Stories from the Street

Three members of SPSE’s Berkeley team were kept busy recently when they took the Faith to nearby El Cerrito, CA. They set up their Catholic evangelization materials at El Cerrito Plaza.
People began coming to them even as they were still getting ready. Evangelist Chuck was approached by two Chinese women, one of whom spoke English. She told him that her mother was Catholic and always told her that there is only one God.
Evangelist Dave met with a young woman who was going to college at Berkeley. She had been raised Catholic, but had since stopped going to Mass though she couldn’t say why. She asked for one of each of their pamphlets. “Reading the Bible is just too hard,” she said.
Evangelist John prayed with several people during the session. One was a non-Catholic woman from Nepal, worried about relatives caught in the massive earthquake there. Two men in their early twenties took Rosaries from John, after the evangelist taught them how to pray it. They also took Miraculous Medals.
John was especially moved by a conversation with a later visitor, “Damien”, about whom he sensed a special spark of faith. It turns out that Damien had once been in a car accident that nearly ended his life. He told John that, “while he was ‘asleep’, he had seen his loved ones, grandmother, and relatives before him in a place with pure radiant light. He said there is no pain, suffering, or hunger there — just pure joy in this place.” At that point in the conversation, Damien’s wife joined them. She selected a Rosary for herself, and then she and Damien also took about 10 Miraculous Medals and Catholic radio cards to hand out to others.
Thank you, Team Berkeley! Not only were the SPSE team members able to offer hope to many people, but they reported that their own sense of hope was renewed. Please keep our teams and all those they encounter in your prayers! Have you become a member of SPSE yet? You, too, can be part of this fun and exciting work. Our training and resources are available to all our members. If you haven’t joined us yet, please pray about doing so today!
StoryWhile shopping at Walmart, a mother and daughter passed us. The daughter had a knee scooter for her broken foot. John asked in passing, "What happened to your foot?" She turned around…
Read the story →
StoryAnother 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…
Read the story →He, along with Mary and Russ, were evangelizing at the Farmer’s Market in the Hay Market. According to Russ, they met quite a few Catholics that day, most of whom appreciated seeing…
Read the story →