Owatonna

Country: United States
State or province: Minnesota

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Deb McManimon
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May 15

June 8, 2024

Yesterday the Lord blessed us with another beautiful day at the Peace Plaza. A group of us met at the Co-Cathedral parking lot, said a prayer for our outing and those we would meet, and headed out to set up our prayer station.

When we first got to the Plaza, a local worker approached us right away and was very excited that we were out on the Plaza praying with people and giving away medals. She told us she was a single mom who had two teenagers and so her life was very busy. She asked us to pray for her life and for her two teenagers, and so we did. One of us got a word about painting while we prayed for her, and she said she used to paint but now her daughter does.

A couple came over to talk to us. The man had been diagnosed with many different kinds of cancer 12 years ago and had been receiving treatment from the Mayo Clinic since then. He was very happy that he had received a clean bill of health that day. He has to come back and get checked every three months, which he's been doing for 12 years. We gave them each a blessed medal and a holy card, and we prayed for his continued health and in thanksgiving for the love that they have for each other.

Another woman saw our Need Prayer sign and came to talk to us. She told us she was at the clinic that day to be treated for her pancreatic cancer. She asked for a miraculous medal and also for prayer. We prayed for her, asking for the grace to persevere through her suffering and for the Lord to comfort her and give her peace. She mentioned that she used to be Catholic, and we talked to her about that. We asked if she would like a rosary to give her comfort while she went through her treatment and to bring her closer to the Lord. She took a rosary from us, and we gave her a How to Pray the Rosary pamphlet. She asked for a purple rosary as that is the color for those battling pancreatic cancer. We were all moved by our encounter with her.

A woman whose full name is Antonia stopped to talk to us and said she worked between the Mayo Clinic and St. Mary's Hospital, so did a lot of traveling. She wanted a St. Anthony medal. She asked if we could pray for her family, and we did. She took a medal for herself and also one to give to somebody she might cross paths with that day as she was working at the clinic and the hospital.

Another woman came up to our prayer station and said she had been dealing with cancer and had undergone many treatments. She was at the clinic for radiation and asked us to pray that everything in her treatment would work. One of us prayed for her and for her health and reminded her how much the Lord loved her. We prayed for her comfort and peace and gave her a blessed miraculous medal.

A man and his sister passed by us slowly while we were praying with another couple. One of us kept an eye on them to see if they would come back. We saw them returning and they sat on a bench a little bit away from our prayer station. Two of us went to talk to them. The man was at the clinic being treated for prostate cancer that had now spread to his bones. His sister was there for support. We prayed for both of them and gave them blessed medals.

Another couple walked by and didn't want to talk to us but then we asked if they would like a blessed medal, and they paused and came back. The man had been treated for cancer for the past six years, so he and his wife had traveled often to Rochester. He was very happy that he had gotten a clean bill of health that day and we prayed in thanksgiving for that. We also prayed that God would continue to bless them and their marriage and thanked God for all the graces bestowed on them. The man mentioned that he had grown up Presbyterian but hadn't been involved in the church at all. His wife was currently doing the Bible in a Year podcast, so we talked about that and how beautiful it was to hear the Bible read and learn about what the passages meant.

Another couple walked past us and thanked us for being out on the Plaza praying for people. They weren't going to stop and talk but then came back to ask if they could give us a donation and to thank us again (we didn’t take the donation but said they could pay it forward to someone else). They were from the Twin Cities area and told us about a local priest who prayed for her husband when he was diagnosed with his medical issues. She also asked if we could pray for her grandson who has special needs and scoliosis. After the grandson's last surgery, he regained a little more movement in his arms and legs and, even though he can't talk yet, he is attempting to talk more since the surgery. We prayed for both of them and gave them miraculous medals. We shared information about St. John the Evangelist Church and the Mass times, and they were grateful.

One woman stopped to talk to us. She said she was from the Syriac church, which she said was the oldest church in the world. She had come to the United States 45 years ago and now lives in Texas. She asked us to pray for her husband who was at the clinic receiving care. We prayed for her and for her husband.

There was a violinist playing music at the other end of the Plaza from the time we started until we left. We didn’t see him take a single break. His music was very beautiful. One of us walked down and asked him if he would play "Amazing Grace," which he did, and it was very beautiful. We put a miraculous medal along with a donation in his “tips” case and prayed for his needs.

Several people walked by and didn't stop for prayer or a medal but just smiled or made a comment and asked us to pray for them, so in general, we prayed for all of them. We also prayed for a woman in her 90s who has been near death and then rallies. Another person asked for prayers for her family and another for her health.