes it was, and Donald happily relayed that his life continues to go well with his job and that he has gotten back together with his girlfriend Mary and that she goes to Mass at the cathedral frequently.  Later Donald brought Mary over to meet us for us to all pray together; he had relayed that we were the people he had told Mary about who prayed with him last year when he was not doing well.  We lift up Donald and Mary to Our Lord and ask for His continued great blessings and grace in their lives!

A bit later on a young family from Ontario came by, husband and wife and 3 beautiful little girls.  They were on their way to visit family and were stopping in Philly to see the sights.  The kids were so happy to be out and about and on vacation and were very pleased to receive miraculous medals.  We spoke of how Mary was on the medal and that was Jesus’ mommy and she carried Him in her tummy and took great care of Jesus just like their mom did with them.  We told them that they can ask Mary, Jesus mommy, to help them when they need it, just like they could ask their own mom.  The 7 year old pointed to the crucifix on our prayer station sign and asked if it hurt.  We told them yes, that it did, and the little one particularly wanted to know if Jesus’ hands hurt from those nails.  We said yes for certain.  Next question was “then why did He do that?”  Oh from the mouths of babes, we should have these girls helping us evangelists along all of the time! We told the little girls of the love that Jesus has for them and for us and for mommy and daddy and for everyone in the world.  We told them He died for us because He loves us, to take our sins that we couldn’t get rid of, so we could someday go to heaven.  The eldest exclaimed how happy she was that she was going to be getting baptized soon.  The parents told us about how mom was raised Catholic and that the girls would be going to Catholic school soon, but the father was raised as LDS.  Dad was very open to talking about the Catholic faith and mom accepted a Rediscover Catholicism book and we recommended that she consider trying to get back to practicing the faith with her family.

As the morning went on, more people came by who were going to the concert.  Several of the young folks were surprisingly open to receiving blessed medals or rosaries with instructions on how to pray.  The ones who stopped to pray with us asked for prayers for safety at the festival for themselves and everyone going.  One thing must be said about the youth of today, they frequently exhibit social concern for others in their prayer requests and it is so heartening to be allowed to lift them up.

Please remember the following intentions in your own prayers:

Michael – for his health

Rafael – for his work

William – for his life needs

Donald – for continued blessings on his job and his relationship with his girlfriend

Mary – to avoid sin of envy and be relieved of jealous feelings

Steven – to find shelter and care for his basic needs

Christian – to get a job, to receive help for his basic needs, and to be able to save money to return to Ghana

Laura – for everyone who needs prayers

Mark – to know God at work in his life

Vincent – gives praise to God for this day, for him to know God in his day every day

Ontario Family – to grow in love of Christ and His Church and for safe travels

Brianna – for her safety and the safety of all concert goers

Khalil – a West Chester U student, for his successful school year in psychology

Emily and baby Evy – for husband/dad Matt deployed overseas and for the safety, health and love of the family

Casfa family – for good health and safety

Raul – for his shelter and material needs

Buddy – for the safety and good health of himself and for all on the parkway this weekend

For the many concert goers who accepted sacramentals, to continue to soften their hearts and open their minds to the Lord at work in their lives.

September 19, 2019

(NH) Deacon Mark, Nancy and Rich went out for street evangelization on Saturday morning.

We were planning to head about a block up from the cathedral, to our spot where we frequently go, but we were stopped right after crossing the street, right in the middle of the sidewalk.  Our friend Shane, met on many other missions in this area, was there and wanted to chat.  Shane was animated in his desire to speak about Jehovah’s witnesses and the details of their religious beliefs.  He had been speaking with them, sezzztup around town.  He thought their belief on a very limited number of people (144,000) getting to heaven and that many who die go nowhere was not at all reasonable.  Deacon Mark was able to speak factually with Shane about the beliefs of the JW members, having known the religion well, and contrast it with Catholic belief.  Shane is an engaging and intelligent man to speak with, taking classes on many topics, telling us about what he has recently read in the library.  He speaks of how he wants to get a job.  He appears poor but does not speak of it.  Shane frequently has prayer requests for us and he always asks us how we are doing.  It is a wonderful fruit that the Lord shares His friends like Shane with us!

As Shane was still speaking with Deacon Mark, two other men came up right away, having seen our Prayer Station sign, still in hand and not sezzztup.  Now it really seemed the right thing to do, open up the sign and sezzzt it down right there.  We met Isaiah, David, and John.  All men were looking for us to help them pray to our Lord.  We have met David on previous occasions.  He suffers from mental illness and told us he was released the prior day from the hospital.  He did not know where he was going to go.  We have a list of the area shelters and addresses and asked him if he could go to one of them.  David did not seem open to any.  He did want us to pray with him.  Sometimes in life we can feel so impotent, see sorrows as so large, feel like we cannot do much of anything to help.  Calling on God seems strangely simple and small, yet in faith, is tremendously large at the same time.  We know God wants to work signs and wonders in our time to help people grow in faith, as His instruments of love in this world.  Dear Father we thank you and praise you for the privilege of serving You.  We look forward to continuing to see the amazing ways you answer our prayers!

Over the course of the next two hours, we gave out many rosaries, pamphlets on how to pray the rosary, blessed medals, and books.  A man named Christian asked for prayer.  He wanted to find work so that he could raise money to go back home to Guyana.  We spoke about the choices we make every moment of every day and how when we make them in thought about what God would want us to do, that it will always lead us down the path to peace, hope and joy in life.  He agreed and accepted copies of the New Testament Bible and Resisting Happiness.

An encounter that was most striking was with Henry, a veteran who had served in the army.  Henry is a homeless man and he came up to us, telling his buddy “just wait for me over there, I really need to talk with these people”.  Henry told us that he needed prayer and that although he was raised Baptist, that he loves the Blessed Mother so much, as she protects him while he sleeps on the streets at night, but he had lost his rosary.  Henry had a medal he wanted to show us, that he did not know much of, but wanted us to see.  It was a St. Benedict medal, which we told him was a medal renowned to protect from evil, when worn in faith.  Henry told us he believed it and at that point got down on the ground, laying flat out on the sidewalk, and showed us how he placed the St. Benedict medal at his feet when he slept.  He spoke of being attacked at night and having not have been injured nearly as badly as he should have been and that he attributed it to Mary and this medal of St. Benedict.  He spoke of how scary it can be sleeping on the streets and how he loves Mary.

We told Henry that the church (i.e., Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul) across the street had beautiful images of Mary in it and asked if he had ever been in there.  He said no, that he did not think he could go into the church and he did not know what to do.  We asked if he would like to go in and assured him that it would be fine and that it was open for everyone who wants to go in and be respectful.  Henry agreed, and leaving his shopping cart full of his life’s possessions with Rich, Henry and Nancy went into the cathedral.  Henry with the greatest respect learned how to bless himself with holy water, how to bow to the tabernacle at the altar (i.e., noting where Catholics store “blessed” holy communion that we believe is truly Christs body and blood) and he saw a beautiful cathedral mosaic of Our Lady of Guadeloupe, whose medal we gave him.  We sat in the cool silence of the church and prayed some.  We told Henry that the Mass times were on the sign and that he could go in there during Mass.  We told him that at Mass there would be some sitting, standing and kneeling, but not to worry.  Either try and do it too, or just sit and be respectful, that the Catholic Church is there for all.

We met and prayed with many, and volunteered to take pictures for tourists wanting to pose with the Amor statue.  Please keep the following people and their intentions in your own prayers:

David – to find shelter, assistance, and hope.

Shane – to do well in his classes.

John – for himself and for his mom Edna.

Isaiah – for his general welfare.

John – for his sister Diane.

Ramone – for his successful audition.

Luis – from Nicaragua – for his welfare.

Gloria – that she remains faithful until the end and for our culture.

Michael – for his recovery from cataract surgery.

James – for good health.

James – to get off the streets.

John – for the restoration of our Catholic Church from scandal.

Anthony – for protection from anxiety while serving the Lord.

Genevieve – for reconciliation with family.

Florence – for her welfare.

Family from MD – for peace of mind and to grow spiritually.

Dan – for his relationship with his brother and for general healing.

Rose – to find housing and for healing from her hernia.

Henry – to find shelter and care and to grow in love, hope and peace in the Lord.

2 homeless men – that they make it another day.

Paul and Brian – that they find housing and a bed to sleep in tonight.

Carroll (male) – that God takes care of his physical needs.

Ron – to walk with the Lord.

Jackie – for her general needs.

Armando – for his welfare.

Christian – to get a job and to get back home to Ghana.

Carlo – to get the grocery job and for his wife.

September 19, 2019

1. Ali Kashidi – A 39 year old physician who was hospitalized on Wednesday for complications from diabetes that made a tracheotomy necessary, and for his mother, who is very upsezzzt because he takes better care of his patients than he does for himself.
2. Celmy Lynn – She has had small cell lung cancer for 11 years and now has multiple metastatic brain tumors.   She has a lively faith and trusts that God will get her through this latest sezzztback.
3. Ryan – A 49 year old man who has been battling cancer for 5 years and was getting another MRI at HUP.  His young son came by with a group of friends, who all took religious medals and participated in prayer for Ryan before heading to the hospital.
4. Tianna – A young girl in CHOP for treatment of unspecified problem.
5. Birch – For healing of his family and an enjoyable vacation.
6. Lynn – A woman being buried today.
7. Crystal – A young woman in HUP for treatment of an unspecified problem.
8. Brie – A 2.5 month old boy in the NICU for treatment, and for his family.
9. Jennifer – A young woman seeking a house in Delaware.
10. Cecilia – An unborn baby girl whose birth may have to be induced ahead of schedule due to complications.
11. Zaza and Zaria – Twins who are to be born today via C-section in HUP
12. Sir Hunter – A 3 month old boy having surgery at CHOP
13. Christopher – A man battling cancer at HUP

September 19, 2019

1. Russell, whose daughter Kristin has separated from him following arguments.   He wants to reconcile and was impressively well versed in Catholic beliefs and the Bible, even though he was raised a Quaker.
2. Sage, who asks for prayers for her family
3. Anton, who has prostrate cancer and is suffering from the treatment
4. Anonymous  man, who asks for general prayers for his homeless situation
5. Kevin, for an end to his family’s fighting
6. Nathan, for God’s help as he begins his medical studies at Jefferson (he is terrific young Anglican man who readily accepted two religious medals)
7. Barb – whose friend Bruce recently had open heart surgery and is not doing well.  She was overwhelmed to see us there, as she had given away the crucifix we gave her months ago and wanted a replacement!
8. Maggie, a 21 year old woman who has the degenerative neurological disease CMT.  Her father made a cash donation to us and thanked us profusely for our presence on the street.
9. Hai, a Vietnamese woman who became separated from her family this past March while immigrating.
10. Pat, a young man struggling with drug addiction
11. Marcus, who is struggling with alocholism
12. Les and Tash, a young couple seeking family reconciliaron
13. Colleen, for her general intentions
14. Garrett family, for their general intentions

September 19, 2019

Lyrics from The Summons (heard at Mass this morning, felt fitting):

Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown? Will you let my name be known,
will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?

Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare should your life attract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?

(NH) Don and Nancy went downtown about a block from the Cathedral Basilica of SS Peter and Paul on Saturday, after attending 8 am Mass and after making a quick visit to pray at the altar of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (i.e., see photo below).

We were blessed with many encounters, almost all male and most homeless or living in shelters. It has been remarkable in this location before, how one sezzztup with a prayer station for street evangelization may feel the hostile stare of suburbanites and millennials in center city.  This is in contrast to the poor and visitors to our city of brotherly love, who usually seem much more open to friendly chatter, offers of sacramentals, books and prayers.  The current climate in the Philadelphia area is difficult for faithful Catholics as we wait for the release of a two year detailed grand jury report on historical sexual abuse cases by clergy in five area dioceses and we see news headlines on the pending activity nearly daily this summer.  The details promise to be horrific and may be the final straw that makes Pennsylvania decide to completely remove the statute of limitations on lawsuits.  All one can do is praise God for the purification of His Church, ask Him for blessings on all victims, and humbly ask Our Lord to show us personally how to be His body in the world, granting us fortitude, perseverance, right judgement and absolute charity always.

Our encounters included:

Sage, who prays for his health and his family’s health and prosperity

Jon, from France, who spoke very little English but was ecstatic to be given the Miraculous Medal and prayer card about St. Catherine Laboure.  For his safe travels and to know God is with him always.

Marvin, who prays for healing from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his addiction to drugs.  He agreed that Christ is the great healer and promises us that anything asked in his name may be granted.

Don, for his healing from a knife attack and for the grace to forgive his attacker, and for his future safety.

Robert Ford, for his finances, health and shelter.

Luis, from Honduras, for remaking his life and following God’s will for him.  He is recently out of prison from serving a six year sentence and so prays to have strength, right judgement and blessings.

Jose, new to city from Florida, to find shelter and God’s direction.  He was working but arrived after allowed time and the shelter refused to allow him back and threw away all of his clothes.

Bruce, for his life.

Curtis, to make the right choices in life for good health and success.

Marcell, for his senior housing to come through and for his health.

Jason, to make the right choices in life.

Ryan and Constance, to be filled with the Holy Spirit again, as he was greatly moved during prayer, and for them to get jobs and an apartment.

Nate, a man of God with a glowing and happy personality.  That his love of God shines on to others and for his safety, well-being, and continued walk with God.

Finally, we met up with a bunch of young men exiting the Cathedral.  They were there as a “Heed the Call” group who were discerning priestly vocations.  We gave them SS Peter and Paul medals and prayers cards and promised them our prayers.  They were very thankful and their director gave Don and Nancy St. Benedict medals.  God knows the young men discerning the priesthood and those in the seminary need our prayers and that Our Church needs some great young faithful priests ~  Praise be to God!

September 19, 2019

• George, who passed away last week in nearby Newtown.
• Scott, who is healing from metastatic pancreatic cancer, which is appears to be almost in remission at this point
• Leo, whose foot is slowly healing.
• Mark, to experience success at his job and find peace in doing it.
• Jim, who needs knee surgery and to lose a lot of weight beforehand.

September 19, 2019

(NH) Yesterday was the feast of SS Peter and Paul and July 4th is quickly approaching.  With this in mind, Deacon Mark and Nancy went to downtown Philadelphia for St. Paul Street Evangelization, thinking that the cradle of liberty, a block away from the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul, was the perfect place for street evangelization this day.

The day promised to reach 100 degF, so getting there straight after attending 8 am Mass in the ‘burbs was a good plan, with a few extra bottles of water on hand for people who might need them.  Unbeknownst to our team, there was an immigration rally planned a block away.  This brought even more people to the area and more opportunity to bear witness of our love for Christ and His Church in the public square.

A young man came by early on, his name was Jeffrey. He told us that he recently came to Philadelphia from Indiana where he felt he needed to leave “everything” behind. He is living in a shelter and is looking for work. At first when we asked Jeffrey if we could pray with him, he was a bit standoffish. After chatting a little while, Jeffrey spoke of how he did not like how there are so many religions out there and can’t it all be one?  Deacon Mark quoted scripture where at the last supper Jesus asks the Father that they all be one as the Father is one with Him. With this word of God we wholeheartedly agreed with Jeffrey’s desire and he seemed pleased.  Asking again if he would like to pray with us, Jeffrey agreed that everyone can use prayers and he as well. We prayed with him and asked God to help him rebuild his life and to grow closer to Him. He accepted a Resisting Happiness book which we told him was useful for guidance in making every decision every day and a rosary with pamphlet on how to pray it.

Several adult women with a little girl came up to us and one of the ladies told us that the little girl wanted to pray and that she needed to learn about the rosary.  Crouching down to become the same height as the girl, Nancy asked her name.  She proudly told us Sophia.  She liked the red, white and blue rosary and wanted to wear it.  We helped her put it around her neck and explained how these beads had to do with the lady on the sign holding baby Jesus and that her name was Mary and just like Sophia can ask her mommy to pray for someone, we can use the beads to ask Jesus’ mommy to pray for someone or even ourselves.  We gave her a pamphlet on how to pray the rosary, which she gave to her mom to carry.  After that, she asked for us to pray for her new baby sister, expected by her stepmom, and we happily obliged and prayed also the health, safety, faith and joy of Sophia and all present.

A young man came by, Terrence, and he had a great amount of body art and many gold chains, and beautiful sunglasses, and when he smiled he had gold on his teeth.  He stopped when asked if he would like a crucifix.  He said no, that he had plenty of those already, but when asked if he could use a prayer he said he could always use a prayer.  We thanked God for the gift of our lives and we prayed for Terrence to have peace.  We prayed about how we need God’s guidance to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth.  Following prayer Terrence relayed that he actually was not from the area, that he was visiting from Orlando and upon waking that morning in his hotel room he did not want to get out of bed, and felt oh no not another day…  He was very moved and told us that it was so strange that he came by us and that he stopped and talked with us and prayed with us and that now he felt so good about life this day and that he did want to share his love of Christ with the world.  Praise be to God for His mercy and love are great!

Bruce, a homeless man, came by and looked familiar from another time doing SPSE.  Nancy asked if they had met before, at a prayer station.  Bruce said he did not remember but how nice it was for us to remember him ?  He had three rosaries around his neck and he spoke of how he once had a guardian angel medal that he wore on his wrist.  He had lost his angel medal and he missed it and wondered whether we might have one.  We were pleased to have the two sided angel medal, with the guardian angel on one side and St. Michael the archangel on the other.  We asked him if he had ever heard the story about how Lucifer was the brightest angel and that when he did not want to do God’s will St. Michael cast him out of heaven and that this is why we ask for St. Michael the archangel to help us at moments of temptation.  Bruce loved it!  He asked for two more angel medals with prayer cards for his friends he was meeting at the library.  Upon asking for prayer, he wanted us to pray for his toothache.  We asked where it hurt and touched his cheek there and joined hands in prayer, calling on the Holy Spirit and asking for his tooth to be healed in Jesus’ name.  Bruce told us that it was not hurting as much anymore, and we told him that God works signs and wonders even in this day and age, and that we prayed for his tooth to be completely healed.  He asked if we thought there was something else he should do about this tooth.  We recommended that Bruce rinse the tooth with very warm salt water several times, but go the hospital if it got really bad as a rotten tooth can affect organ function.  We continue to pray in Jesus’ name may Bruce experience complete healing of his toothache.

Please keep the following people and their intentions in your own prayers:

• For Chris to find employment and for his son Righteous who just graduated from high school.
• For Jeffrey in rebuilding his life.
• For Shirley to find a new job in customer service.
• For Clarissa and Kyleen’s family, health, and faith, and for Aunt Sharon to be free of pain.
• For Ed O’Donnell’s (attending immigration rally) family members who are in the last stages of life to be blessed with happy deaths.  For the prostitutes he has met in ministry to be freed from their lifestyle and to turn to Christ.
• For Ray’s healing of his tooth.
• For Lee, an attendee of the immigration rally, and his fiance Juliette from Ghana to come together and marry.
• For Sophia’s baby sister in her stepmom’s tummy and for the health, safety, faith, and joy of Sophia and her family.
• For Bruce to find shelter, safety, and peace.
• For Terrence to be blessed with peace and joy in the knowledge of the Lord at work in his life.
• For Braunwynn starting her life as a math teacher, for blessing of self-confidence, faith, and joy in her vocation.
• For Desi who works serving in homeless ministry, for joy, peace, hope and right judgement in his work, and for his mom Jeannette to have a complete healing and full recovery from her stomach cancer.
• For Will and CJ to know the Lord’s will in their lives and to have courage, faith, and joy in following it.
• For Jose’s right foot to be healed and for him to find shelter, hope, life, and peace.

We also pray for our country, that those in office look to do God’s will rather than their own and provide solutions that are charitable to all.

September 19, 2019

(NH) Several members of our Phila. / Lower Bucks St. Paul Street Evangelization team served at the local OLGC Church carnival in Southampton last Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.  Praise be to God for many encounters and beautiful weather!  Many rosaries, blessed medals, pamphlets, prayers, and joy were on hand from our evangelists Don, Dan, Bernard, Cheryl, Nancy and Bill.

Giving out the Miraculous Medal at this carnival was a special treat, as OLGC Church has a stained glass window depicting St. Catherine Laboure and the medal.  See below window

with St. Catherine, an image of the medal and the hands of Our Blessed Mother reaching down, above the shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes.

The subject of the presence of this window in the church helped with starting conversations about whether a person has ever been inside OLGC church, whether the person was Catholic, and how they must try to go into the church, Catholic or not, when it is open, to see this beautiful window associated with the Miraculour Medal they were receiving and to offer their prayers there.  As Bishop Robert Barron has stated, “beauty is the arrowhead of evangelization”.  Perhaps another year, the team may be allowed to give church tours during the carnival ?

Many people prayed with our evangelists, and many had stories to tell and intentions to request.  There were several parishioners who came by and built up our evangelists.  Some remarked about how they had never seen us at the carnival before, as this was our first time at OLGC carnival, and thanked us for being there.  One longtime member of the parish remarked how it is so good for us to pray with people and that it is something that Catholics need to learn to do more.  She said that praying in Mass and praying after confession with the priests is so good, but they are very busy, and praying with others offering their intercession for us is wonderful.  She particularly asked for prayers for her children and their choices and for her daughter’s boyfriend who is Muslim to have a conversion to Christianity.

Another long time parishioner came over and mentioned that he had been at the Malvern retreat, where our team had been blessed to give a talk last winter (blog post here: Malvern Retreat Blog Post). This fellow was so pleased to see us at his parish carnival witnessing to our love of Christ and His Church.  Moved by seeing us there, and having reported to his wife post-retreat about some of their parishioners presenting there, he brought her over to our evangelization table / prayer station to see for herself.  The grandchildren were with them too.  This family accepted many blessed medals, prayer cards and rosaries, and were a great blessing to our evangelists, exclaiming that fellow Catholics sharing their faith with the world is so greatly needed.

A woman police officer came by, not in uniform, and received a St. Michael the Archangel medal.  She was moved particularly by receiving this because her parents used to pray to St. Michael to protect her special needs son.  Evangelist Don prayed with her for Our Lord to protect her and help her find assistance with the care she needs for her son and for Mary the Mother of God to intercede for her and help her nurture her child.  Some time went by after she left and a man came over to the table.  He said he was her husband and he thanked Don profusely for speaking with and praying with his wife.  He said he has rarely seen her cry in all of their years of marriage, and she broke down telling him the story of her encounter with our evangelist and that she was crying out of happiness.  God be Praised!

One man came by with his infant son and was speaking with us for a bit.  He relayed that his wife and two year old were going on rides and that he had “baby duty”.  He mentioned that he was a Catholic and a member of the parish.  We chatted about the wonder of God’s creation in babies and how good it is for he and his wife to have his little family.  He agreed and said that his dad told him that while he and his wife were talking about waiting to plan another child, no time will ever be the perfect time.  The young father replied you just have to do it.  Agreeing, we spoke of how the Catholic Church has always been and will always be the world promoter of trusting in God when it comes to family planning and embracing the wonder of children.  He accepted a blessed medal and prayer card.

Sharing our love of Christ and His Church in America is not always the easiest thing for us to do.  We are so fortunate to have the St. Paul Street Evangelization ministry providing the resources to us to be able to be the army that we know God wants us to be for Him.  Thanks be to God for calling us and allowing us to serve him at the OLGC carnival!

Please pray for the following people and their intentions:

• Mary’s family
• Philip, Marie and Christian’s family health and safety
• Joanne raising her 5 grandchildren on her own
• Matt’s freedom from the addiction of alcohol
• Colleen health of her family
• Judy’s healing and relief of knee pain due to arthritis
• Gary’s healing and slow progression from Parkinsons and for wife Sally who is caretaker
• St. Lucy please intercede to Our Lord for the healing of a parishioner’s eyes
• Richard on dialysis, for his healing and knowledge of God’s love
• Chrissy and her children and for the paternity test to be done
• Terry’s health of family and friends
• Viviana’s family peace and togetherness
• Loretta to grow ever closer to Our Lord
• Regina for her family and especially children
• Mary for family finances and jobs
• Cathy for Trish’s recurrent tumors to stop grow and for full healing
• Cathy for her family members who have rejected their faith, for understanding of when to speak with them for God and when to keep quiet
• Tom for complete healing and full recovery from anxiety and depression
• Barry for healing and relief from frightening thoughts and visions as well as physical pain
• Brian who is fighting addiction to return to the Church and for his children and family who are suffering due to his addiction
• Gina for assistance with her special needs son and for her family
• Denise to grow in faith
• Rich for his health and his recently graduated daughter Renee’s success
• Barbie, 40 years young, for healing and recovery from her back surgery
• Joan for blessings on her helping her sister
• Jerry for his elderly parents who are starting to fail and for his peace and hope in caretaking
• Kim for the blessing of conceiving a baby
• Donna for brother Michael’s reconciliation with his children
• Christian, who is recently diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, for his slow progression and healing and for him to know Christ is with him always
• Strength for Mark and Linda and Rosemary
• Marcia for her family peace, unity and protection
• For extended family living in Brazil, for safety and good travels

September 19, 2019

(NH) Don and Nancy sezzztup a prayer station in the morning on the Ben Franklin Parkway, up the street from the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul. It was a glorious spring day in Philadelphia and the boy scouts were having their annual Mass at 11 am.  The parkway was teeming with people visiting, enjoying the weather, and attending Mass.

The first encounter was with a couple of scouts and their dad/leader at the cafe, before we even sezzztup on the sidewalk down the road.  They were interested in what we were doing, how we did it, and what experiences we have had.  The Archdiocesan Scout Mass is an important event for celebrating scouts who have received the Light of Christ, Parvuli Dei, Ad Altari Dei, or Pope Pius XII awards; adults who receive Catholic Scouting awards; and Catholic Scouting units.  The scouts and dad I spoke with loved what we were doing and thanked us for serving the Church this way.  That said, we now have some scouts who are very interested in getting involved with doing St. Paul Street Evangelization!  I provided contact information and hope to hear from them again.

A man named Kenneth came by.  He saw a Padre Pio medal hanging from our sign and made a bee-line for it, asking if he might have it.  I explained what I knew of the saint, that he, an Italian saint, could see greatly of who was in heaven versus purgatory, waiting to get to heaven.  I also mentioned St. Padre Pio’s suffering with the stigmata and his great humility.  Kenneth mentioned that his mom and dad had both passed away and that he would like to know that they are in heaven.  He also asked to pray for his daughters for whom he was concerned about their well being and right choices.  We called upon the Holy Spirit and prayed for his parents to be with Christ in paradise if they were not already, and for the intercession of St. Padre Pio to let Kenneth know where his parents are.  This prayer was an exceptional blessing where the Holy Spirit gave us a great zap!  During prayer it was as though the bustling Philadelphia around us went temporarily on hiatus and it was just me and Kenneth with our eyes closed and God and the saints listening.  When we opened our eyes, Kenneth teetered a bit and said WOW! and gave a huge smile.  I nodded and remarked, how about it Kenneth? That’s the Holy Spirit showing up and letting us know He is with us.  Kenneth greatly agreed and was so thankful and happy getting upon his way.

A man named Rasheen wanted to stop and tell us about the Muslim religion.  He was inclusive in his discussion, letting us know that the one God that the Muslims worship is the same God as the Jewish and Christian God.  Also, he wanted us to know that the Bible is important to all Judeo-Christian faiths as well as the Muslim faith.  Rasheen did not let up much in speaking, and it felt important to remember what has been found personally to be a most important aspect of evangelization ministry, listen listen listen!  Eventually we asked Rasheen if Muslims can pray with Christians, as intercessors.  He agreed that this was an acceptable thing to do and allowed us to pray with him.  We prayed a prayer to God the Father our Creator to watch over and guide him and Rasheen was very thankful and told us to have a great day.

We had many walk by and remark kindly, building us up for being Christ’s light to the world with our little sidewalk stand for Our Church.  One particular encounter was a young man from Texas named Brian.  Upon walking by we asked if he would like a rosary and maybe a prayer.  He stopped and told us that he went to Catholic high school and is soon graduating from law school.  He was up visiting to go to the Penn Relays.  Brian accepted the rosary and pamphlet to help him remember how to pray it, in case he had forgotten, as I noted that I had for many years despite having gone to 12 years of Catholic school.  Brian exclaimed that he was very happy to receive this and that what we were doing was a wonderful thing and much needed in our world.  He allowed us to pray with him, and we particularly prayed for his completion of school and for him to get a job that leads him ever closer to Christ and brings him great contentment in life.  He left us with great joy.

We could write of many other encounters of the day, God reminding us that even if our little ministry seems a drop in the ocean, He is there with us and He is pleased with us.  Praise be to God for He is so great!

Please keep the following people and their intentions in your prayers:

• Robert – to get the union job promised to him.
• Bill – for the grace to stay out of trouble.
• Rosalie – for the protection of and communication and peace within her family.
• Boy Scouts – for the safety and ongoing faith formation of all those in attendance at the annual scout Mass at the cathedral.
• Rasheen – for a continued softening towards the Christian faith.
• Kenneth – To know his mom and dad are well in heaven; for his daughters right choices and safety.
• Lethan and Leimi – for their family’s peace and health.
• Toni – for her continued perseverance in walking the path to becoming Catholic, for her guidance, and for the healing and recovery of her daughter and her niece who have health issues.
• Brian – from TX who is graduating Law School in a few weeks, for him to get a good job that brings him closer to Jesus in faith and brings him contentment in life.
• Kate – general intentions.
• Luis – for his well being and his family’s well being.
• Harold – to get a home and a job; to have peace in his life.
• Gus – for him and his family to know love and serve the Lord all the days of their lives and to stay safe and healthy.
• Ramel- general intention.
• Russell – general intention.
• Raheem – general intention.
• Deb and Lina (French) – visiting from NYC – for their families health and well being.
• Little Raylynn and Deborah – for the safety and good health of their family.

September 19, 2019

1. Cody Hoffmann – young man in HUP with exacerbation of multiple sclerosis
2. Julio – for God’s blessing and assistance with his family.
3. Joseph – father of Dominic, a premature baby with a serious infection
4. Dennis – 4 day old boy who needs open heart surgery and valve replacement.
5. Angel (baby) – for his excellent treatment healing and recovery.
6. Diah – mother of Diamond, a newborn girl who has heart problems
7. Anastasia – mother of Tyler, a young boy in CHoP
8. Amy – for healing from addiction.
9. Beth – whose boyfriend William is in HUP
10. Erica – whose husband Daryl is in HUP

September 19, 2019

“God is close to the brokenhearted.”

Philadelphia, PA

This report comes from evangelist Rob:

“I met Nancy from the Lower Bucks County team downtown to sezzzt up shop outside Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. This has been a fruitful spot, as many people we encounter are in situations in which they are facing illness and death for people they love. In today’s encounters, we met a lot of fathers, both young and old, and were able to provide rosaries, medals, and most importantly, prayer and comfort to those in difficult circumstances.

In one encounter, a man named Fred (who was Catholic) came over and told us he was so happy we were there. He had two daughters, Jamie and Ashley, who were suffering from developmental and mental disabilities, and he just wanted them to be happy. We prayed together, and all recited a Hail Mary as well. Fred gave us his email address, as we wanted to see how things were going in the future.

A CHOP employee named Cindy was walking by and seemed hesitant at first to stop when we asked if we could pray for any of her intentions, but she did. There is that strange moment, you know, where someone’s entire life trajectory could be changed by a prayer, but there’s a hesitation. I made it a point to pray privately on behalf of the person during those moments, so that they might not pass grace by, and that’s what happened here. Cindy asked for prayers for the patients in the ER, and she seemed encouraged and thoughtful about the encounter with us. We left her with a rosary and a pamphlet on how to pray it, and a Miraculous Medal. Thanks be to God!

We encountered three generations of women in one family: Victoria, her daughter, and her granddaughter, all walking by. They had just been to Mass at St. Malachi’s in North Philadelphia, and we talked about the parish. They accepted medals and a rosary.

We met a young man named Christopher, whose daughter Selena had just died. She was eight hours old. Please pray for Christopher, who was encouraged to encounter us, and the repose of the soul of his young daughter.

The most time we spent was with a young man named Tyler whose son Chase was 17 days old in the hospital with heart complications. Tyler was very upsezzzt and scared about his son. He was supposed to go home today, but was nervous because neither he nor the nurses could get the breathing tube inserted in his son’s throat. Nancy and I prayed for Tyler and for God’s grace and healing. Lo and behold, he got a text a few minutes later saying they were able to get the breathing tube in. I gave Tyler my number and told him to call me if needed to talk dad to dad, and encouraged him to “be strong and courageous.” (Joshua 1:9). Thanks be to God!

Both Nancy and I remarked that initially we were tired and busy before going out and weren’t especially looking forward to it. But God had a plan for the day, and in engaging in the ministry of “just showing up,” boy did the Holy Spirit make it worth our while. What a blessing it is to spread the Good News, and we never leave thinking “I wish I didn’t go out today.” Quite the opposite…we were glad to be out doing the Lord’s work!”

Please Keep the following people and their intentions in your prayers:

• Michelle’s intention for healing and full recovery for 3 yo son Zane, just out of his 3rd open heart surgery.
• Shardanea’s intention for peace, hope, and good health for daughter Nea’laoni who has cerebral palsy.
• Tony’s general intention.
• Eanna’s intention for good health and peace for herself and her family ~ upon leaving us she exclaimed “I am soooo happy!” (to have prayed with us and to have met us ?
• Fred’s intention for his severely mentally handicapped adult daughters Jamie and Ashley – for their contentment and peace and joy and for Fred and his wife Lisa’s peace and hope.
• Cindy’s (a hospital worker) intention for all of the people in the emergency rooms at the hospitals.
• Tyler’s intention for his 17 day old baby Jayce’s development, healing and recovery and for he and his wife Jaralee’s peace, confidence, patience, and hope as new parents going home with baby.
• June, Leslie, and Victoria’s general intention.
• Young new parents Jeremy and Amada for newborn daughter Scarlet born with heart defect, for Scarlet’s effective treatment by healthcare professionals, for her full healing and recovery, and for the new parents hope, and peace, patience and love.
• Christopher’s intention for himself and his wife, grieving over the death of their newborn baby Selena, and his wife’s healing and recovery and the couple’s peace and hope in the Lord in their sorrowful days ahead.

September 19, 2019

3/17/2018

We were fortunate to have enough disciple-power to sezzztup for St. Paul Street Evangelization in two locations on Saturday, St. Patrick’s Day.  The first was sezzztup in our typical Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Hospital of the University of PA area, summary provided in #1 below, and the second was sezzztup a few blocks up, on the “Erin Express” route, summary provided in #2.  See our team member writeups below!

Evangelization Spot#1, hospitals:

From the desk of Deacon Mark:   Robert joined Deacon Mark for the first time at the 34th Street hospital area.  We sezzzt up in our normal area, and within a few minutes, we began meeting people in need of prayer.  Robert quickly got the hang of approaching people coming out for a break or walking by, and was adept at finding ways to engage them in conversation.  We sometimes prayed as a team, but many times worked individually with the people we encountered.   There were a good number of people outside for the first hour, but as lunchtime approached, we discovered somewhat ruefully that far fewer people were willing to stop and talk.  Curiously enough, all prior sessions but one had taken place in the morning, and none of them involved the lunch hour, so we may have to take this into consideration when making future schedules.

One of our most poignant encounters was with a Catholic grandfather named John, who lives in Hazleton and had been summoned to CHOP the day before because his grandson was on the verge of death.  Little Greyson is 9 weeks old and was born two months prematurely.  He has Down’s syndrome, and required immediate open-heart surgery to save his life.  He has since come down with leukemia, which also commonly affects children with Down’s.  They have literally hundreds of people praying for his recovery, and overnight, Greyson began to respond favorably to the treatments.  He has a long road ahead of him, but the grandfather says he appears to have a very strong will to live.

From the desk of Rob:    In one encounter I spoke with a young Catholic nurse from the West Indies who moved here from Ohio, who listened thoughtfully and said she had been thinking of going back to church. I gave her a rosary and St. Michael medal, and encouraged her to go to Mass and to Confession. She seemed to really take it to heart. Her name is Ima, please pray for her.

In another encounter, I walked over to a woman smoking a cigarette who seemed troubled, and sat down next to her and introduced myself. She was Catholic non-practicing, her daughter was in the Children’s Hospital there, and she also had a relative who committed suicide recently. She seemed generally touched that someone would pray for and listen to her, and considered it God’s doing. I gave her a Miraculous Medal, saying how much it has changed our lives, and also a rosary with instructions on how to pray it. Her name is Kristen, and her daughter in the hospital is Savanah. Pray for her.

Lastly, I asked a man if we could pray with/for him and he was very suspicious because we were Catholics and said, “You are a stranger, and it’s not good.” He was a big man. But then he seemed to have a change of heart and said, “sure.” So I prayed with him. Then he asked if he could pray for me and I said sure, which he did. Then we chatted and I smiled at him the whole time and it seemed to disarm him. He agreed we have a fight on our hands, but I told him it is not with each other, it is with the culture. Then we hugged. He even left, then came back and gave me $5, which we will use to buy more holy medals! His name is Jeff, he is a Baptist minister, please pray for him as well.

Many people with many problems. We live in a post-Christian, pagan culture, broken by sin and weighed down by misfortune for many. We need more fools for Christ. The Holy Spirit gives you courage to be a fool for Christ. Any ordinary Catholic can do it, you just have to ask for the grace and He gives you the words. We are merely getting out there and planting seeds, the Lord makes it grow if it is His will and He is the harvestmaster. It terms of mass conversion I don’t know if we will be at that point, but like Saint Paul even if we can “save some” or at the very least pray and be a comfort for those who need it, we are doing the Lord’s work and being his hands and feet. Nothing gets done without the Holy Spirit. But when He is there, watch out!

Please intercede for the following people, who have requested our prayers:

1. Patrick – middle-aged man at HUP for MRI, and asked for prayers for his brother Bobby, who committed suicide three months ago.
2. Kristin – daughter Savannah is  sick and hospitalized in CHOP, and asked also for prayers for a relative who committed suicide
3. Steve – his mother Karen mother has cancer, suffered a heart attack and now has a breathing tube
4. David – for healing of his leg
5. Ray and son Khameer – general intercessions
6. Mike – general intercessions
7. Ima – sezzzttled in Philadelphia six months ago and has been attending church sporadically in West Philadelphia.  She recognizes her need to become a regular parishioner in her new home town and promised to go to Mass tomorrow.
8. Zuli – 7 year old girl with brain tumor (80% removed through surgery).  Came up from Puerto Rico with her mother for surgery just before Hurricane, and the father had to remain behind to begin repair of devastated home.  Her mother’s family are Jehovah’s Witnesses but she is not really involved.
9. Maritsa – Catholic woman in HUP who just had surgery to remove cancerous tumor of kidney.  Her husband and son thanked us for our prayers and accepted a rosary.
10. Greyson – little boy from upstate Pennsylvania, born with Down’s syndrome two months premature, who required surgery to help repair his congenital heart defects and now is battling leukemia.

Evangelization Spot#2, Erin Express route:

From the desk of Nancy:  Nancy and Don sezzztup a prayer station at the corner of 34th and Chestnut, directly in the route of people doing the annual “Erin Express” St. Patrick’s Day bar crawl that goes throughout the city on foot and by bus.  Many people arrayed in their green to celebrate the patron saint’s day came past us.  We were out of St. Patrick medals from our previous weekend SPSE but had remaining prayer cards; this provided a nice backdrop to a crucifix on a chain, making for easy wearing of sacramental honoring the saint.  See picture below!

Early on, a couple of sweet young ladies stopped to get green rosaries and how to pray the rosary pamphlets.  They were heading down to watch the Penn relays, an annual track and field competition in the city.  The one exclaimed how happy her mom will be that she got this for her.  Upon asking if they knew the story of St. Patrick, they told us that they had gone to Catholic school and knew some of it.  We teased and told them it was quiz time! ?  They recalled that he had been a slave and had to feed and care for animals and that there was something about snakes.  When we told them that St. Patrick actually was born in England, they were shocked and announced something silly along the lines of “oh my gosh, my whole life has been a lie!”  On the snakes, we talked about how the Irish were majority pagan, worshiping nature, and that thanks to St. Patrick, Ireland was greatly converted to Christianity through his work and that this was likely the reference to the snakes… the riddance of pagan worship.  We all chatted about how whenever one meets a person who has some Irish heritage who is a Christian, that it is very much thanks to St. Patrick for this fact.

A man named Conor came by with his friend. He stopped to tell us that he was so pleased to see us there; that we were a great reminder that St. Patrick’s day is not just about getting drunk.  Conor had been born in Ireland and has been in the United States for some years.  He is a pHD student at University of Pennsylvania.  He wanted to pray for a woman friend who is greatly suffering from depression, for her healing.  Also he asked for prayers for his buddy who is a boxer trying to make it successfully in New York.

Several large groups of party-goers came by.  Many did not show interest in stopping for prayer nor accepting our prayer cards and crucifixes, but a significant number did.  It was interesting how some would pass by with the group of friends, only to run back, as if a little voice told them to, and ask if they could have a crucifix and prayer card.  We did have the opportunity to tell some of them the history of St. Patrick. The story was generally met with amazement both over the fact that they did not know his history at all and that he had been so effective at converting so many / having a great effect to this day.

This mission reminds us of how it is good to plan for making encounters based on particular feast days or community events, to think of how to relate to people in public, in the hopes of helping further open all of our doors to Christ.  It is good to try to help people see that there are Catholic persons of faith who look like us, seem approachable, who want nothing more than to remind the world of the love of Christ and His Church for humanity.

Please remember the following intentions in your prayers:

• For Conor’s lady friend to be healed of her depression, for his boxer friend to be successful and safe and moral in matches.
• For Robin’s son Sameer to be guided in making good choices and making good friends and for Robin’s safety at work.
• For Samuel to know the peace of the Lord and for peace in our world.
• For Clarissa to have excellent clarity of thoughts and judgement / decision making, through God’s ever present guidance.
• For Greg’s girlfriend Shannon who suffers with cirrhosis, for her healing and recovery.
• For Darlene’s mom Connie to heal and recover and come home from the hospital and for her grandson Chris, who will be moving home soon, to make good choices in life and good friends, and to know Jesus alive in his life.

September 19, 2019

(NH)

You made my day.
You made my day.
You made my day.

God’s goodness in bringing sweet souls that he thirsts for to meet little us trying to serve Him is frankly overwhelming sometimes. The message above is repeated because it was stated so many times, in exactly those words, by people we encountered doing St. Paul Street Evangelization in the Philly hospital area last Sunday. In our attempt to help lift the burdens of many by speaking of Our loving God at work in life we are met with compassion and consolation from those we desire to serve. Scroll down past these notes, to the list below of prayer intentions, and get a feel for the people we met and a sense of how our mission felt so great that day.

In the two hour afternoon outing the encounters were many and deeply moving. All were notable but for the sake of getting some sleep tonight, a few will be mentioned. It was interesting that men outnumbered women at least 2:1, of whom were open to have conversations with us this day. Blessed St. Patrick medals and prayer cards were very handy to have with his feastday less than a week away.

A young man named Steve came by to talk. His wife was in premature labor and delivery of their first born at 30 weeks gestation was imminent. He was racked with worry. He was pleased to receive a St. Patrick medal and prayer card. We prayed with him for a safe and healthy delivery of baby (i.e., they did not know the sex of the baby yet, love that!) and excellent recovery of mom. We talked to him about how hard it must be as a first time dad to suffer through this worrisome delivery this way. We assured Steve of our continued prayers in the upcoming months for his baby and little family.

We met a middle aged man named Brent who was racked with grief and worry over his father-in-law Emilio who suffered a serious heart attack and whose condition was unknown. We prayed with Brent for God to bless Emilio’s doctors with good decision making for treatment and to bless Emilio and his family with many more days of life and health together. Brent mentioned that his wife was Catholic. We gave him a Resisting Happiness book and Jesus Shock book to share with her, as well as blessed medals and a rosary. He asked how long we would be there, in the hope that his wife would be able to come down and pray with us too before leaving, but we did not see him again. God-willing it was because they were in receiving good news on Emilio’s condition.

A man named John was sitting on the planter ledge and looked tired and sad. He told us of his sweet baby Sebastian who is 15 months old, in Children’s Hospital, who has never had a day out of the hospital since he was born. The baby was recently transferred to CHOP, having been at two other hospitals prior. Fortunately for John and his wife, CHOP was a good move because they live in southern NJ. Their sweet baby was born with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia CDH and has never stabilized to the point of being able to go home. Baby Sebastian is retaining fluid now and had a recent procedure at CHOP for this and they are praying for good outcome. John proudly showed many pictures of Sebastian, an adorable baby with a crop of blondish hair and a beautiful cherub face. We prayed with John for his baby and wife and self. We spoke with John about his faith life. He said he was baptized but he didn’t really know how to have faith or how to talk to God. He grew up with no talk of God or Jesus in his home and said he knew little of it. His wife is Catholic but they have not practiced the faith. Deacon Mark told John about how he could use the rosary we gave him to ponder Christ on the cross and why did He die for our sinfulness, out of love? We also gave him a Resisting Happiness book, explaining it to be a nice book for reading about how to make choices daily to grow closer to God. We recommended he find an open church in the area to sit in and talk to God, and perhaps read some, and mentioned the chapel on the first level in CHOP. He was happy to accept it and gave us his wife’s facebook site name to keep updatted with how things are going with Sebastian. We plan to keep in touch.

A handsome young man in his twenties was walking by and when asked if he would like a green rosary or St. Patrick’s medal, in celebration of his feastday, he told us he’d love to have a medal but had plenty of rosaries as he was a devout Catholic. When asked if he would like to pray, he said very much so, as he was alcoholic and recently had been drinking again. We praised God for bringing us to meet, asked the Holy Spirit to come upon us, and in Jesus’ name for David to be completely healed of his desire to drink alcohol. We prayed that David would never have a want or need to touch or drink alcohol again for the rest of his life. We thanked God for listening to our prayer. David was very thankful and we gave him a St. Paul Street Evangelization pamphlet with our email and requested him to keep in touch with us.

We also met a nice Jewish doctor on way to work who accepted a St. Patrick’s medal, in honor of the saint’s upcoming feastday, and he promised prayer for us and we promised prayers back. We saw Sue, grandmother of babies Sonny and Giovanni, who we met a few weeks back, and their bone marrow transplants are good so far ~ Please God make the babies healthy and ready to go home! We prayed again with Sue and she told us how God is so good holding her and her family up through this. A sweet young woman Kaelah was our last person to meet this afternoon. She was pleased to accept a green rosary and pamphlet reminder on how to pray it. She told us her parish in S. Philly was not providing the fellowship she was looking for. We told her of a few nearby active young Catholic adult groups in the city and gave her our SPSE pamphlet with email address and asked her to email us and we’d get her more details. Also, she was interested in possibly joining our SPSE team. We hope to hear from her.

Please keep the following in your intentions:

• Son Chris asks for prayers for his 63 yo dad Mario being operated on due to stroke with 50% chance of survival. For Mario’s miraculous healing and recovery and for Chris to know Our Lord’s presence in his life.
• Sue asks for prayers for baby grandson twins Giovanni and Sonny who had bone marrow transplants.  For babys’ full healing and recovery and for faith-filled Sue to feel and know Jesus’ presence with her always.
• Rhonda asks for prayers for her sister Gloria who has bleeding on the brain.
• Solomon asks for prayers for peace and to meet a nice woman.
• Chris asks for prayers for his recovery and healing.
• Zanoya asks for prayers for his work.
• Gina beseeches Our Lord for healing from the grip of drug addiction.
• Thiedo asks for prayers for his family and for good health for his loved ones.
• Brent, Stephanie and Sue ask for great prayers for Emilio who has suffered a heart attack and needs full healing and recovery.
• Daniela asks for prayers for daughter Evy’s complete healing and recovery from neuroblastoma and for all of the children in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and their families.
• John asks for prayers for 4 year old grandson Ethan who needs a heart transplant.
• Hassan asks for prayers for mom Vivian in HUP with heart condition and for newborn daughter “Legend”.
• Marie – asks for prayers for healing from seizures.
• Eric asks for prayers for Sasha, his girlfriend, for healing from her Epilepsy/seizures.
• Prayers needed for Maria in hospital with complications following surgery.
• Steve asks for prayers for Colleen, his wife, in premature labor with first-born, either Raybrook or Simon (depends on girl or boy), for safe healthy delivery and growth of sweet baby and for excellent recovery of mommy.
• Sharon asks for prayers for 4 month old daughter Sakia’s healing and recovery.
• Ian asks for prayers for his life and his work.
• David asks for prayers for complete healing from alcoholism.
• Chris asks for prayers for his 50 yo mom’s healing from seizures.
• Prayers needed for 35 yo Karen with complications from flu.
• Darlene asks for prayers for her children Cherice, Kermit, and Toni, that Our Lord Jesus Christ protect and guide them.
• John and Christine ask for prayers for their 15 month old Sebastian who has never been well enough to leave hospital due to Congential Diaphragmatic Hernia (CHD).  Baby Sebastian just had another surgery and is having problems with retention of too much fluid.  Prayers needed for strength and knowledge of Christ in lives of John and Christine (dad and mom) and for sweet Sebastian to be given a miraculous break to finally go home and get strong and grow well into a little toddler.
• Tracy asks for prayers for Mr. Smith who has bleeding from unknown source.
• Kaelah asks for prayers for starting her new job on Monday.

September 19, 2019

(nh) Cheryl, Don and Nancy went down to the sidewalk in front of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.  We sezzztup our prayer station between the two hospitals and prayed for God to place people He wanted us to encounter there.  We added an Eagles Superbowl LII Champions pennant to our prayer station to help passersby know they can talk with us ?  As always, our Lord came through!

Early on, we met a man named Charles who was outside grabbing a smoke.  Upon being asked whether he would like to pray he said he sure would.  His wife Adela was recently out of heart surgery and was in great pain.  One could see Charles’ own pain of not being able to make his wife better, to provide relief.  We prayed for Jesus to fill his heart with peace and love and hope that he may bring to Adela in the hospital and for her full healing and recovery and relief from pain.  He accepted a blessed crucifix and paid us with a hug ?

Soon after we met the mom of Vanessa, a 12 year old asthmatic in the hospital due to her second bout with the flu.  Cheryl gave mom a St. Michael the Archangel medal blessed with oil that had been touched to St. Padre Pio’s glove.  We spoke to mom about Ash Wednesday coming up this week, meaning the beginning of Lent, a perfect time to grow in love of the Lord.  We offered her a “Resisting Happiness” book with the suggestion of reading one chapter daily during Lent.  She was concerned about “too much religiosity” but we assured her that this book was a good and easy read and didn’t think she would find it overwhelming.  She graciously took the book and said she would give it a try.

Sitting at the bus stop, we came upon Dolores.  Her name struck a memory of the seven sorrows (dolors) of Mary.  We mentioned the pain that Our Lady went through while on earth, seeing her Son suffer so.  Dolores had never heard or thought of the blessed Mother in relation to her name, though she said she know her name meant sorrow.  We prayed for her final radiation treatment for breast cancer to be effective and for Our Lord to bless her with complete healing and full recovery from cancer.  She was very thankful and blessed us for being there.

We met Jean whose husband Fred was in HUP having his stomach drained due to cancer.  She prayed to be allowed more time with her husband.

We met Jameel, a Muslim man, who welcomed prayer for his facial/neck injuries and his well being.  We talked about how Muslims regard Jesus as a prophet but Catholics regard Him as God, yet we both worship God, our creator.  We spoke about the precepts of the Lord and how perhaps we and so many can see them as a means of control but how God our Father gave them to us to teach us how to live in peace and joy and love with one another on earth.  Jameel excitedly agreed, how good the world would be if all knew and practiced this!  He mentioned how Jesus hung out with prostitutes and the likes of such.  This provided an opportunity to agree yet remind that while Jesus did come for sinners He never said “nice to meet you, keep living in sin”!  Christ reminded the sinners to repent in order to be saved.

While most of our encounters on this day were done by us evangelists approaching people who were standing/sitting around, we were blessed to have Eli come up to us, telling us he wanted prayers.  He had this great baseball hat on that said Jesus in big letters.  He was from Gettysburg and his little baby Isaac, born a couple weeks ago, needed bone surgery in his jaw to allow him to properly breathe/swallow/function.  We prayed for the skill of the surgeon and medical staff to be guided by God in all they do for Isaac and for Isaac to have an excellent recovery and complete healing.  Eli has two other children, and his wife, also in need of prayers during this trying time with baby Isaac.  Eli has a beautiful faith and his testimony of having been saved from drug addiction and alcoholism and anger by Jesus was so inspirational to us!  He prays and reads the Bible every morning, especially loving to read the Book of Proverbs.  Eli told us he was “between churches” in Gettysburg but went to fellowship type churches.  Don told Eli of his own conversion to Catholicism 3 years ago and how he loves the Catholic faith and had come to realize it was the church started by Christ.  With Lent coming up, we gave Eli a Resisting Happiness book, mentioning it was light reading, good for daily devotional ideas.

Leaving the area, a crossing guard was happy to accept an Our Lady of Guadaloupe medal from us.  It was a beautiful day to be allowed to be a reminder of God at work in our community.  Please keep the following people and their intentions in your own prayers, in Jesus’ name:

Charles -for wife Adela’s relief from pain, full healing and recovery from heart / chest surgery

Chybree and family – for their peace, good health and knowledge of God’s guiding path.

Vanessa -12 yo in hospital for healing from complications due to flu; for her mom’s peace too.

Dolores -for effective radiation of breast cancer, complete healing and recovery cancer free.

Joshua and Laucciano – newborn twins born today, doing well in NICU, for excellent development and health and for mom and dad’s peace and hope.

Jean – for more time with husband Fred who has cancer.

Natara – for son Benjamin who has lump on leg, for correct diagnosis and effective treatment, full healing and recovery.

Jameel – for peace in his life for healing from his injuries and for him to continue to be called to be disciple of Christ.

Tayron – for Char’s healing and for the couple’s dealing with trials and tribulations, to know the peace and hope of Christ and to be brought ever closer to Him.

Eli – for baby Isaac’s effective jaw surgery, full healing and recovery and for family members Sarah, Jeremy and Linda as well as Eli to be comforted in the Lord’s peace and hope.

September 19, 2019

• Ethel – breast cancer survivor
• Spenser – needs a home
• Juanita – for new job
• Lou Andrew – for a permanent home
• Bill – peace in the world
• Montez – family and herself
• Allen – general intentions
• Maureen – getting off the street
• Danielle – tough conversation with father
• Teddy – for God’s protection over him and his girlfriend
• Angela & Richard – in recovery
• Ralph – for happy new year
• Steven – for others to find happiness
• Sam – for general intentions
• James – for world peace
• Red – for people to know Jesus this coming season
• Deb – general intention
• Greg – for health of his friend Nikki
• Najah – for permanent home

Declan Cole (right) praying with man in Suburban Station

Danielle’s puddle of tears on floor of Suburban Station

September 19, 2019

• Salid, for his personal intentions
• Ryan, a 42 year old Catholic man who is in hospice at HUP and dying of cancer
• Solomon, for his peace and joy
• Teddy, Solomon’s friend, who wants to know God’s will for him and experience peace in his life
• Greg and Ashley, whose 2½ year old son Samir is suffering from acid reflux
• Lloyd, for peace in the world
• Robert and Virginia, whose 3 year old son Robert Tray has RSV and was transferred to CHOP in critical condition
• Kaylou, whose 3 week old son Kayli is in CHOP with an esophageal defect and cannot swallow formula
• Yasmena, a 15 year old girl in CHOP for six days with severe constipation
• Gabriel, a boy who is six days old and cannot swallow formula
• Dave, whose good friend Charlie is in HUP following a complicated ten hour cardiac surgery
• Brandy, whose 9 month old son Eden goes to CHOP four days a week for renal dialysis and will hopefully be eligible for a kidney transplant when he weighs more than 22 pounds
• Sue, whose grandsons Sonny, Giovanni, Michael and Dominic suffer from various genetic disorders.  Sonny and Giovanni are 8 week old twins and require bone marrow transplants; Dominic was successfully treated with stem cells and is recuperating well.
• Richard, whose 7 week old son Gianni was born with a heart defect and will be undergoing open heart surgery on Tuesday.  Little Gianni was also born with a malformed left eye that is will require more surgeries in the coming years.
• Jerry, whose wife Destiny has widespread cancer and little hope of survival
• Antoine, whose son Kaycer is ill
• Hannah, who is seeking a job in the health field at CHOP.

Deacon Mark

September 19, 2019

(NH) Walking out of the Children’s hospital parking garage on this chilly but sunny second day of December, Deacon Mark, Don and Nancy immediately happened upon Thomas on the sidewalk leading down to the street.  This poor man, catching a smoke, was obviously in great anguish, given away by the pain in his eyes.  Our little team had been walking and chattering from the car ride and seemed to most unexpectedly meet up with Thomas.  Frequently on our walk down to where we sezzztup our prayer station outside the hospitals, we do not have much communication with the people we pass, mostly out of fear of being berated by hospital security staff, ensuring that we are not at all on hospital campus, but only on public sidewalk areas.  This time it felt different.  Noticing Thomas by himself, and upsezzzt, we asked if we could pray with him.  There was no hesitation in this man, he seemed to have no doubt of needing prayer, no strangeness that these people passing by asked to pray with him; it seemed like he knew just why we were passing him by at that time.

Thomas’ little six-year-old daughter Anisa is in CHOP and has suffered and continues to suffer with multiple brain tumors.  Thomas, a strong tall man, stood in tears and fear for his little girl and his dear family.  The poor man beseeches Our Lord to hear and answer prayers for Anisa.  We pray for good diagnosis, appropriate and effective treatment and full healing of Anisa and we pray for strength, hope, peace and love of Our Savior to fill Thomas, his wife Rebecca, and little Anisa this advent particularly, and always.

Following our prayers with Thomas, we walked on down to Civic Center boulevard and up 34^th street to sezzztup our prayer station between CHOP and HUP.  Just on our way out from Mass earlier about an hour before, we had requested prayers from a couple of longtime parishioners, Al and Ann, at OLGC who promised to pray for us.  They thanked us for doing this ministry and hugged us, saying they would indeed pray to God to place people in our path who need help with knowing Christ’s love for them and pray for us to have the words that are pleasing to Our Lord that these people need to hear.

In answer to their prayers and ours, we met many people on our two hour mission.  One thing that is always striking about doing St. Paul street evangelization in front of the hospitals is how many people on what seem like normal sunny days are suffering with tremendous burdens in their lives.  It is an honor and a privilege to be allowed by them and by Our Lord to minister to them in their time of great need.  Thinking on how one person’s normal day is another person’s upside-down day is reminiscent of all the recent Gospel readings leading up to advent, not knowing the time or the place, but knowing one day we all shall see the face of God.  Until then, being reminded by others of His constant working in our lives is where a person in the face of awful hardship can have hope, peace and hopefully even glimpses of joy in knowing they are never alone, but God is always with them, and that this life is not all there is, and that God sends His body of Christ, us, to minister to those in need.

After praying with and for many, listed below in intentions, our little team packed it up to leave.  Walking down the street to head back to the car, we saw a couple of laundry bags on the wall.  We asked a man standing near if he would like a blessed medal.  He told us indeed he did want one, and prayers also.  His name was Bradford and he was waiting for his wife Lucy to pull up her car to get the laundry.  The clothes were Amanda’s, Bradford’s 26-year-old daughter who was dying in the hospital from pulmonary hypertension.  Bradford told us that he saw us and thought of coming up and asking for prayer, but felt he could not, feeling unworthy and weak to do so.  He remarked how glad he was that we passed by him and asked. He was so thankful to pray with us, remarking on how his daughter always told him what a strong girl she was but that now her time had come.  Bradford had great concern for his daughter to be received into heaven when she passes.  We prayed the Fatima prayer at the end of our prayers with him, Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially Amanda and all those in most need of Thy mercy.  The dear man cried and told us what a blessing we were, thanking us greatly for being there for him and the many others there.

Praise be to God for He great and His mercy endures forever!

Please keep the following people in your own prayer intentions:

Cathy – for David’s healing.

Kim – for 10 year old Tyler who has unexpectedly lost sight in left eye and is weak on left side; for his proper diagnosis, treatment, healing, and full recovery.

Thomas and Rebecca – for 6 year old Anisa’s treatment, healing and full recovery from her brain tumors; for strength and peace for mom, dad, and daughter.

Moosa – for his peace.

Mary and Joseph – for their 28 year old son Justin being treated with chemotherapy for his brain tumor.

Natalia and Terence – for their 3 year old daughter Tanayah who was shot in the leg; for effective treatment, healing, and full recovery.  Also for mom and dad to know that Jesus wants to be in the center of their lives.

Aisha and Brianna – had a good MRI; pray for good health, peace, and welfare.

Jason and April – for mother in law Ellen who battled cancer for 13 years, now passing away. For Ellen to go to heaven with Christ and for her family to have peace and knowledge of Ellen with Our Lord.

Lorraine – for grandson Aseeyah’s healing.

Laura – for Daquan’s healing and future good health.

Drew – for Grandmom Rita being removed from life support.  For Rita to be admitted to heaven and for Drew and Rita’s loved ones to be at peace.

Russ – for the sign and wonder of a complete healing of his back pain, and for the health and recovery of his wife Deb who was being released from the hospital.

Jeannette – for Antonia’s infected finger and for him to grow closer to Jesus every day.

Rachel – for 5 month old Natalia born prematurely to finally come home on Monday and for mommy and baby to be healthy and grow beautifully together.

Kristen – for brother William’s full healing and recovery from metastatic testicular cancer and for them to know Christ is with them in their suffering.

Kyle’s grandparents – for 12 year old Kyle to be healed of his oral cancer.

Dillon – 8 year old, for healing from his Lyme disease.

September 19, 2019

For the first time in our 9 months of working under the umbrella of Saint Paul Street Evangelization, we had two groups of two people working in central Philadelphia.  As mentioned in Nancy Hoyt’s prior post, she and Don McGeary worked in the area near the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, while Donna Alexander and I stood on the sidewalk shared by Children’s Hospital and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.  While it was a bit chilly at first, the sun shone brightly and there was no wind, and after about an hour, I was able to shed my trench coat.

Within two minutes of sezzztting up our stand, we had our first visitors.  A young woman named Christina looked at our stand and asked if we had Bibles to give out.  We told her we had religious books to offer as well as rosaries and medals, and asked if there was anything we could pray for with her.  Christina unhesitatingly told us that she was a single mother with a two-year-old boy named Fernando suffering from severe asthma.  Two nights ago, he awoke almost unable to breathe, so she rushed him to Children’s Hospital for treatment.  With tears in her eyes, she told us that she was raised Catholic but was in a very messy situation, as Fernando’s father was not helping her, and she is struggling with drug addiction.  She is currently on methadone and badly wants to be drug-free, but is not receiving any counseling.  We gave her our contact details and told her to call back at a free moment so that we can put her in touch with the proper person at Catholic Social Services.  Her eyes brimmed with tears as we prayed with her, and she took a guardian angel medal, a crucifix and a book.  She accepted our offer to go into the hospital to pray over Fernando, who was beautiful toddler filled with energy but very cooperative when we prayed over him.  Christina was visibly moved by the whole experience and thanked us sincerely as we parted ways.

We had many other powerful encounters during our two hours in the hospital zone, and some of them moved us to tears.  A young husband named Cory from Bethlehem stopped by with his five year old boy, and we soon learned that his three year old daughter Marie was in CHoP for treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  Cory’s family is Catholic, and we tried to encourage him by the sharing the story pf a parishioner whose two year old daughter had the same diagnosis and is now 13 and doing very well.  Cory was visibly moved as prayed over him and for his little girl, and accepted religious medals for her and his son.

Please intercede in prayer for all the following people that we met this morning:

• Christina, whose 2-year-old son Fernando has bad asthma.
• Connie, whose brother just underwent open heart surgery with a 50/50 chance of survival
• Gloria, who just had a mammogram that revealed a lump that needs biopsy.  Her husband is infirm and requires her constant care, and she is feeling overwhelmed by her circumstances.
• Drew, who is in HUP with prostate problems.
• Kiesha, a young woman from CHoP who desires world peace and an end to neighborhood violence
• Grégoire, a French-speaking father of four children from Togo and a practicing Catholic, who prays the rosary every evening with his family.
• Ulysses – a newborn baby boy with spina bifida, whose mother Sandra recovering from a Caesarean section. Ulysses has already gone surgery to alleviate some of his spinal deformation, and his immigrant family (from Guatemala) currently live in Lancaster.
• Angela, a 35-year-old woman in HUP with a bowel obstruction. Angela received a new kidney about 20 years ago at CHoP, and so far, the transplanted organ has been functioning well.
• Alonso, a 12-year-old boy from New York City who has been hospitalized again due to complications with cystic fibrosis.
• Brandy and Josh, who 8-month-old boy Ian is hospitalized with kidney problems
• Teaser, a 7-year-old boy undergoing testing at CHoP. His devoutly Catholic aunt and 7-year-old cousin had accompanied Teaser from Lancaster for the tests.  He was born with multiple health problems that made it necessary to spend the first full year of his life at CHoP.  His young cousin is in first grade in Catholic school and proudly recited all his prayers, and promised to give Teaser one of the two guardian angel medals entrusted to him.
• Cory, whose three-year-old daughter Marie is in CHoP for treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
• Roosevelt, whose wife Marie has bone cancer.
• Jaiden, and 8-year-old boy with ADHD.
• Michael, whose grandson Charles Joseph is preemie with multiple health issues and hospitalized at CHoP.
• Todd, whose son 13-year-old son Anthony is in CHoP for treatment of cystic fibrosis. Hats off to Donna, who felt moved to persist when Todd first declined prayer because he was rushing off to work, having left his 14-year-old daughter Amaya to stay with her brother during the day.  Todd acquiesced and was very touched by the prayer offered by Donna, and left in a visibly calmer state of mind.

September 19, 2019

(NH part1) Our little Lower Bucks / Philadelephia St. Paul Street Evangelization team had a first today ~ two teams at two locations across the city at same time. Don and I were sezzztup outside the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul and Deacon Mark and Donna were sezzztup outside of Children’s Hospital and Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. We rode down together and the traffic was not bad despite it being this big shopping day. The weather was cool, but quite nice in the sun, and fortunately there was no wind at all.

At the cathedral Don and Nancy were blessed to meet many people. Michael came by early on, asking for prayers to get his life together and for his mom Lucille who had just had brain surgery. He was very moved when we prayed together and thankful for us being there and accepted a rosary, receptive to instructions on how to pray it. Derek came by and he accepted a rosary. He relayed that he went to school at Camden Catholic and that it provided him with lifelong formation. Derek told us about his mom and how she sacrificed so much so that he could attend school there. He spoke of how many people want to argue about religion and faith and that this is not what the love of Christ is about. We agreed about how we are called to meet people where they are and how good it is to find something that corresponds to another’s life to open the door to sharing Christ. We prayed with Derek and a little later when we were praying with another lady, he said hi again walking by, and exclaimed that Joanne was smart to pray with us for we were angels in disguise ❤️

Praise be to God for allowing little us to serve Him!
The sun left our parkway spot and so Don and I moved up closer to our usual Logan circle location. We met two Arabic men from the UAE who were very thankful to receive Miraculous medals. We tried to explain that the beautiful image is Mary, Jesus’ Mom. Ghadil and Mehdi did not speak much English but were so thankful for the medals and our prayer for them. We explained, mostly through hand gestures, that the Cathedral is our church and we are Catholic. For certain, with smiles and shaking our hands profusely, we were blessed to share a beautiful exchange of our Catholic Christian tradition with these Arabic visitors.
Please remember the following people and their intentions in your own prayers:
Michael – To get life together and for Mom Lucille’s healing and recovery post brain surgery
Derek – General intention
James Cruz – For James’ personal peace and peace on earth
Joanne – from Virginia- for courage, perseverance and right judgment in her life
Joanne’s elderly parents – for their good health until the day they die; for them to grow in faith and love of Christ and His Church
Christina and Harold (children) – for success in their chess tournament and future matches
Dolly – LaSalle U student – for success in biochemistry major, for her safety and to be full of peace
David – Methodist pro-life activist – for his ministry, for unborn babies and their moms, and for David to continue to be drawn to our staunchly prolife Catholic faith
Stephanie – for her 1 month old baby nephew William’s recovery and healing (just released from hospital, had pneumonia)
Ghadil and Mehdi – from UAE – for their safety and welfare and travels
Tameeka – for her health and healing from addiction

September 19, 2019

(RobM)  Thank you all for your prayers! The first time evangelizing in downtown West Chester was a success, as far as Austin and I were concerned. Sometimes its the ministry of ‘just showing up’ and letting the Holy Spirit do the work.

I’ll admit–it is kind of a strange sight. Catholics just “don’t do these kinds of things,” talking about the faith and praying…at least not in public. Just keep it private and to yourselves. “I’ve never seen a Catholic evangelist in my entitre life,” my wife said, “but there you guys are.” It’s unique times we are living in, and unique times call for unique responses!

September 19, 2019

• Jennifer, a single mother with eight children, whose 7 month old son Charlie is in the hospital suffering from congenital HPV.  Pray also for Myron, Jennifer’s boyfriend, that he may step up to the plate and help her and their children.
• Herme, whose little boy Hershal is in the hospital due to a stubborn fever
• Angelique and Tyrone, whose three year old son has sickle cell anemia and suffered a stroke on Thursday evening.  Pray also for his grandmother Taejuana, who is very distressed over the situation.
• Daniel, who desires healing from a sore left leg.
• Daquan, who wants to find a wife
• Jasmine, who was just released from the hospital, but whose child Miracle is still in CHoP.
• Thomas, whose wife Erin just miscarried, that they may both find peace and the blessing of another child
• Laura, whose 16 year old friend Jason Cunningham committed suicide a few months ago and wants reassurance that he did not go to Hell.
• Tom, a recovering alcoholic whose 16 year old son Michael is hospitalized in CHoP with ongoing gall bladder problems, which might necessitate surgery.
• Taryn, whose young husband Robert has been battling leukemia for two years and is now dying in HUP.
• Ethan Scott, a 15 year old boy with testicular cancer and whose condition is not responding to treatment.  He is from a very Catholic family formerly from the Coatesville area and now lives in the Carolinas.
• Pat, a teacher at Saint Philomena Academy and Saint Joseph/s House in Coatesville, who asks for God’s blessing on their mission.
• Brian, a research scientist at CHoP who is suffering from diabetes.
• AJ, whose 6 year old daughter Sophia has been battling a neuroblastoma for more than three years and is currently in CHoP for treatment.
• Evelyn, whose son Andrew is battling a heroin addiction.

September 19, 2019

(NH) We had a beautiful fall morning to greet us on the streets of Philly today.  There was a coolness in the air, but still fairly warm for November, and an excellent day for doing St. Paul Street Evangelization.

Donna joined me and Mary today, and I almost wish she were writing this blog post ?  We all know that doing street evangelization for the first time can be a little daunting.  However, Donna, who had told us on the ride down that she would primarily be watching, stepped right into action, showing Christ’s love for all we met through prayer, speaking with people, and listening.  On the ride down, we spoke of the public’s hunger for knowledge of the love of the Lord, witnessed each time we do street evangelization.  On the ride home, we affirmed with amazement the fruitfulness of the mission and the many encounters we had.

The hospital area has many with sorrows and fears, praying for God to hear and answer pleading for healing, recovery, expertise, effective diagnosis, and treatments.  Many people are suffering through heartbreaking times and it can be difficult to maintain composure sometimes, beseeching God to hear and answer prayers, to work signs and wonders for His glory.

One couple has a little boy, Michael, in CHOP with seizures.  They took a St. Micheal the archangel medal for him.  The dad asked us for a rosary and was pleased to receive a pamphlet that explained how to pray it.  The couple explained that the husband is Catholic but the wife is not.  The wife definitely seemed open to learning more about the faith.  They belonged to a Catholic parish that was not fulfilling their needs and they agreed that they need to find another Catholic church that has a warm community where they feel that they belong.  We spoke on the importance of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church and the trustworthiness of Church teaching.  The wife remarked about how she keeps telling God that she knows He is there but she needs Him to talk louder to her.  We spoke of how the word “prophecy” means to speak on God’s behalf and that meeting us on the street, and us being allowed to tell her of God’s love for her and her family, was indeed a means that God has always used to speak to others for millenia.  She agreed.  We spoke of adoration of the Eucharist and the recognition that God, who breathed the stars and knitted us in our mother’s wombs, may give Himself to us in the visible presence of the host and wine, if He wants to.  We suggested the young couple consider trying to get to adoration, to come before the Lord with their needs.

We also met a sweet young mom Amanda, whose little boy Jesse is being treated post 2nd bone marrow transplant with chemotherapy and who is struggling to heal right now.  This poor young mom and her boyfriend are hours away from home, had to quit her job to get treatment for her child’s stage 4 cancer, and had lost her first baby at birth.  Speaking with her about how she is managing, so young and such sorrow, she is so thankful for other parents at the hospital, sharing in their sorrows together.  This makes me think of Mary speaking about compassion.  Sharing compassion, in Christ’s name, with this young woman meant a great deal to her and she told us.  I have her contact information and plan to check up on her and any needs in upcoming weeks, as she plans to be at CHOP through Thanksgiving.

Please keep the following people and their intentions in your prayers:

Terrell – for his health

Crystal – for her son Bill’s healing

Saba – for her health

Majesty – for recovery and good health

Solomon – for personal and world peace

Lydia – for nephew Randy in ICU, dire situation

Hamid – for his baby Gala in CHOP

Elizabeth and baby True – for Jahad in CHOP for bad asthma

Mina – for her finances, health, and to know God’s will for her

Maddie – for general intention

Jennifer – for 17 yo son Jake’s kidneys, surgery on Monday

Christine – for healing from her depression

Jacob – for healing, 19 yo with collapsed lung

Syme – for healing from Crohn’s disease

Amanda – for little Jesse’s healing and recovery from stage 4 cancer/marrow/chemo

Maisha – for her soul and her family, left behind husband and 3 children

Susan – for her healing from asthma

Jude – in hospital very long time, for healing / recovery

Marcall – for general intention

Sophia – a mother in the hospital, for healing / recovery and for the comfort of daughter Eva

KY – for his friend Bob in hospital, for healing and recovery

Jake – for wife Marquetta’s healing from Crohn’s disease

Maria – for general health intention

Robin – for brain to work well getting to Perelmen center on Monday 11-6, and for doctors to diagnose and treat brain problem for excellent healing and recovery

Aaron – for 6yo in hospital with anger issues and for his homeless mom Amera

Gerry and Louis – for son Michael with seizures and for their other child Nicolai at home with gmom

September 19, 2019

• Solomon – a premature boy in CHoP’s NICU.
• Elizabeth – a premature girl in CHoP’s NICU.
• Michael – a 55 year old man who likely requires spinal surgery
• Anke – a 75 year old woman who has been battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia since August
• Anthony – a teenager struggling to get better grades in school
• Katie – a woman in HUP for heart bypass surgery
• Sean – a 34 year old man who has been battling brain cancer for three years and has developed pneumonia from aspirating his vomit.  His parents and 22 year old sister are faithful parishioners of Holy Name Parish, and their 18 year old daughter was killed in a car crash on the night of her senior prom back in 2007.
• Sierra – an 11 year old girl in CHoP with emotional disorders, and who thinks that God does not love her
• Dawn – her 21 year old son DJ, born with mild cerebral palsy, has been battling sepsis for a month in the hospital and has lost motor functions on his left side as a result.
• Aleshia – her 18 month old son John has had a second surgery to correct hypospadias.
• John – a 51 year old man about to get a kidney transplant while also battling hepatitis
• Adrian – a one year old boy hospitalized with severe asthma
• Stacy – whose 11 year old son António is suffering from seizures of unknown origin
• Cheryl – 42 year old woman who is all but brain dead following accident
• Joseph – 12 year old boy undergoing plastic surgery following accident
• Sal – 16 year old boy murdered last week and being buried today
• Matteo – 8 month old premature boy still in hospital
• Beth – whose husband recently died
• Cotton Anderson – child with unspecified illness and hospitalized
• Dolores – hospitalized with abdominal infection
• Samira – 11 year old girl hospitalized for scoliosis surgery
• Thomas – adult with cardiac problems
• Alex – who misses his deceased grandmother Teresa Lang

September 19, 2019

(NH) We had a first for our street evangelization team … several children joined us, ala Mary and kids!  Prior to sezzztting up our prayer station on the sidewalk, we had the opportunity to help serve food to the homeless and poor with Mary’s friend Craig.  He welcomed us to help out and this amazing and humble man pulled together a hot meatball sandwich, salad and fruit meal for what had to be close to a hundred people, all in Logan Circle.

The homeless were beautiful to greet in the morning and I felt like a lucky girl getting to distribute little styrofoam containers and utensil packages out to the people in line.  Recalling the sweetness of so many of their greetings, I wanted to find a quote from St. Teresa of Calcutta that helps me bring to words some of my thoughts and I like this one especially today: “The poor are a hope. They represent, in fact, the hope of the world through their courage. They offer us a different way of loving God, by urging us to do all we can to help them.” Amen Saintly Sista!

Please offer prayers for Craig and his family, he’s a tremendously generous soul serving Our Lord in great humility.

After serving the homeless, we sezzztup a prayer station about a block up from the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul, as we frequently have done in the past.  This is generally a nice spot to have encounters with tourists, homeless, and college students.

The mission started off a bit rocky with the Logan park security telling us we were not allowed to be there distributing religious materials.  Deacon Mark explained to the officer that we had sezzztup our prayer station with sacramentals at this exact location many times in the past and that we had been instructed as long as we were on the sidewalk, not blocking pedestrian traffic, and not within the National Park boundary that it was legal.  Fortunately for us, the officer agreed to check with her supervisor.  She came back and told us it was ok after all. She told us that she felt badly as she was Catholic herself and just trying to do her job and that the first person she asked said we were not allowed but higher supervision said it was an acceptable public space for us.  It is good to be allowed by God to witness to our Catholic brethren the benefits of our liberty in the USA and to perhaps provide seeds for thought on why we would do this public witness of our faith, of our love for Christ and His Church.

Having the children with us for St. Paul Street Evangelization was a wonderful treat!  Niamh, Sinead, and Liam did a fantastic job for the Lord.  They were very pleased to offer free religious medals to people passing by and we had several people stop and chat with us and pray with us. One particular encounter where our little girls gave other little girls blessed medals was so adorable!  Having the children holding hands with us in a prayer circle for many strangers gives us great hope for the future of our world.  A couple of encounters that particularly stand out are our healing prayer for Arnold and our prayer for Haseen.

Arnold asked us to pray for his right arm that he could hardly lift and his back pain. We prayed as a group together, touching Arnold’s arm and back area, “come Holy Spirit” and commanded his arm to heal and have no more pain and his back to heal and have no more pain, in Jesus’ name.  Arnold reported that his arm felt lighter.  Let’s continue to pray for complete miraculous healing of Arnold’s arm and back, in Jesus’ name.

Our prayer with Haseen was very memorable in that his intention seemed a little nondescript, with “please pray for my family”. He had stopped to accept a blessed medal from Sinead.  We prayed for Haseen’s family, for their welfare, and for God to hear and answer his prayers and for the Holy Spirit to fill Haseen’s heart and mind with the love and peace of Jesus Christ.  When we opened our eyes from prayer Haseen had a huge smile on his face and he exclaimed how wonderful, you have made my day, thank you so much.  One could see in his face how much weight had been lifted from this man’s heart through prayer.  Praise be to God for he is great!

Please remember the following people and their intentions in your own prayers.  We lift up to God the following:

• Craig and Lucina – for their family
• Beverly – for favor on her family
• Joanne – for her job and to be kept safe
• William – to find a job and to receive his shelter on November 2nd
• Barbara – for her general intentions
• Bill – to return to faith in Christ and His Church
• Arnold – for the sign and wonder of a miraculous healing of his right arm and back
• David – for his friend Mark’s family
• Gloria and Kieran – for the repose of Kieran’s dad, Sean
• Briant – for his sisters and nieces
• David and Cheryl – general intention and for David to come to know he can speak with the Lord and He listens
• Alyssa – to overcome addiction
• Frances – to have complete healing and recovery from her breast cancer
• Shane – for his communications class
• Britney – for her college year, biology curriculum
• Bill – for his family
• Haseen – for his family
• Jeannette and Carlos – for safe trip in the US and back to Brazil
• Brad – for his welfare

September 19, 2019

(NH) The SPSE leadership training conference today at Sacred Heart seminary was truly awesome. The speakers and their topics (see below graphic) were exceptional. I frankly am humbled that this has been done for us, little street evangelists. The speakers took pains to build us up for the work of street evangelization and I can attest the Holy Spirit is alive and well!

We also had Archbishop Vigneron celebrate noontime Mass with us in the breathtaking chapel of the seminary.  What a treat! His homily on this feast of St. Matthew reminded us, going out to evangelize, that Christ came for sinners, and even the outcasts.

At 7 pm the attendees and some of the leaders and teachers met back up for St.Paul street Evangelization, to begin in front of Old Saint Mary’s in “Greektown”. Following prayer, I walked along with Mark from Indianapolis and we were blessed to have several encounters with folks and we prayed with many too.

One lady we met, Antonia, was waiting to cross the street. We gave her a crucifix and miraculous medal. She spoke of knowing and loving Christ. We prayed with her for peace and courage and to know the Lord at work in her life.  She wept and hugged us, thanking us for praying with her.

We also met up with another team and prayed with MIke for guidance in knowing God’s will. MIke was from Pentecostal tradition but wanted to know about our Blessed Mother and the rosary. We gave him a rosary and the rosary recording to help him pray.

Please remember all of the following people and their intentions in your prayers, as well as all involved in the conference:

Sherry – for her tumors to not grow anymore and to live a long and healthy life

Greg – for the homeless and those with depression

Qt – for her employment and car problems

Sonya – to know the Lord is with her and to know His will for her life

Mr D – to have relied and healing from his past hurts

Antonia – for peace and courage

Taylor – to be a better man and father, to be healed of desire to drink

Mike – to be guided in making good choices in life and for people to be kind to each other

September 19, 2019

Wow!  Thursday and Friday nights at St. John Bosco’s carnival were good fun and beautiful evenings to share our love of Christ and His Church with all we met.  Once again, spending time with the SJB Legion of Mary folks, Gerry, Walter, Rita, Maria, Christine, Kate etc., was a blessing in itself!

The weather was warm and clear and the crowd got fairly heavy by Friday night.  We gave out over a hundred blessed medals and about 25 rosaries, along with many how to pray the rosary pamphlets, and some dynamic Catholic books.

There were many families in attendance and the nature of the evening was very joyful.  We were blessed to pray with many people.  Two young men who happened by were very receptive to speaking with us and praying with us for perseverance in life.  We gave them the Resisting Happiness book.  Another woman who came from Baptist upbringing was curious about whether Catholics pray to God and why we would pray to Mary.  We talked about how certainly Catholics do pray to God and that when we pray to Mary it is asking our Blessed Mother to lift our prayers to heaven, as we do for one another as caring friends, and especially since she told us that “her soul magnifies the Lord”.

Please include the following people and their intentions in your prayers:

THURSDAY

• Ann and Ann – Son/Brother Tom now deceased 15 years, miss him so.  For them to know he is well in heaven and to be blessed to receive signs from him this week.
• The Davis Family – Health
• Heather – son Adam’s stomach problems – proper diagnosis, treatment and quick recovery
• Angelina and Christian – school and to know God’s will for their lives
• Dolores – Health (personal) and for all those she ministers to in Chaplaincy program
• Tish and Debbie – missing daughter Meghan; with to be blessed with knowledge of her well in heaven.
• Gene – world peace
• Jennifer and Mackenzie – husband / daddy John to get good employment.
• Jamie – son Alex who is autistic to speak soon and develop well and for Jamie to have right judgement, patience, perseverance, and helpers.
• TJ and Shannon – people suffering from hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
• Christina, Tina and Tamara – mom Arlene with Alzheimers.
• Irina and daughter Justina – health
• Ann – husband John with Parkinsons
• Matthew – (little boy) school year
• Meghan and Pat – foster parents giving back Faith and Raymond after 2.5 years.
• Alicia – anxiety
• Connie – health
• Linda – peace

FRIDAY

• Joanne – elderly people who died in FL nursing home due to hurricane Irma
• Lorraine and little George – daughter / mom Liza healing
• Donna – Kerry stage 4 cancer
• George – find his way back to Church
• Jack and little Jack – peace in life
• Chris and Neil – peace in life and for hurricane victims
• Dylan – (little boy) school year
• Dawn and Daniella – peace from worries
• Steve and Millie – Barbara Maurer (sister) stage 4 cancer, tumor surgery TUESDAY
• Jim and Joanne – bariatric surgery
• Beth – work and finances
• Christine (mom) – son William cystic fibrosis (treatment, wellness, long prosperous life)
• Marissa (mom) and 1 week! baby Emma – mom and baby health, patience, love
• Beverly and Lisa – health and peace
• Cookie – peace
• Jesus and Brian (young men) – to know God’s will and have perseverance
• Leah – for gg Anne in heaven

September 19, 2019

(NH) I had the pleasure of representing our St. Paul Street Evangelization team at the local St. John Bosco Parish Fall Fest on Tuesday night. It was a beautiful opportunity to work alongside the Legion of Mary folks from St. John Bosco parish, who so kindly welcomed us. This mission was extra nice in a two-fold way, getting to meet and socialize with a great group of people working in the Legion of Mary parish ministry, hearing about what they have going on, as well as getting to encounter many fair goers with their families in tow, sharing Our love of Christ and His Church with them.

We spoke to and prayed with many folks and shared rosaries, instructions on praying the rosary, Dynamic Catholic books, and blessed medals.

Very early in sezzztting up a young mom with husband and young children accepted Our Lady of Fatima medals. The mom stayed back a bit and told me she’d like to pray for healing from addiction. It truly broke my heart to hear this sweet young mommy was stuck in the bondage of addiction. We beseechingly prayed together, reminding ourselves that where two or more are gathered in His name, Christ is there. We praised Our Father for the days of life He has blessed us with, invoking the Holy Spirit, in the name of Jesus to heal this mom of any drive to use. We asked for the protection of His blessed Mother, Mary. We spoke about adoration and how Christ is truly present in the flesh there, and that getting down on one’s knees in adoration, at the foot of the cross, will heal so many wounds. I also gave her a Resisting Happiness book, which I personally love for a basic how to on every day of life. (Thank you Matthew Kelly!

We had others who also prayed with us, some others for healing, concerns of the world and peace, family, safety, etc.

We hope to have a team at the fall fest more this week and will continue to post about it. In the meantime please remember these dear people and their intentions in your prayers:

Jake – safety and health in boot camp

Bonny – guidance for organizing and cleaning house out

Jeannie – safe trip to Seattle

Michelle – health of mom Margie

Pat Slavin – health and anxiety

Babette – her family

William – healing

Lauren – healing

Christine and Danny – for mom-mom Annemarie’s health

Wilbur – for family, health, employment

Michael – for better communication

Demus – general intention, wellness, to know Gods will for him

For Cory and Matthew who have passed

Keith and Colleen – family and children’s health, safety, and welfare

Leslie – mom’s health

Paul – brother’s (Ken and Gene) health

Horace and family – general welfare and blessings

September 19, 2019

(NH) Feeling very blessed to have Mary join our team for St. Paul Street Evangelization today!  We went to the Philadelphia Logan Circle area, nearby the Cathedral.  It was a glorious day on the Parkway with a cool breeze, bright blue sky and many people meandering about downtown.  Sharing the love of Christ and His Church in this town on this day was a joyous experience.

We met many homeless people early on.  Mary and I were discussing how the homeless were a blessing.  Thinking on what St. Teresa of Calcutta states in her “Heart of Joy” book,

Listen to what Jesus says: “I want you to be my fire of love among the poor, the dying, and the small.” Learn this expression by heart…..If you want others to love Him, you must first make Him known to them.  So give a whole Christ to those who live in the inner city – a Christ full of love, of joy, of light.  Do not be a dim light, but a shining light.

The homeless we meet do not act is if they are uncomfortable speaking to us on the sidewalk, they do not avoid us, and usually do not ignore us and walk by.  The homeless are almost always open and warm and humble.  They graciously tell us about what they have going on in their lives.  They tell us of their struggles and their prayers.  We are so humbled to be allowed by Our Father to lift up their prayers to heaven with them.

One particular encounter to recall and pray about in earnest, was with a man named Donald.  He told us of his struggles with addiction and how he had been clean for two years but recently has been getting high again.  This morning, however, he got up and, despite not really wanting to get himself together, he did.  He had gone to the ‘Y’ to get cleaned up and was walking around to enjoy the beautiful morning and came upon us.  Donald told us that he considered walking by but stopped to talk instead.  At first, he did not want to hear of God working in his life, to hear that perhaps he met us here and stopped because God wants him to know He is with him.  Donald stated “here I am turning 59 in another week and I’ve been through so many ups and downs, and I’ve heard it all before”.  We talked about how hard it is to stop doing something that helps us turn off reality for a bit.  We talked about how Satan tempts us to think “just this time, but that’s all” and then afterwards the bitter pill of regret and torment.  We spoke about how Christ is the healer of all and that He tells us to put our burdens on Him because his yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Donald decided that he did want to pray to our Lord for strength and to give it all over to Jesus. In prayer he confessed to God that he did not want this addiction, this drive to get high, anymore ever.  The use of the drugs was not his friend and he wants nothing more to do with it.  We beseech Our Lord to send His healing spirit upon Donald so that he may not desire to do drugs ever again.  Donald gave us his number to keep in touch.

During our little mission we also were blessed with many college students stopping and chatting and praying with us.  We shared many blessed medals, holy cards, and rosaries.  So many of these young adults were filled with joy and hope.  It was a wonderful privilege to hear of their pursuit of their studies and plans for their future.  We prayed with many of them for their studies, families, health, and then also their concerns for the world about them.  Many of them loved visiting our cathedral.

Please keep the following people and their intentions in your prayers in the upcoming weeks:

• Luis – general intention for his welfare.
• Linwood – to know and do God’s will.
• Russell – for healing of his hand which is numb and he prays for it to be useful again.
• Bill – for strength against temptations.
• Donald – for healing from addiction, strength against temptation, and for his welfare.
• Anthony – for healing and recovery from prostate cancer.
• Norman – general intention for his welfare.
• Leodora – for healing of her fractured knee from car accident and for her general health.
• Joe – for help with decisions.
• Fred – on segway tour, for general intention to know God’s will for him.
• Gabby, Cash, Canlia – Neumann college students, for blessings on their semester.
• For Canlia’s cousin Michael’s brain tumor, treatment, recovery.
• Helena – for health and healing.
• Jamie and Jennsina – for their semester and to find good jobs.
• Abby, Andrea, and Annalise – for their semester; also for Hurricane Irma to steer clear of their family members and for all in the path to stay safe.
• For Annalise’s brother Richard’s heart problems/recovery.
• For Abby’s friend Hunter who has been paralyzed in diving accident; for his treatment, therapy and recovery.
• Aquilla, Chris, Asaih – giving out food to the homeless ? for their good health, to know God’s will for them, and for their growth in holiness.
• Vanessa and Morgan – for their semester.
• James – to find shelter.
• Joe – general intention for his welfare.
• Leslie and Martin – tourists from Essex England – for safety and health for the remainder of their trip, for their family’s health and welfare.
• Katia and Natalia – for their friends, and their health and their semester.

September 19, 2019

(NH) Privileged… this is the word that keeps coming across my mind when planning to write up this post for today’s St. Paul Street Evangelization mission on the sidewalk outside the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

So many times now, so many evangelization missions, and it always comes back to how fruitful our Lord is when we desire to serve Him and His flock.  We had many people pray with us today and with whom we could speak with about God’s love for them and for all of us.  It seemed that most of the people we spoke with came to us, seeing us there with our prayer station; it was as if we were sought out.

My thought on privilege comes from knowing that God put us there this day, to speak and pray with these people, lifting their prayers to Our Lord with them.  These humble people allowed us to work in cooperation with them, beseeching Our Lord to hear us, to answer and help us to see His works, His knitting, His masterpiece in our moment to moment, day to day lives.

Walking up to sezzztup outside the hospitals, Don, Grace and I were chatting about how God has some very humorous picks for doing His work … We spoke of the bunch of fishermen and notably Saint Peter. Shortly after sezzztting up a woman named Lisa came up and thanked us profusely for being there and that she was very much in need of prayer.  She told us her son Peter is having gallbladder surgery on Monday (10:30 am) and so far prognosis looks good for no cancer but will be certain from additional biopsy during the surgery.  Peter has suffered much pain over the past two years with gallbladder problems and had been deemed too young for surgery until now and has had some questionable diagnosis from various hospitals.  We told Lisa how we had just a few moments before been talking about St. Peter and how amazing it was to us that here she was with her Peter in need of our prayers.  We prayed for the expertise of the doctors in surgery and diagnosis and treatment, we prayed for Lisa to know the Lord is with her every step of the way, we prayed for Peter’s safe surgery, fast recovery and complete healing, and for the rest of his family.  After prayer, Lisa told us that she felt a weight lifted from her for the first time since coming over a week ago and we all praised God for this beautiful blessing!

We had the opportunity to see Jackie and Nicole again, whom we met last week doing SPSE.  Both have teen daughters who have had bone marrow transplants.  We were blessed to hear stories of how the girls have befriended each other, thanks to their moms meeting eachother.  Knowing that there are others going through some of the same things is a true blessing for these girls and their moms.  We were blessed to be able to hear how things are going, to pray with them again, and to hear Jackie’s assurances that she will keep in touch with us.

I met a young couple, Jess and Dan, sitting on the sidewalk, having found a little spot of shade as it was 88 degrees and humid August Philadelphia.  I held out two blessed medals, a crucifix and a miraculous medal.  I asked them if I could share one or both of them with them, noting one being Jesus on the cross and the other His Mother Mary.  Jess exclaimed, “yes, I would love to have the Mary medal for my baby in the hospital, who is named Mary”!  Their little 8 month old was in the hospital with what seemed to be seizures during eating.  She was being tested for neurological problems but they were thankfully coming back negative and testing was now being done for reflux issues.  I sat on the sidewalk too and we spoke at length about how difficult it must be to have their baby in the hospital and with her being their first, it must be awfully hard, and how our own blessed Mother Mary has sympathy for them, as she knew suffering.  Jess let out her bottled-up emotions and opened up about how hard this is and Dan built her up for what a terrific mom she is.  We prayed for their sweet baby and for them to know God’s working in their lives and for them to hold onto Christ in their lives.  They were very thankful, as am I!

Please remember the following people and their intentions in your prayers:

• Maleeka – for her son Jared who is starting his first year of college at Bloomsburg, leaving next week to do well, make good choices
• Kenny – to find a way to get home
• Lisa – for her son Peter’s gallbladder surgery (Monday 8-21 1030am) success, diagnosis, treatment, complete recovery and healing
• Jess and Dan – for baby Mary’s proper diagnosis, treatment and recovery for her eating difficulties
• Liza – for her child Nylise, and for her and grandfather Antonio to return to practicing their faith
• Gmom Shirley and GPop – for teenaged Abby with Crohn’s disease, rushed to emergency room; for proper treatment and for her healing and recovery
• Jackie – for Tanayah’s healing and complete recovery from bone marrow transplant for anemia
• James – for struggle with substance abuse
• Nicole – for Kaylia’s healing and complete recovery from bone marrow transplant for leukemia
• Courtney – for her son Luke who was bitten by a dog; for Luke to receive excellent treatment and to have quick healing and recovery and to not have any PTSD.
• Jason – for his back injury to completely heal and for him to know Our Lord’s work in his life every moment of every day.

September 19, 2019

• Sean, whose four month old premature baby boy A’Sai is still in the NICU.
• Patrick, a man who requires dialysis at HUP
• Nicole, whose 18 year old daughter Kailey will be getting a bone marrow transplant on Monday to battle acute myeloid leukemia.
• Meghan, whose 12 year old daughter Kaylina requires back surgery
• Ephrem, for his wife
• Tim, whose 2 year old daughter has severe mitochondrial disease and is not expected to reach her third birthday
• Rasheed, who would like to feel God’s presence more strongly in his life
• Jasmine, whose two year old daughter Ariel has cerebral palsy and is currently being treated for a lung infection
• Frieda, whose son Godwin just underwent a battery of tests that all came back negative and doctors cannot tell why he is ill
• Diana, whose youngest child King James is in renal failure.  She has six other children and is feeling overwhelmed.
• Jackie, whose daughter Taniya needs a bone marrow transplant
• Veronica, who desires improved health and financial stability
• James, who is struggling with substance abuse
• Archie, a 42 year old man with renal failure
• Waltrina, whose 12 year old son Donovan is struggling to recover following a tonsillectomy performed last week
• Vanessa and Jack, that their baby Eiijah will experience full recovery and thrive
• Charlene, for full recovery in hospital
• Clarence, whose son Clarence needs prayers for healing
• Chris, whose three year old daughter Tylia is undergoing treatment for cancer

September 19, 2019

September 19, 2019

Our threesome of male Protestant converts (Dan, Don and Mark) arrived in front of the hospital area around 9:45 under an incredibly bright sun, with an ambient air temperature well into the 90s. We were happy to see that there was adequate shade provided by a closed sidewalk kiosk, and we immediate sezzzt up shop right there.  We barely had assembled the sign when a couple spotted us and came asking for prayers. The father was wearing a prominent wooden cross, and quickly revealed that their daughter Samantha had been born three days earlier with encephalicele, and that part of her brain extended outside her skull. We immediately huddled together in intense prayer, and after the parents  selectted a guardian angel religious medal, they thanked us profusely and departed for an appointment with the surgeon. Barely 15 minutes later, they returned with ecstatic news which the doctor had told them, that Samantha most likely had suffered minimal neurological damage and would be able to see.  We had a number of other wonderful encounters over the course of the morning, which are summarized below.  Please pray for:

September 19, 2019

• Joyce & Kerin – that the City of Philadelphia will not seize the property of their church, Russell Tabernacle CME.
• Raymond – for his family
• Melanie – for healing from Crohn’s disease for herself and her brother Sean, who also suffers from alcoholism
• Trinity – for healing from autism
• Mary – for her husband Robert, who was recently discovered to have a mass in his cerebellum
• Marilyn – for her father Kay, who has pancreatic disease
• Tony – for his child, who is in CHoP
• Chloe – a 1½ year old girl with kidney disease, being treated in CHoP
• Cheryl – for her son Dillon, a ten year old boy who received a shunt yesterday to relieve inner cranial pressure
• Alan (AJ) & Amber – for their 5½ year old daughter Sophia, who was diagnosed with medulloblastoma 18 months ago and is in now in Stage IV.  Sophia is their only child and her condition has been worsening recently.
• Sarah – for Rose, who was just operated for brain cancer that has been hopefully been completely removed
• Joanna & Noah – for 21 year old nephew and cousin Ryan, who just had two heart valves replaced yesterday
• John Bradley – for repose of his soul following his sudden death four weeks ago
• Keisha – for her strength and courage
• Stephanie – for her 6 year old son Jaseer, who can no longer walk and has serious bruising issues
• Jada – for full recovery from stomach abcess surgery three months ago, which has led to this 14 year old girl to suffer a stroke
• Paul – for his 11 month old son Domeniic’s recovery from a MERS infection
• Carlison – for his general intentions
• Crystal – for forgiveness for her husband Michael, who has been unfaithful to her
• Bobbie – whose 21 year old son Steven received a new heart 8 years ago and is now showing signs of tissue rejection that might necessitate another transplant

September 19, 2019

• Margie – for her Dad John and her brother-in-law John
• John – for his son Vincent, who is hospitalized due to Chrohn’s disease and almost died last year from a sezzztback
• Linaya – who is ill

• Marie – for her husband Earl, who needs a  liver transplant
• Elmira – for her daughter Gabriela and her newborn son Adoninus
• Damaris – for her 5-year-old son Giovanni who is ill
• Ona – for strength and health
• Kenny – for his great-grandson John, who  is seven and suffered a heart attack
• Christina – for her son Easton, who is undergoing heart surgery
• Daniel and Michael – for peace and joy in life
• Bus driver – who accepted rosary before pulling out
• Alberto – who has cancer
• Jennifer – whose third born child Victoria has been in the hospital for her entire one year of life, battling hypoplastic left heart syndrome.   She has had to spend most of her time at the hospital, leaving her other two children (Juan and Caleb) with her mother and sister
• Solomon – for peace and health
• Brody – for his wife Mary
• Kedros – for health
• Tamara – for her grandmother Gina, who is hospitalized with cancer
• Dana – for her mother Alberta, who is in treatment at HUP
• Maleeka –  for struggles with faith
• Christine – for her baby Dominic, who is ill
• Joanne – for her mother, who is having surgery
• Mary Chris – for restoration of her health
• Brendan –  who is almost 7 years old and has just had his tracheotomy tube removed for the first time
• Kim – for her ex-husband Joseph, who requires heart surgery, and for her son Nicholas, who is hospitalized with complications from juvenile diabetes

Deacon Mark, 08 July 2017

September 19, 2019

Don and Nancy were blessed for the opportunity to sezzztup a prayer station at the annual July 4th parade through Southampton.  Following Mass, we decided on a last minute change of venue for St. Paul Street Evangelization, thinking there must be some way that our presence at the July 4th parade in our own community could work out, despite the thought that everybody would be sezzzt in their places and not likely to happen by our station.  It turned out to be a good change ~ and right in front of our own beloved OLGC church!

We met many of the people in our general vicinity and also some people passing by.  It was so nice to be enjoying the freedom to share our Catholic faith with the community as we saw many other community churches and organizations represented in the parade itself.  Many people accepted religious medals and prayer cards and were very thankful.  There were several Catholic people we met who were very uplifting to us, one from St. Robert’s parish in Warrington who was very interested in joining our team and doing street evangelization with us, and then many who were curious about what we were doing and so thankful to us for our witness.  One sweet lady asked if we promised to be back again next year, telling us that she watched us the whole time and was so moved by us and our prayer station at our small town parade.

We had the opportunity to pray with several people, please include their intentions in your prayers:

Jack – for peace in the world

Shannon – for family health and safety and especially for her firefighter brother’s safety

Cathleen – for her Aunt Jan’s full recovery from her stroke

Shannon and Samantha – mom and beautiful special needs child – for patience, peace and joy and for Samantha’s continued amazing development (was never supposed to walk… boy she was walking for sure, mom trying to keep up!)

Linda – for her health and for baby Christian

Judy – who suffers over recent loss of husband

Jessica and young Daniel – for baby Noah in mommy’s tummy.

Hannah and Michelle – for Hannah’s upcoming school year

September 19, 2019

The day was warm and muggy…. felt like July 1st in Philadelphia!

Deacon Mark and Nancy met and prayed with several tourists and homeless people. We had the opportunity to speak about each person’s call to share the love and peace of Christ and His Church with the world.  We also spoke with a few people about Saints Peter and Paul, as their feast day was June 29th and we were in front of their honored cathedral.  We chatted about their courage and perseverance and love of Christ and that thanks to them we are Christians today.

Please keep the following people and their intentions in your prayers:

• Efrem, Margot, Ariana and Eva from Chicago for Independence Day – for safe travels and family blessing
• Tony – to know God’s will for his life and to have courage
• Sophia – educational choices in high school senior year
• Carl – for shelter
• Maurice – aunt recovering from pancreatic surgery in Mercy Hospital
• Valerie – peace and knowledge of the Lord’s will for her
• Jeff – peace and knowledge of the Lord’s will for him
• Juliana and family – grandmothers Santa and Anita
• Jay – health restoration
• David – for wisdom
• Bob – for shelter
• Tia – for grandfather Harry in hospital
• Joshua – for recovery from PTSD
• Shane – gets back to Baltimore

I have discovered that Fox29 has a webcam of our spot…. next time we go downtown keep an eye out for us! ?  Fox29 Logan Circle cam

September 19, 2019

• Susan and Nick – for their unborn baby, for their search for a new apartment, and for their friend’s young son (Henry), who is battling leukemia.
• Victor – for peace in the USA (he is a Honduran immigrant)
• Patricia – general intentions
• Julie – her son Luke  is in the third week of a 6-month jail sentence in an out of state prison and addicted to drugs
• Nadir, Norainne and baby Tiara – for permanent shelter and work opportunity
• Madison – general intentions
• Franklin – for a job and his family
• Ramsey – for a nice stay in Philadelphia and safe return to Hagerstown (MD)
• Juan – for his family
• Donald – for his family and employment situation
• Carlos – general intentions
• Bill – for employment and shelter
• Angel – for a job
• Marcus – for financial help
• Raheem – for peace
• Josh, Haley and family – for a nice stay in Philadelphia and safe return to South Carolina
• Maleek – general intentions
• Tony – permanent shelter
• Jerry – general intentions
• Robert – for his return to the practice of the faith after loss of his mother
• Harry – for good health
• Phyllis – for shelter

September 19, 2019

(NH) This was our first outing at a local church carnival doing St. Paul Street Evangelization and was a tremendous blessing for our team.  We were welcomed by the Legion of Mary group at Nativity and we are so thankful to them and to Dan for helping us get it together!

In the two evenings spent at the carnival we had many SPSE team members participate including Dan, Don, Cheryl, Deacon Mark and Nancy.  Perhaps we’ll even get a new team member or two from the Legion of Mary to join us on some street evangelization outings in the future, as we gave them our website and schedule information and they said they were interested.

I hardly know where to start with this post as there were so many notable encounters.  The atmosphere of the carnival was full of family and teen excitement, with food and rides and games abounding.  Our little prayer station, with blessed medals and rosaries, and a tented table with evangelization books, pamphlets, and prayers took up little space but had the desired effect on the activities, reminding us all of why the Church, its parking lot, and the carnival exists – to share the Good News of Christ with the world, and our little Warminster community!  The dear Legion of Mary folks, sharing in tandem with us, was an example of beautiful fellowship.

Throngs of people stopped and spoke with us, prayed with us, and accepted sacramentals and evangelization materials from us.  We have given out more rosaries and religious medals that on any of our other street evangelization outings!  We even had carnival workers who were on break following us out of the carnival, ensuring they didn’t miss us, to ask us for rosaries, how to pray them, and prayers.

Many teens asked for religious medals or rosaries; they were polite and listened while we instructed them on the significance of the various medals, e.g. St. Benedict medals, Miraculous Medals, St. Patrick medals, etc. and how to pray the rosary.  They were all amazingly respectful… God willing, seeds were sown!  Many of the kids brought their friends over afterwards as well.

Loads of young families were there, meandering by our table and prayer station and many stopped to talk, receive sacramentals, and pray with us.  There was a large number of Hispanic families and Deacon Mark’s ability to speak Spanish sure was handy!

Tuesday Night:

One young man that particularly stands out is Gabriel, who came over with a buddy.  It was a popular name that Tuesday, with him being the third Gabriel we met and remarked that he was our third visitor named after that visiting angel!  He was baptized as a Christian but does not currently practice; we talked about how God is working in our lives even when we are unaware and he did request a prayer.  Gabriel and his friend and I prayed that he would get to spend more time with his family, which was his request.  His intention, while simple, was so very moving.

Early on in the evening a man alone with his young daughter slowly were walking by our prayer station, to which any good evangelist says ? Hi – we have a prayer station sezzztup here, could you use a prayer tonight?  The man Bob and his little girl Cory said that they sure could.  Bob relayed that a year and a half ago, Cory’s brother / Bob’s son, Chris succumbed to cancer at the young age of 26.  Dad and sister miss Chris so!  You could see the pain in their eyes, how they wished Chris was there at the carnival to enjoy it with them.  We prayed that Bob and Cory’s hearts would be flooded with the peace of Christ and knowledge of their loved Chris immersed in Jesus’ peace and joy.  We also prayed that the little family would be blessed with a sign that Chris is with them much-so still and loves them.

A lady came by the table looking for some religious materials and she said she was very much in need of prayer.  Her name was Tracy and she is raising her grandchildren.  She wanted blessed medals for them to wear.  She also took the Everybody Needs Forgiveness book which we told her was a great one.  We prayed for her to be guided daily in God’s will for her and her grandchildren.  She especially prayed for patience and strength.

On Tuesday night a sweet lady Donna and her daughters came up and wanted to receive sacramentals and some of the Dynamic Catholic books we had on hand.  They were very excited to have been given these items.  Also, Cheryl and Nancy prayed to Our Lord with them, especially for Donna’s healing and also for spiritual healing in their household, where the family felt concerned about evil spirits.  Two days later Donna came back to the table exclaiming that she woke up the past two mornings without her any of her usual swelling and with no pain.  Praise be to God!  She said she had relayed this to her friend who has been pestering her to go to church on Sundays and her friend said “See! it is true, God wants you more!”  We spoke at length about confession and the Eucharist.

Thursday Night:

Early on a man Barry, who had been raised Jewish, and his friend Janet came up to the table to talk with the Legion of Mary folks.  After a little while our Legion of Mary friends told us that perhaps we’d like to speak with Barry as he had lots of questions.  Barry told us that he had a learning disability and had some difficulties but he was interested in getting to know more about the Catholic Church.  He was concerned about whether he was allowed to go into a Catholic Church that was open and if there was a Mass if it was ok to stay.  We told him sure, while you need to be respectful in the church, you are welcome to come into any open Catholic Church.  I suggested that if a Mass was going on, just find a spot in a pew and the only thing he should not do is go up and receive Holy Communion and should just stay at the pew during it.  I told him that he could try to follow with everyone for sitting, standing, and kneeling, or could just sit for most of it.  Barry wanted to know why he should not receive communion when visiting a church.  We talked about how one needs to receive baptism and sacraments of penance and Holy Communion, first learning about the faith, to ensure that one is a member of the Catholic Church prior to receiving.  We spoke of how as Catholics we believe Jesus truly gives us his body and blood to consume in the Eucharist.  With his disability, this was alot of information!  We sent Barry off with some audio CDs, pamphlets, and contact information to help him think about Christ and His Church.

Later, a man had parked his baby in stroller up next to our table.  Of course, I needed to fuss over the sweet little baby, as he was wide awake and looking around and had the sweetest creamy baby skin ? (OK I love babies!) The baby had a leg problem.  I asked the dad if he was ok and the dad said maybe but the baby had also been diagnosed with encephalopathy and would likely be very disabled his whole life.  I told the father how sorry I was to hear this but told him how beautiful his baby was and how the sanctity of all life is a primary teaching of the Catholic Church.  I came around to the front of the table to be nearer and asked if I might pray with dad and baby.  He said that he used to be Catholic, he used to believe in God, but does not anymore because God could not possibly allow this to happen to his child.  I told the father that he should speak with our dear deacon, who we know has suffered tremendous loss as well.  At that moment Deacon Mark freed up and was able to speak with dear dad (praise be to God for good timing!).   They talked at length and Deacon Mark reached out with contact information so that they can be in touch again.  We prayed with the father and sweet baby Ryan for a miraculous healing and good development and for this child to bring utmost blessings to the family.  The father remarked that his mom had been telling him to talk with God.  I suggested that his mother’s prayers might be starting to get answered that night.

There was a lady Izmair who came up to the table somewhat late on Thursday night, very pleased that we were there.  When we asked her if she would like for us to pray with her she excitedly said, “YES! and I have much to pray for”.  We prayed for her elderly father, and for her work that was difficult lately, and for her sister, who was quite ill, and was the primary driver of her coming looking for a rosary.  We gave her a rosary that we had from the Kuhn collection of left-over rosaries from Pope Francis’ visit.  She was tearful and so pleased to be given this gift.  It was a lovely opportunity to bring hope and joy of Christ and His Church to this dear woman.

Danielle – for her daughter Tulip

Jim – for his grandpop Jim

Kevin – for his family and for mine (Nancy’s) too

Tristan and little sister – for their family

Angel and little Raylyn – for these young kids

Tara – for health and happiness for her family

Joy and Barbara – for peace on earth

Megan – for patience and strength

Sierra and Natalia – for family, health, and starting college

Mark and Shannon w two children – for their family’s health

Kevin and Jessica – for the souls in purgatory

Barry and Janet – for good health, and Christian company

Donna – for her health

Elizabeth – for her 13 year old son to get baptized

Carol and Cathy – one moving and other needs new good roommate

Alice – continued peace

Betty – for employment and relationship with sister Patty

Anthony – for baby Ryan miraculous development/healing

Gabriella and Vanessa – mother / child for their peace and joy

Gabriel – more time with his family

Annmarie – for her mother who has suffered an aneurysm

Izmair – for her father Melvin, for her real estate work to be fruitful, for her sister Michelle

RJ – for his son Nathaniel

Jay – general intention

Ann – for her husband who has multiple sclerosis to be healed

September 19, 2019

All I can say is wow!  I will post more about the carnival later, but for now please keep the following people and their intentions in your prayers:

Kaylee for popop Fitz come to dance recital

Kathy for her family

Bob and Cory – lost son and brother Chris. For their peace

Francisco- for his life

Sean And family for a baby sister

Rita and Nancy- Rita son Aldo in hospital full recovery

Scott for hope

Maureen for her family

Tracy raising her grandchildren

Frances for peace in her family

Nadeeya for brother nick to make good choices in life

Dolores – husband died 1.5 yr ago- for her peace, misses him so

Barbara – for her husband ed recovery from aneurysm surgery

Eileen for her son Estefan

Ashlynn for her gg

Rich genl intention

Aleta for Eileen housebound

Kyle stay safe state trooper

June for her health

Lizzy Donna and Jess – spiritual help home and soul

Ryan – a state trooper, for his safety

September 19, 2019

• George – for peace within his family and world
• Martin – for his mother and anxiety problems
• LuAnn – general prayer for help
• George – for help battling substance abuse
• Deena – general prayer for help
• Stacy & Alia – healing from accident and brother who died
• Julie – for help for her friend Ethan
• Jim – for a safe trip
• Anthony – for peace after altercation with a homeless man
• Chelsea – for her special intentions
• Mickey – for his special intentions
• Richard – for his special intentions
• Larry – for his finances
• Alfred – for God’s blessings on him and his family
• Earl – for his business and his Mother Debbie
• Michael Anthony – for better health and a new job
• Reuben – for his struggles with substance abuse
• Derrick – for peace in the world

September 19, 2019

(NH) Dan and Nancy went downtown today to our beautiful city of brotherly love to share our love of Christ and His Church with our community. This was Dan’s first outing with our team ~ he had worked with the first Philadelphia team and we are so blessed to have him join us!  Dan’s son is a Franciscan Friar and Dan has requested some of his son’s buddies to remember our ministry in their prayers. Thank you Dan and Franciscan Friars!

It was an extra special day at the cathedral nearby, with 12 new permanent deacons receiving Holy Orders.  We were fortunate to be able to see the Diaconate community preparing their celebration in the cathedral chapel ahead of time.  May our Lord bless and guide these men in their vocation and service to His Church. Praise be to God!

On the sidewalk we met many people who accepted our offers of rosaries, religious medals and prayers.  We had the opportunity to explain to many how to pray the rosary, the source of the prayers of the rosary, how the rosary is prayer based on the meditation of the Gospel as well as requesting intercessory prayer from Mary, our Blessed Mother.  A sweet Mormon couple in visiting from Utah were particularly interested in understanding the prayer and took a rosary with prayer booklet with them.

We shared many miraculous medals, SS Peter and Paul medals, and we had one couple who were nothing short of ecstatic to receive St. Padre Pio medals, having great love for this saint and feeling very fortunate that we had these medals to share.  They were from New Jersey and we told them about St. Bede the Venerable Church’s upcoming Padre Pio festival and that his relic will be there along with amusements for the children.  They were happy to receive this information and they blessed us and thanked us profusely!

With the diaconate ordination going on, it was ironic that we met a lovely couple, Deacon Sam and Kathleen, in visiting from Peoria.  They planned to visit our cathedral after the crowd left.  We had the opportunity to pray with them and to share information about St. Paul Street Evangelization as they might have chapters near their home as well. They were very interested and blessed us for our street evangelization work.

Meeting people, praying with them, hearing about what they have going on in their lives, sharing our love of Christ and His Church, telling them about the peace and joy and love that we are all called to share, as “little Christs” in our broken world, on the sidewalk of Philadelphia has again and again brought grace and joy into our lives and considering the responses of those we meet, theirs as well.  So many are very thankful to us, building us up, blessing us for our prayer station, and showing kindness and friendship to us.  We are truly blessed to be allowed to work in this ministry for Our Father’s kingdom!

Please keep the following people and their intentions in your prayers in the upcoming weeks:

Raheem – prays for employment in food service industry as a chef.

Melissa – Prays to be blessed with conceiving and having a baby.

Scott, Alexandra, Regan, and Madison – Prayers for the health and wellness of their family.

John – Prays for health and wellness.

Winston – Prays for everyone to know Our Lord.

Hah – Prays to be reunited with her family; she has made bad choices and has many regrets. She and her family need to be blessed with forgiveness and mercy for eachother.

Donald – Prays for his girlfriend Sharon who has suffered with heart problems.

Clark and Emma – Pray for safety and health on their long trip driving back to Utah.

Pablo – Prays for his wife.

Jerome – Prays for our broken world and for President Trump to know God’s will and to have courage and perseverance and humility in doing it.

Joseph – Prays for his plans to work out well.

Kathleen and Deacon Sam – Prays for their children and particularly their son Luke who has choices to make.

Jim – A candidate for the diaconate – Pray for his formation.

Chung – Prays for all of the homeless people living downtown.

September 19, 2019

While the weather had suddenly changed overnight from sunny and hot to overcast, windy and cool, we were determined to not to let the meteorological conditions get in the way of our evangelization work. Around 9:30 AM, we arrived at our usual spot overlooking the Cathedral, where two young men were preparing to be ordained to the priesthood. Within seconds of sezzztting up our stand, a young man cane along the Parkway and readily engaged in talk about our Christian faith, and we had a good number of positive encounters during the ensuing two hours. One striking moment occurred when a large group of people came marching up the street to bring awareness to the plight of suicidal veterans. They took note of our stand, and at least five marchers stopped to get religious medals before continuing onward.

Please consider joining our group’s efforts in the coming weeks, and keep the followers my individuals and their intentions in your prayers:

• Ricardo – that his mother has a safe trip Puerto Rico tomorrow, as well as for his material needs and upcoming birthday on May 26
• Enrisa – that God heal her hand, which is to be re-operated on in two weeks
• Julia – that God bless her son Dylan as he embarks on his high school career
• Randy – that he can attend his mother’s funeral in Scranton
• George – that he get his identification papers and a permanent home
• Shane – that he have a safe trip to Baltimore
• EJ – that God attend to hissafety and protection
• Mike – that God restore his health
• Teresita and Samantha – that Samantha has a untroubled move to California
• Hassan – that God restore peace to our world
• Ahmed – that God answer his general prayers
• Thomas More – that he be closer to God and assured of his salvation

God bless,

Deacon Mark

September 19, 2019

(NH) Deacon Mark and Nancy went down to our now somewhat “regular” spot for St. Paul Street Evangelization today.  The sky was a bit mean for some of our time but thanks be to God, the rain never came.  There were many sweet souls who wanted to pray with us.  Some came straight up to us before we even had a chance to say anything, as if they sought us out.

Many of the people gave us remarks, building us up, that we are so good to be coming out to the sidewalk and praying with people.  It is tremendously heartening for us to be allowed to minister to these humble people.

Please keep the following people and their intentions in your prayers:

Raheem – General Intention

Shane  – General Intention

Sami – from Portugal, prays for grandmother’s and family’s good health

Roy – General Intention

Ranetta and Naseer – prays for health and courage

Danny and Jackie – pray for all their needs

Levin – prays for his back and all of his needs

Gregory – prays for all of his needs

Stephanie and Zack – General Intention

Bill  – General Intention

Carmen – prays for her family and work

John and Wesley – pray for health and well-being

James – prays for a normal life

Marvelous – prays for all of her needs

Sean – General Intention

Raye and Lisa – General Intention

Kevin Womack – prays for emotional healing, forgiveness, to know God’s will in his life

Ed – prays for his grandson A.J. who is autistic

Jame – General Intention

Jerry Bassezzztt – prays for the health of his prostate and the health of his soul

Eric and Erica – pray for Erica’s mommy

Talia and family – pray for the well being of the family and for safe travels

Arnold – prays for courage to reject temptation

September 19, 2019

(NH)  Today was an amazing day for Cheryl and Nancy, doing St. Paul Street Evangelization in Philadelphia!

A gentleman came by and when we asked if he would like a religious medal or a rosary, he held up his hand and showed us his rosary wrapped around his hand, with the crucifix between his thumb and forefinger.  While holding this for us to see, he exclaimed that we had given him the rosary a few weeks back and that he hasn’t let go of it since.  He told us that his name is Donald and that we had prayed with him when we gave him the rosary.  Donald told us that “we were going to think this was crazy” but his problems have been going away and his life was on course in great ways, ever since we prayed with him.  We told him that we didn’t think it was crazy at all and we were so pleased and thankful to know that God has heard and answered his and our prayers.  He is starting a new job next week and we prayed with him again, praising God and asking Him to continue to guide Donald in all of his decisions.  Donald told us that what we were doing, taking time from our days to come out and pray with people, was wonderful and that he is so thankful for us and to keep up our good work.  Wow! ~ Praise be to God for He is so great!!!

We also had many encounters that were particularly unique because they were so geared towards providing much information.  One gentleman Alec, was very interested in discussing Catholic teaching regarding what happens to a person’s soul after death.  We touched on salvation through Christ, repentance, purgatory, and the final judgement.  Another fellow, Victor, was very interested in hearing about Catholic teaching and the steps to becoming a Catholic.  Some Indian families who were brought up in the Hindu tradition were curious about Christianity in general.  We shared our email contact information with many, and hope to hear back from some of the lovely souls we had the good fortune to meet and pray with today.

Please keep the following people and their intentions in your prayers:

Brian – He is homeless and prays to get an apartment and be able to see his daughter more.

Narry – Please pray for the father of her daughter, his name is Rene, he has suffered a brain aneurysm; also please pray for the soul of Narry’s brother, Vulrath, he is deceased and she has worrisome dreams of him and would like a sign that he is in heaven.

Steve – Private intention.

Lynne Marie – Prays to give up smoking and not have the addiction any more.

Donald – Pray for his new job and for him to clearly know the choices to make in life that will help him follow God’s will for his life.

Nicole – Prayers for Healing from lupus and to get a job be sezzzt free from her fears.

Alec – General intention and to grow closer to Jesus and His Church.

Bill – Pray for him in his loneliness over loss of his wife Norma 4 years ago; prays for peace, love and joy in his life.

2 Indian Families – Hindu background, very interested in learning about Christianity, pray that they continue to seek and come to know Jesus Christ.

Linda – Pray for her health, cholesterol high and has heart and lung problems.

John – Pray for his safety as park ranger and for his son Mitchell being deployed in 6 months.

Victor – Prays for help with healthier lifestyle, to become closer to God and His Son Jesus, and to come to know the Catholic Church and consider RCIA.

Rafael – Prays for peace in his family.

Mikeesh – Prays to know the Lord and to grow in love of Christ.

Amelia – Prays to be cancer free for all of the days of her life.

September 19, 2019

(NH) Deacon Mark and Nancy went downtown this morning after 830 Mass for St. Paul Street Evangelization.  In the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul we got to meet our newest team member Daniel, who hails from Nativity of Our Lord Parish, volunteering as a Cathedral tour guide. Dan tells us he’s feeling called to do street evangelization again, which he used to do a couple of years back.  We look forward to having Dan work with us to bring Jesus and His Church to our Philadelphia and Lower Bucks community!

We distributed a few rosaries and nearly 50 religious medals.  Several people stopped to pray with us.  Please include these people listed at the bottom and their intentions in your prayers this week, and especially tomorrow, on Divine Mercy Sunday.

Many of the people we met were tourists and, as we have found with all of our visits to Philadelphia, some of the people we met were homeless.  We had one occasion where a homeless man who prayed with us left for awhile and then brought back a couple of his friends who also asked us to pray with them.  It is a tremendously moving experience to see Our Lord in the poor and to be able to pray with them for their basic needs.  I pray for a day when all of the Philadelphia homeless have shelter, all of the hungry have food, all of the unemployed find work, and all know the peace, joy, and love of Jesus and His Church ~ and for today, that the homeless we have prayed with get these needs met immediately through Christ our Lord. Amen!

Please pray for:

Bernard – for his father-in-law Michael’s soul, he was buried yesterday, and for peace in the world

Christian – for his work

Terrence – for people to forgive

Jeff – for employment

Joan and Allison – for general intention and safe travels

Thomas – for shelter

John – for health, finances, housing, to know God’s will for him and have courage to do it

Kevin – for housing

James – for housing

Ginny – for Ted and Liz getting married today and for their baby

Silvia and Conrad – from Poland, for their safe travels

Marcella and family – for their family and for safe travels

Scott – for employment in artistic work and for him to grow in his Catholic faith

Mark – for safe travel

Ryan and Jennifer – for the military and for those in poverty

Karen – for general intention

September 19, 2019

(NH) Today Don and I welcomed Jeff to our Phila / Lower Bucks St. Paul Street Evangelization team!  We sezzztup a prayer station in area in front of the Cathedral of SS Peter and Paul.  It is Holy Saturday and there are many tourists in town.  Much of my thoughts and prayers had to do with this the day where we remember Jesus not on the cross…. yet not resurrected.  It is a fine day to think about discernment, to think about what God’s will is for each of us as that is the path to true peace, joy and love.

Please keep the following sweet folks with warm hearts who asked for our prayers in your prayers, and please keep our ministry in your prayers that we may continue to grow and plant seeds wherever the Holy Spirit guides us.

Angelina – for her family peace.

Kevin – for Laurie.

Bill – for peace on earth and peace in his heart.

Michael – is in terrible despair, may he soften his heart and know you are there always Lord, and may he seek out the assistance he needs to get off the streets.

Peter and John – for their knees that hurt and to find homes.

Joel – general intention.

Nancy and family – for father and husband Ben’s health, may he be blessed with good health and may they all be blessed with enjoying eachother’s company on earth into old age.

Alyssa and Jacqueline – for their grandpop Don who suffers from dementia and Parkinsons and for his wife who cares for him, Pope St. JohnPaul II pray for them.

Nathan – (a child) for his uncle John who has just come home and who has cancer.

Daniel – for his grandmom Crescenda who is in the hospital, he prays for her complete recovery.

Darcy – for her father.

Joe – for help with his life, home, health, employment.

Kelly and Aidan – Aidan asks for his mommy Kelly to love him all the days of her life ? Kelly cried and thanked us profusely… such a sweet boy!

Conquest Elite volleyball team – that they have no injuries in tournament and do their best playing and while following God’s commandments play tenaciously ?

Valdez – Stephen family – for the health of their family and for their safe travels.

Andra, Renee, Jenny and Shannon – for their volleyball tournament to play their best and have no injuries.

Isabelle – for her sister Daisy who has lost her husband and has a very sick daughter Mabel, for recovery of Mabel, for strength for Daisy, for blessing on Isabelle.

Dexter – for his relationships, for a home and a job.

Zoe – general intention.

September 19, 2019

(Written by NHoyt)

Don and Nancy were blessed with a beautiful Palm Sunday day to evangelize on the parkway!  Glory be to God!

There were many tourists in town, several conventioneers, and some from our own Philly area.  Words cannot express the joy we have personally had today working to bring our Lord and His message of peace, hope, joy and love to the warm hearts we met.  We gave out about 20 rosaries and close to 50 religious medals!

During the week I admit to occasionally entertaining the evil one asking me what good is it to do street evangelization, who are you to think you can and should do this, how is this helping humanity in relationship to Jesus, how is this helping His Church, and is this pleasing to Our Lord? Afterwards, all I can say is it does much good, it brings much love, God loves us and wants us to spread His Good News of His love, and God is very happy with us doing this loving work for Him and there are many beautiful souls hungry for a relationship with God, like us!  Thank you Jesus and thank you especially St. Peter for your intercession today, when we recalled the times you denied Our Lord and came to regret it so, it brought to mind the many times I have done this in my life and my wish for amends for not being braver for you always Lord.

Please keep the following people and intentions in your prayers:

Jacqueline – needs back and hip surgery, in pain; we prayed for her miraculous healing.

Bill – prayers for employment

Dwayne – prayers for his friend Will

Nate – general intention

Alexa and Diana – general intention

Sandra – for the souls in purgatory and especially her mother, father and brother whom she prays for there and for her to receive signs when they have received admittance to heaven with Jesus

Kevin – for his Aunt Lola with asthma

Riccaro – general intention

Tereta – for peace to be rid of her anger issues and for her grandmom

Rocky – for his friend Ed suffering with a heart condition, prayers for good doctors and good treatment and for Ed’s problems with his girlfriend too

Darnell, Shineesh, Shamika – for wealth of finances, health, love and joy

Maryla – for her health

Ashley – for peace and for word that her family is ok

Raneeka – she desires to forgive her ex fiancee who broke her heart and to be able to be in the presence of him and his wife and his family and not feel hurt, discomfort, dislike, disruption of peace; she is ready to be rid of her hurt and unforgiveness

Nicole and Mandy – for her 91 year old grandmom who would like to die and go to heaven soon

Family – for their cousin Alex who passed away; please send a sign that he is ok and with Jesus in heaven

Nashton – healing of his injured wrist and for his help with everything, feeling despair ?

September 19, 2019

I need to add one more story to our blog post about Palm Sunday. It was truly amazing and I do believe we saw angels at work ~
While Don and I were standing on sidewalk, there was a young woman who was very upsezzzt, speaking thru a bluetooth on her phone. She was very agitated and yelling while walking to and fro. She was made up and dressed very nicely. After joking with Don, “boy maybe she needs some prayers

September 19, 2019

September 19, 2019

September 19, 2019

I personally feel tremendously blessed to have been allowed to be an instrument of Christ’s love to our culture in Center City Philadelphia – Suburban Station today!  We distributed about 50 rosaries and 25 holy medals (St. Michael Archangel, St. Peter/Paul, St. Patrick).  Once again we discovered that there are many many people who want to pray to Our Lord and hear about His peace, joy, love and His Church. (NH)

Father in heaven, we know you heard our prayers today with these folks, please bless them for their humility in asking for help with prayer and answer their prayers as only You can, through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Carlton (who makes rosaries and wants everyone to pray the rosary)

Jasmine: starting new job, has two children, wants to support them well

Mary Lou: for her family

Greg: for his family

Brandon: for his alcoholic mother, his sick grandmother, his deceased grandfather

Michael and Jackie: homeless, want to get home, want to get jobs

Robert: for general prayer

Jamal: for general prayer

Paul: pray for his surgery he has growth on brain, Veteran, surgery 4-5-17

Elijah: he wants to get a job and an apartment

Kenneth: he praises God every day!

Ray: for general prayer

Michael: for a house to live

Joseph: for general prayer

Joe: for a house to live

Nicholas: for his friend Nick incarcerated, to find work and a home, for his SSI to come in

Doris: guidance for her retirement

Katrina: fiance legal problems and missing

Michelle: guidance to make right choices and have the daily protection of God

Marie and Nathan: one year anniversary of his baptism today! General intention for Marie, prayer for Nathan’s mother

Frank: for his work today and everyday with autistic support

Samantha, Willie: to be able to continue to work and have good health

Judy: for her to find peace in the Lord as she misses her deceased husband Robert (5years) terribly

September 19, 2019

Sharing our love of Jesus and His Church on the Parkway!

Many stopped and asked for prayers. Please pray for Rob, Sarah, Susan, Joe, the young adults trying to make up their minds about education, Ray and Jacqueline, the young woman trying to have a baby, and many more!

September 19, 2019

We’ll be heading out to a Philadelphia train station or a sidewalk down by the Cathedral, depending on the weather.