Mokena, IL

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The following is a continuation of yesterday’s story and comes to us from team captain Nick with our team in Joliet, IL:

We later spoke with Matt, who works for the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) and is in a faith sharing group at work. Sadly, he’s ridiculed for being Catholic. He burst into tears while talking with us, saying he needed a minute before he walked away, hoping his family “doesn’t think he’s crazy!” We reassured him, and told him he’s up against a lot. Even though he has 16 people in the group, many people are insulting him for his faith, and we told him to keep witnessing to the Gospel. We prayed together on the spot that he’d continue being brave and walk with Jesus always through the Sacraments. We gave him a Bible, and he was genuinely touched and said this would be very beneficial for him. He was so thankful for our words of support. We also prayed for his grandson who is suffering from blindness in one eye, which he also appreciated. Please pray for him, his grandson, and the people he works with!

Another woman, ” Ava”, came up and like the first couple we spoke with, said she’s been to the Vatican many times, gets her rosaries blessed, and that I must go at some point! I asked when the last time she was there. She said 10 years ago, and that she really wants to go again. I did some math in my head and said, “Hey that’s great, last time you saw Pope Francis, now you can see Pope Leo from Chicago!” Her demeanor changed, she got quiet, started holding back tears, and said she didn’t like Popes Francis and Leo, and called them “woke”. I was taken aback, but acknowledged the hurt that the confusing statements issued during the last two pontificates have had lasting effects upon the faithful. Accompanying her, I asked if we could pray; we did, and after our prayer I told her that no matter who the pope is, the gates of Hell will never prevail against the Church and to stay close to Christ always through the sacraments no matter what news we hear. She nodded with some trepidation and walked away. Pray for her, and for all those that carry wounds like hers.

Later, Cheryl came up with her boyfriend. Smiling, she wanted to see what we had and was glad to hear it was all free! She went to Catholic school growing up, but has been a lifelong Baptist. She still has friends that invite her to Mass and she goes sometimes. I asked if she ever considered becoming Catholic. She gave a non-answer, and I asked if I could tell her why I remain Catholic. She said yes, and I told her about what Jesus willed in the Bible; that all the people He’s been given (meaning all Christians) ought to be one just as He and the Father are one. She agreed that God the Father and God the Son are very close, and I said that means it’s not good that there are so many different Christian denominations, all believing different things. She nodded and said she tries to glean what’s good from them all, whether it’s Catholic, Baptist, or going to her aunt’s Jehovah’s Witness church. I told her that while they all have some good, there are things that we can’t tolerate, like her aunt’s community not believing Jesus is divine. I told her that Jesus set up a Church that can trace its lineage back to the Apostles. That only those men and their successors can give us the Eucharist, and that we need the Eucharist as Christians. I was going to give her a True Eucharist pamphlet, but we only had Spanish ones! One of the other evangelists gave her a “Why Be Catholic” pamphlet, and she took that since the Eucharist and Christian unity is mentioned there. She mentioned how she’ll keep getting what’s good out of all these confessions, but I exhorted her one last time to keep accepting the invitation of her Catholic friends to go to Mass more often, and to pray on this and consider joining the Catholic Church permanently. She took some medals, and her significant other grabbed a crucifix, and we parted amicably. Pray for both of them so that they may enter the one true Church of Christ!

At the end, Anne came up while we were starting to pack things away. It was a long conversation we had; she was elderly but had a lot of pep in her step! She was an Italian immigrant, and told us that the only thing that’s kept her going, especially as a single mom of two, was her Catholic faith. She lamented how one of her kids recently left the Church, ostensibly because their parish wanted more money for Religious Education and they couldn’t afford it, so they left for a Protestant megachurch. This broke her heart. I gave her some resources, but she admitted she can’t read or write well, and English isn’t her first language. One of her kids is fairly faithful, so I gave her information for the Amen app and Formed.org. I said when the time’s right, to give a book to her daughter. I gave her Trent Horn’s “Case for Catholicism”, and she gladly took it. We prayed for her whole family, including her son who was recovering from a heart attack. She was very happy to see us and said she hoped that we’d run into each other again!

Please pray for all the people our team encountered!