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Winnipeg

Country: Canada
State or province: Manitoba

Team Leader
Jared Warkentin
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First Street Evangelization Outing in Winnipeg!

June 24, 2024

SPSE Team Photo

After recently forming our new street evangelization team in Winnipeg, we went out for the very first time yesterday afternoon! Anthony, Ken, and I decided to try evangelizing at Assiniboine Park (the city’s large urban park) where we found a decent spot to set up our sign, table, and sacramentals/pamphlets at a crossroads near the duck pond and the pavilion.

We were out there for a little over an hour, and although we did not manage to engage in very many conversations with passersby this time, we were able to hand out around 10 Miraculous Medals and several Rosaries (along with some related pamphlets and holy cards). Most people passed us by with a friendly “no thank you” to the offer of a sacramental, but we were very grateful for those who did stop to take one. Winnipeggers are likely not used to seeing Catholics publicly presenting their faith like this, but we are hoping to change that!

Three young Muslim ladies stopped at our table, and when we showed them our free Rosaries, they seemed very happy and excited to take one each, as well as Miraculous Medals. One of the young ladies said, “Oh! I did not know that Catholics also prayed using prayer beads also” (likely referring to the Muslim prayer beads that she was familiar with). We told her that these prayer beads were called “rosaries” and that they were meant to be prayed with specific Catholic prayers. We gave each of them “How to Pray the Rosary” pamphlets, but they seemed to be heading somewhere, so the conversation ended there. I pray that these young ladies will read the pamphlets and learn more about the power of praying the Rosary.

One lady and her husband, who did not seem to speak very much English, stopped briefly at the table and accepted our offer of Miraculous Medals. The lady took one, and when I asked her if she knew about the medal and if she was a Christian, she exclaimed “All praise to Jesus Christ!” then kissed the medal, touched it to her forehead, and went on her way. Although this couple did not understand what we were telling them, I pray that the Holy Ghost will reveal truth to their hearts!

Another young man also briefly stopped and accepted a Miraculous Medal. He said he was visiting the city from one of Manitoba’s northern Indigenous communities, and that he was a Catholic. He was happy to receive a free Miraculous Medal but didn’t have much more to say and went on his way. I pray this young man will receive many blessings from Our Lord while he is visiting our city!

The most extended conversation we had that day was with a husband and wife and their adult son. They happily accepted the offer of Miraculous Medals, and when we asked them if they were Catholic, they said that they believed in Jesus and that they considered themselves Christians but did not belong to or attend a church (except on special occasions). They spoke with us of their love for the Scriptures and for prayer and expressed their distress at the lack of peace and morality in our society because of the abandonment of Christian belief and practice. We encouraged them to consider connecting with a Catholic community or parish, and to investigate the Catholic Faith. We mentioned that they could find lots of good information at the Catholic Answers website. They were very grateful for our conversation as they left our table, and I pray that they will seriously consider the importance of being a part of the Catholic Church as they continue searching for truth and meaning in this life.

Overall, our very first street evangelization outing went very well. We learned a few things to improve on for next time, and we are very happy to finally be hitting the streets of our city with the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Jared Warkentin (Winnipeg Team Leader)