Wheaton, IL

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This report comes to us from team leader Nick with our team in Joliet, IL:

We spoke with an older woman who was apparently baptized Catholic, but now goes to a non-denominational church, although she still clings to her Catholic grandmother’s rosary. I asked her if she knew how to pray it, but she said she just holds it and is comforted. We talked about how to pray the Rosary, and then prayed together. I asked her if she has considered returning to her grandmother’s Catholic Church. She said she appreciates the traditions, but basically said that’s not how she worshipped. She wisely noted that Christians must be all one as Jesus prayed to the Father in John’s Gospel. I talked to her more about this, and asked her if she believed the multiplicity of denominations were a scandal to non-Christians. She seemed to agree, but kept changing the subject when talking about the one, true Church our Lord founded, and eventually we parted amicably. Please pray for her return to the Catholic Church since she firmly believes that all Christians must be one.

There were quite a few children who came up to receive rosaries and sacramentals, under the watchful eyes of their parents, and one young girl admitted she didn’t know how to pray the Rosary. I gave her her favorite color Rosary and the pamphlet on how to pray the Rosary. When I told her it was a walk through Jesus’ life, she beamed, and said “that’s so cool!” multiple times! Pray that she may stay close to our Lady and her Divine Son! One final encounter took place just after I left. Our station leader, Bill, was tearing down the booth, and a distraught woman came to our booth crying asking for prayer because she said she didn’t want to live anymore. Bill and Russell consoled her, prayed with her, and stayed in touch through the following day. Bill had given her a Miraculous Medal, and she said that it had given her such spiritual strength and comfort through the night. She wanted to “thank our group for what we do and continue to be there for others when it’s sorely needed.”

We often don’t learn the results of our evangelization efforts immediately, but this time we did! Please pray for all those we encountered, especially for the conversion of those separated from our Lord presently, and for an increase of grace in all!

Praised be Jesus Christ!