Evangelizing at the Ann Arbor Art Fair
July 15, 2021
We were blessed to join Joe Lipa and the Ann Arbor teams to evangelize at the Marian Booth during the Ann Arbor Art Fair. This has become an annual event for the SPSE staff that has proven to be very fruitful. 
Fathers Day weekend with the Friars
June 19, 2021
We were blessed to be joined by the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit this week at Eastern market. Here are some pictures. Stories to come!
Eastern Market Memorial Day weekend
June 1, 2021
The following report comes to us from team leader Beth with our National SPSE team in Warren, MI:
Two evangelists, Michael and I, made it out to evangelize on this windy Saturday on the long Memorial Day weekend. The gusts frequently blew our pamphlets off the table, so when we weren't talking to people, we were busy chasing our literature down the street! Since we had celebrated Pentecost recently, the wind reminded us of the Holy Spirit's active presence as we tried to share the truth and love of Jesus Christ and His bride, the Catholic Church.
Come Holy Spirit - We need a REVIVAL!
Before we could even fully set up, people were stopping to talk to us! One of my first conversations took place with gentleman who accepted the offer to pray together as he stopped at our corner waiting for the signal to cross the busy street. He was glad to see out on the street mentioning that the church needs a revival! I agreed and gave him one of our Gospel Message cards. It turns out he is a Protestant pastor who didn't really think the Catholic Church was any different than any other Christian church. We were not able to continue the conversation and when he walk by later in the day he gave us some encouraging words.
The Rosary gives us a chance to remember Jesus in our day
We met two kind ladies who stopped to talk and receive some of our free items, "Carol" and "Rashida." Carol commented on how important it is to have faith. She said, "since I know Jesus, I am not afraid to die. I don't want to die, but I'm not afraid." Carol was also pushing a young child, "Jane", in a stroller. Later on, Jack and Carlo visited us and were very open to receiving prayer and accepted rosaries. We first prayed for Jack, for some struggles in his life, and then next for Carlo, to learn how to trust God. For both of these encounters we explained how the rosary is a way to remember how Jesus is active in our lives. Using the 2nd Joyful Mystery as an example I asked them "Was there ever a time when you were having a boring day (like water) then Jesus jumped in and made it fruitful and beautiful (like wine) and both groups said "YES" and I asked them to share their stories. It was beautiful to see the Holy Spirit at work as they joyfully shared their experience of God active in their life making it fruitful. We explained that the rosary is a great way to give God those few minutes to focus on him and pray each day. Our lives are so busy. We are so easily distracted in prayer. Pick up the beads, ask God to help you listen, then pray away!!
I also spoke to Scott a gentleman with a camera out to take pictures. He knew about the rosary because he was raised Catholic. He stopped practicing for some reason and now has a “no organized religion” stance. I asked if he remembered the Eucharist. He did. I asked if he remembered the teaching, that the eucharist is really Jesus – body, blood, soul, and divinity. He said he knew that too. I then asked if he realized that only in the Catholic Church can you receive the Eucharist. He knew that too. We ended our conversation in prayer. Please pray that Scott realizes the value of what he left when he walked away from the Church and that prompts him to return.
They were glad to see us!
While I was busy talking to someone, Michael told me that he had someone come up from behind and grab him by the shoulders (which startled him a bit!) Thankfully, it was a gentleman that simply wanted to thank us for being out there and sharing the love of Jesus and the truth of His church. Another man simply looked up from his place in line at the bank and smiled. I went up to say Hi and he was so glad to see us. He accepted a rosary and prayed with me. That really sums up our outing, there were many people of faith who were generally grateful for all that God has done for them and they were glad we were out there talking and praying with people.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
Busy morning at the market - Nov 7
November 7, 2020
Michael, Mark, Randy and Beth spent the morning evangelizing at Detroit’s Eastern Market. It was an unusually bright and warm November morning ☀️? and many people were out and enjoying the day.
It's time to PRAY!!!
June 2, 2020
If my people, who are called by my name, would humble themselves and pray, seek my face and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and heal their land. - 2 Chronicles 7:14
I was blessed to go out with a prayer partner to evangelize at one of our more popular locations, the Rochester Hills library park. Traffic was light due to the weather, but I was able to have many conversations. My opening line was "I'm praying for our country, would you like to join me?" Most people said yes, and when they stopped I had a chance to talk more with them I asked if they had a personal intention to bring to God. There were many who's intentions focused on peace and unity. Some has specific needs for healing physical ailments or relationships. A few lingered to talk more about how they were doing and I continued to encourage them to recognize God in the midst of their daily lives. A few were not familiar with prayer at all. One young couple wasn't sure how to answer the question "are you Christian" until I clarified by asking "do you believe that Jesus Christ is Lord?"
For an evangelist, stuck at home all these weeks, it was a blessing to get out to pray with people !! To share the love of God and encourage others in his HOPE. As people are emerging from the pandemic and quarantine to a world of riots there is a great need to encourage people through listening, prayer and encouragement. I felt that challenges need to be gentle in the form of an invitation to draw even closer to the fullness of God's grace, mercy and peace. It's a good time to remind people that Jesus is waiting for them inside every Catholic church; they only need to step in and be with him.
If you are wondering if it's time to get back on the street to evangelize, I say yes. You may need to start small, but if you feel that familiar tug of the Holy Spirit, calling you, respond with a YES! God wants his world back ... and he needs our help.
Antivirus Protection
April 1, 2020
Prayer > Positive Thinking
March 18, 2020
I was shopping for supplies for my work, and was in line to purchase them. The woman waiting in line in front of me had a mask on. Our cashier and the woman that bags the groceries, in an effort to make conversation, asked her why she was wearing the mask…perhaps assuming it was a response to the recent Corona virus scare. The woman responded that it was because of her cancer, probably because her immune system was weak from chemo and catching any virus would be very hard on her. The cashier told the ailing woman to think positive, that the power of positive thinking is often underestimated.
When it came time to purchase my items, I commented on their conversation affirming that positive thinking can be good as Jeopardy host Alex Trebek had been promoting recently. However, I said having a positive outlook and prayer together are very important. They both seemed to agree, and hopefully a small seed was planted. It’s important we share with everyone how much good prayer can bring to any difficult situation. God can help fix a difficult situation we’re struggling with, or maybe he will simply give us peace to accept it as it is. Either way, prayer is always a good response to any situation.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
Holy Family Christmas Store, Pt. 1
January 8, 2020
Detroit, MI. For the second year, Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, in Midtown Detroit, organized the "Holy Family Christmas Store". On the weekend before Christmas, this "store" offered a chance for low-income families to come and receive Christmas gifts, clothing, toiletries, etc. Like last year, our evangelists were invited to come and evangelize the 450 families who registered for the distribution.
Click here to read more stories from our National Office team in Warren, MI
The following report comes to us from evangelist Mark with the SPSE National Office team in Warren, MI:
Early Saturday morning, while we were still setting up our table and before we even did our opening prayer, Cindy offered a rosary to a man passing by. Karl, who was just walking to the corner store, accepted the offer and approached our table. He moved to the neighborhood two months ago and is looking for a church home. Karl grew up near the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a few miles away, and spoke about his childhood memories of playing basketball at the cathedral. He was very open to everything that we had to say and asked several good questions. Karl asked me "what's the difference between Catholics and Baptists?" I explained to him that there are several differences but the two biggest differences are Apostolic Tradition and the sacraments. I told him that, as Catholics, we can trace our lineage to the Apostles but John Smyth started the Baptist Church in 1608. I explained to Karl that Baptism is one of seven sacraments in the Catholic Church. I told him that, even though they call themselves "Baptists", most Baptists believe that Baptism "is not necessary for salvation." I continued and spoke about the True Presence of the Eucharist and the Last Supper, when Jesus told the Apostles "this is my body", "this is my blood", and "do this in memory of me". Since Karl comes from a Christian, biblical background, I was careful to refer to the Bible in all of my answers.
Karl spoke about how he is working part-time at a nearby gas station and has little discretionary income. I introduced Karl to Fr. Marko, who was standing nearby. Fr. Marko is one of the priests who lives in the rectory and he runs Better Way Detroit, a ministry that offers day labor jobs to those who are unemployed or underemployed. Fr. Marko recorded Karl's phone number and promised to follow-up. I told Karl that the parish church is open every night, and gave him an open invitation to come and visit whenever he can. Karl spoke about how he misses his daughter and grandchildren who live in South Carolina. Unfortunately, he is able to visit his family only once a year and he would not see them this Christmas. Cindy, Fr. Marko and I prayed with Karl—we prayed for Karl, his daughter and his grandchildren. I gave Karl a postcard from the parish and invited him to Mass on Christmas Day. In total, we spoke to Karl for about half an hour before we parted ways and he continued his errand. Please pray for Karl and all of those are searching.
Praised be Jesus Christ! Make sure to check out more stories from this outing in the coming days. And please pray for Karl and all those who are struggling in life.
Evangelizing at the DIA, Pt. 2
December 13, 2019
Detroit, MI. When people visit the Detroit Institute of Arts, or any art museum for that matter, they are often there seeking beautiful art. Beauty, along with goodness and truth, make up the three transcendentals. “Transcendentals are the timeless and universal attributes of being”, according to Fr. John Hardon’s Modern Catholic Dictionary. They say that when we seek truth, goodness, beauty, we are really seeking God, since God Himself is these three things. In today’s story, one of our evangelists used the transcendentals to hopefully draw a young art student closer to God.
The following report comes to us from evangelist Mark with the National SPSE office team in Warren, MI:
Click here to read more stories from our National Office team
Cindy and I spoke with Cameron, a high school senior, as well as his mother and sister. Cameron is interested in art and wants to go to a nearby art school next year. I told him about my experience and education at the same school and gave him advice. We talked about sacred art and he said that he has a deep appreciation for Renaissance, Catholic art. I told Cameron that beauty is one of the three transcendentals (along with goodness and truth). Beauty has the power to transcend cultures and ultimately leads us to God. The mother said that was raised Catholic but left the Church when she married a Baptist. We encouraged her to return and recommended a parish near their home. We ended the conversation by praying with the family for their intentions.
Later on, Cindy and I met Brian, a cyclist who was passing by but stopped for the offer of a free rosary. Brian was raised Catholic but, like many, slowly drifted away from the Church years ago. Cindy and I both recommended a nearby parish that has daily Mass and daily Confession. Cindy encouraged Brian to go to Confession and he was visibly shaken at first. I comforted him and said that frequent Confession has helped me bring peace to my life. I said that everyone has something on their conscience that they are not proud of. Even if you are embarrassed to talk about what you’ve done, it can be very helpful just to talk to someone about it and allow God to heal you. My testimony gave Brian some solace; he thanked me, shook my hand and accepted a card for follow-up.
Praised be Jesus Christ! Author David Bentley Hart once said, “Beauty pleases not only the eye or ear, but also the intellect in a celebration of the integrity of our body and soul. It can be seen as a sign of God’s goodness, benevolence and graciousness, of both His presence and His transcendence in the world.” If beauty points to God, let us point to beauty when evangelizing in hopes that they will see our Creator in his beautiful creation and be drawn to Him.
Evangelizing at the DIA, Pt. 1
December 13, 2019
Detroit, MI. The Detroit Institute of Arts, or DIA as it’s known to locals, is ranked as one of the top six art museums in America, and draws visitors young and old. It contains many beautiful religious works, including Gozzoli’s “Madonna and Child” and Jan van Eyck’s “Saint Jerome in His Study” just to name a few. Today’s team decided to set up just outside the main entrance, to see if they could talk to people coming from and going to the museum, and perhaps catch some of the early crowd for Noel Night (a Christmas holiday open house in the cultural center of Detroit).
The following report comes to us from evangelist Mark with the National SPSE office in Warren, MI:
Click here to read more stories from our National Office team
Cindy, Michael and I evangelized in midtown Detroit for an hour on a recent Saturday. The afternoon got off to a slow start—there were few pedestrians passing by and even fewer people willing to stop and talk. After a slow 10 minutes, we moved half a block, near the main entrance to the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA).
Almost immediately after we moved, a large, extended family stopped and talked with us. They all received rosaries along with pamphlets and a brief explanation of the prayer.
Cindy and Michael had a lengthy conversation with Franco, a native of Mexico. Michael offered him a Gospel holy card, Franco accepted and offered his personal Our Lady of Guadalupe card in return. Franco showed us his many sacramentals, including two scapulars that he received at pilgrimage sites in Mexico. Franco has lived in the Detroit area for years but has not found a parish home yet. I recommend a parish near his home that has weekly Spanish Mass.
We spoke to about 30-40 people over the course of an hour and about a third of them stopped to talk with us. Several people were too busy to stop but did thank us for our presence and our non-confrontational approach. We wished “Merry Christmas” to everyone we spoke with.
Praised be Jesus Christ! Please pray for everyone we evangelized today. Stay tuned for part two of our story tomorrow.