A New Beginning

St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, So Ho, Holy Thursday.  It’s Holy Thursday and the storm of yesterday has passed.  Clear skies, warmer temperatures, no frigid wind.  As I arrive at Mission HQ at 4 from uptown, several missionaries are waiting and more are pouring in.  Our ranks of battle-tested veterans was reinforced by several joyful Regnum Christi missionaries from other regions:  a joyful young Catholic businessman and Regnum Christi leader, Pepe, who’d flown in from Houston to join us, and was a dynamic presence all evening out on Prince and Mott; the loving  Cisneros family from New Jersey who witnessed the faith so confidently that their joyful presence alone turned hearts; and a Wall Street Catholic and his son who could talk his way out of any jam and did so repeatedly throughout the evening.  All of this extra energy on the streets seemed to attract souls, and each missionary team sprinkled around the neighborhood was busy almost non-stop with passers-by on their way to dinner and ended up instead in the church. 

Max, the teenage son of the Wall Street guy, told me later, “Mr. Auth, we did a lot better than your 5% prediction!  We were crushing it out there!”

The mother of the RC family, Victoria, was gushing about her husband, who can sometimes lean to the “shy” side.  “He was marvelous!  I just loved watching him engaging with these strangers about the beauty and integrity of our Faith!”

The corner on Prince and Mott was pretty much what I would call a “love fest”  all afternoon and evening.  So many joyful conversations that ended with hugs, prayers, and trips to the church.  Too many stories to tell, from inside and outside the church, so I’ll settle for one that covers both elements of our net for catching souls. 

A young woman was hailed down in front of the Little Cupcake Shop by the dynamic duo of Angela and Mary.   Jasmine told the missionaries she was a  “seeker”, a Baptist still trying to find God.  “But I’m not a Catholic,” she assured them.   

Jasmine’s brother had recently died, and the missionaries eventually convinced her to accept a candle and enter the church so she could light it for him.  While praying, she was quietly approached by the missionary in the back of the church, who told her that while she could not receive the sacrament of confession itself, she could still talk with a priest about her spiritual life and ask him for a blessing for herself and for her brother.  Later, after emerging from a long chat with one of our priests, she told the missionary she was enlisting the RCIA program, and would join the church.  She said it “feels like home to me.”

Still later, during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, all three missionaries involved with the Jasmine chronicle gasped, almost simultaneously.  Up there, on the altar, getting her feet washed was Jasmine!  She’d been selected by the Deacon to serve as one of the Apostles during the feet washing service!

In one short evening, Jasmine had gone from seeker to convert to Apostle!  Quite a journey!  A new beginning.

A missionary

April 18, 2025