Notes from an Hour Spent Evangelizing

The following notes were taken by DEB MCMANIMON, Regional Missionary for the Midwest Region with St. Paul Street Evangelization, on Friday, May 31, 2024, after spending an hour that day in Rochester's Peace Plaza with Bishop Barron and other evangelists, visiting and praying with those who stopped to talk. Please keep in your prayers the people mentioned by their first names in the stories below. To learn more about St. Paul Street Evangelization, contact Deb at deb@ stpaulse.com or 507-271-1737.

Today we were blessed to be out on the Plaza with Bishop Barron. He was able to join our team for an outing near the Mayo Clinic. It was a cloudy day and not many people were out on the Plaza when our team arrived. As we waited for the Bishop to join us, we had several people stop to talk to us and to ask for prayer. A man named William was visibly upset and came over to talk to us. We asked him if he needed prayer, and he said yes. He told us that he had been getting treatments for lymphoma and had just found out that he now had acute lymphoma, which was a very difficult diagnosis. He was so upset when they told him that he walked out of the doctor's office and came down to the Plaza. We were able to pray for him: for his healing, for trust in the Lord, for knowledge for his doctors, and for hope. We told him that we were sure God had sent us there for him that day, to remind him that God is always close by and to use us to give him comfort. As our team was praying for William, Bishop Barron came out of the studio, so in addition to us praying for him, William was also able to get a blessing and words of encouragement from the Bishop.

Before Bishop Barron joined us, Deacon Jack and Susan prayed with Steph, who was at the clinic with her husband, Chris, who had heart surgery nine weeks ago and has been healing well. She said to keep up the good work, and that our ministry makes a difference. She has encountered prayer team members other times she has been at the plaza and is grateful for their work. Steph had prayers of praise and thanksgiving for

Chris's continual recovery, as well as prayers for their handicapped grandson, Walter, who has scoliosis. She is also praying for two of her children to come "back into the Church," and her daughter, Cindy, has recently made great progress. A little later, some other members of our team talked with Steph and Chris, who we had prayed for a few weeks ago. They told us how much it had meant to them when we had prayed with them last time they were there. We all remembered them and enjoyed the chance to talk with them again. We talked quite a bit about faith and different ways that we all were growing in our faith and shared resources with each other. Steph mentioned how she wants to learn more about her faith and especially the Saints. Our team member Jean mentioned that we all go through seasons in our lives, and this was Steph’s season to grow deeper in her faith. We told them that Bishop Barron would be coming out shortly and to stop by, if they could, to receive a blessing from him. They came back later and were thrilled to be able to meet him and to talk to the Bishop, take a picture, and receive a blessing from him.

Mark was visiting Rochester because his daughter, who was a Mayo doctor, lives there. They were walking around with Mark’s grandchildren and stopped to talk to us when we asked them if they'd like a free blessed medal. Mark mentioned that he had been an altar server as a young boy, and Bishop Barron asked if he remembered any of his Latin. Mark said, “not much” and just mentioned a few words that he could remember. Mark asked for prayers for all people who were aging. We also prayed for his grandchildren, and he received a blessing from the Bishop.

Tom and his wife were walking by and stopped for a medal and a prayer. Tom had been receiving treatments for a medical condition and said he really struggled with anxiety. We prayed in gratitude that he had received good news at his appointments today. Bishop Barron prayed over him, especially for relief for his anxiety, and gave Tom and his wife a blessing.

Heidi came by and looked at the medals to pick one that she would like. She picked a St. Christopher medal. She said she'd had one in the past and gave it to her ex-husband who was going through a lot of difficulties. Heidi suffers from alcoholism but has been sober for several months. She said she came from a family that also had problems with alcoholism. She asked for prayers for her son Kyle who had committed suicide. We prayed for Heidi and her needs and especially for her son Kyle. She told Bishop Barron how when she was learning to read, she liked to read the Bible with Jesus’s words in red. Bishop Barron prayed for her needs and gave her a blessing.

Two young men from the Mayo Clinic walked by and did a double take after walking past Bishop Barron. We asked if they needed prayers or would like a blessed medal and they said they were in a rush. They walked a few steps, then came back and one of them asked “Are you Bishop Barron?” The Bishop said “yes,” and the young man asked if he could get his picture taken with the Bishop. Both young men had their picture taken with the Bishop and they were very happy.

Betty lives in Pine Island, and she worships at a church in Dodge Center. Betty was exiting the shopping mall as we were standing outside and was familiar with the concept of prayer ministry. Betty had misplaced her phone and was concerned about finding it. We looked up the number of the store she had been at just before coming to

the mall, and her phone had already been located and secured. She was able to identify it and give them her name so she could retrieve it. She was very relieved. We prayed with Betty for a successful outcome for an upcoming appointment with a nail specialist. Her fingernail has become disfigured. Betty also gave praise and thanks for finding her phone, and for finding fellow Christians to pray with.

Sheila and her friend Jane saw the Bishop from a distance and Sheila shouted out “Bishop Barron, I love you! I listen to you all the time!” She was so excited to have the chance to meet the Bishop and to talk with him. We chatted for a while with both of them and then Sheila was able to receive a blessing from the Bishop and she asked us to pray for her children to have a strong faith.

Mary stopped by with her friend. She was at the clinic receiving treatment for cancer. She told us she was from central Wisconsin and had been at Mayo to get chemotherapy. The Bishop shared about his recent trip to central Wisconsin, and she knew of the area he gave his talk at. She told us that she felt like God was using this time in her life in order to draw her closer to him. She was very grateful to receive a blessing from Bishop Barron and prayers from the team.

Cindy was being led through the plaza by her husband because her eyes had just been dilated. She has vision problems and seemed eager to visit and pray with us, but her husband wasn't interested, and continued to pull her along as she talked. She asked for prayers for her vision.

Bob was another one who we had seen on a previous encounter at the Plaza. Bob works at one of the local restaurants and stopped to talk to our evangelists and ask for prayers for his family and for his marriage. Our team talked to him for quite a while, and they were able to pray for him and he was able to receive a blessed medal.

A young family - mom Amanda, dad Jeremy, and son Michael - were walking by and stopped to talk to our team. They were so excited. They told us they were from Texas and had been trying for a year to get a diagnosis for their son Michael who had a lesion on his leg, and no one could figure out what it was. She had asked for prayer that morning from everyone she knew, that when Michael went in for his appointment there would be a diagnosis and, praise God, the Mayo doctors figured out what the problem was. And even though there's some nerve damage in his leg now they feel they have a way forward to get the treatment that he needs to get better. We were able to pray for them and they all received a blessing from Bishop Barron. Tom and Madonna prayed prayers of healing over Michael's leg.

Jacqueline, Jammy, and their daughter were walking by, and we asked if they would like a blessed medal. When we asked if they would like prayer, they said they would just like to say a prayer of thanksgiving. They were very thankful for everything that was going on in their life and they had just been able to buy a new house. Our team prayed prayers of thanksgiving for all their blessings.

Kathy stopped to talk to our team and ask for prayers for husband Paul. Paul was there for tests at the clinic and was scheduled to have surgery in two weeks. They asked for prayers that the surgery would go well. We also talked to Isabella, Bella for short, who was at the clinic for tests on her liver. She was waiting for the results. She was there with her mother and her father and had to stay in Rochester for a week. We also prayed for Joel, who stopped by to ask for prayer for a good outcome for his test today. One of Bishop Barron’s neighbors at the Word on Fire studio walked by and asked if we would give the Bishop his regards (he didn’t have time to stop), so we passed along the greeting.

We prayed with Katie (a nurse) who was filled with prayers of praise and thanksgiving for the many ways her life has been blessed. We also prayed for Karen, who is a member of St. John's parish, and asked for prayers for her heart issues and for her husband John. Mary stopped by to talk to our team and asked for prayers not only for all the patients at Mayo, but also for those individuals who are unable to use the facilities because of distance or finances, including lack of coverage. We prayed for Jacob, who was going into the hospital for his heart racing on June 19th. This will be his third heart surgery. He also lifted up his prayers to Sister Lauren.

Brady, from Austin, was sitting on part of the fountain, and began crying almost immediately after we started to visit. It had been a very difficult week. His mother, Gloria, was diagnosed four years ago with breast cancer, and the cancer had been managed. The family just found out things now are not good. His siblings were in the hospital room with her, and he was taking a moment to wrap his head around everything. He was very grateful to have someone to talk to and pray with. Peggy prayed with us for healing and trust. She had just traveled from Morton, MN, through heavy rainfall and was grateful to have reached the Mayo Clinic safely. We also prayed for safe travel back home. Stephanie, a clinic employee prayed with us about mental health issues, in particular two cousins who have committed suicide in the past year - one a teenager and another a successful and educated 25-year-old.

As we were closing down, Cameron, a new Mayo employee originally from Michigan, stopped by after we said hi and started to chat with us. He told us his mom had a miraculous medal, but it had worn out. He took a few miraculous medals and holy cards to bring to his mom and his aunt. He was picking out the medals when he saw the Bishop and said "Is that Bishop Barron? My mom LOVES him! And my aunt loves him too!" He was thrilled to get a blessing from the Bishop, and he very kindly took a photo of some of our prayer team with the Bishop before he left. We got a great picture of him being blessed by the Bishop as well (too bad we didn’t have his mother’s contact information to send it to her!).

Finally, after dropping off the Bishop's “Ask the Bishop” sign at the Word on Fire office, a couple of prayer team members were looking for a "rain free" route back through the skyway system. After a false start, a Mayo employee named Joe noticed their confusion and asked if he could help with directions. Joe explained he was on his lunch break and wanted to walk and talk. Joe shared he has an upcoming eye surgery, and we prayed with him for a successful procedure.

What a beautiful day of encounters with God’s people! We talked to so many people and had prayer intention cards for more than 40- I think that is a record for being out for an hour. Thank you, team, and thank you, Bishop Barron, for joining us.