Somerville, New Jersey

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This report comes from team leader Alpa with the Immaculate Conception Parish team in Somerville, New Jersey:

Alpa, Mary Ann, Wilber and Carol were on the evangelization schedule for this Saturday. One important encounter:

May we unite as the Body of Christ, The Church, to pray for a young man suffering from addiction. I met him on the street in Somerville. I don’t even know his name. I asked him, but he did not tell me. But he told me other things. We prayed together. I learned he was Catholic. We eked out the words of the Our Father and the Hail Mary. We prayed to be clean and sober. And the tears began to flow… I gave him a rosary and pointed out the Crucifix. I said to him…”When you are sad and feel hopeless, grab this Crucifix. See Jesus on this Cross and know that He did this for you. He died on the Cross for you. He loves you. Do you believe this? Do you know how to say the rosary?” He said his grandma knows and will teach him, that she prays all the time. I gave him our pamphlet on how to say the rosary. More tears were flowing. His heart was hurting, but open for God’s grace. “God has a job for you,” I said. “Just for you, that no one else can do. Do you know that?” He nodded.

He walked away, still in tears, only a few feet away, and rested his head against a wall, as if to take in what had just happened. I had forgotten to give him our pamphlet on confession. Such a healing, beautiful sacrament. He put out his hand and took it willingly.

Please pray for this beautiful soul who sincerely wants help, to get rehab, to change his life.

May God hear and answer our prayers for him and his grandma’s prayers, too, I’m sure. May his tears and this encounter bring about God’s blessing and healing upon him.