Evangelization Encounters in the Wild
Three delightful evangelization and discipleship initiatives, plus a brief check-in and an update about this newsletter.
Coming up for air and sharing the first three in a pile of good things I’ve encountered lately in the world of Catholic evangelization and discipleship, then closing with a newsletter update (hint: you should need to fine-tune your subscription settings now) at the bottom.
Question-Answering Ministry
Dog-sitting the other weekend, I popped into Blessed Sacrament parish in Charleston, SC, my go-to parish in the area if I’m tired — which is why the mini-interview I did with the couple pictured here is so sparse on details.
What you see: A super friendly couple who were sitting outside at a folding table before Mass, with a sign that says “Welcome Table - Questions? Ask Me!” When I first caved to curiosity on my way in, all they had on the table was the sign. After Mass (shown), they pull out a bowl of lollipops to distribute to any interested parties.
What they do: Answer questions. They (we agreed to keep names off the internet) said most of the questions are how to get involved in parish life.
What’s so strategic: They are right out front, unequivocally there for the talking to, but not where you absolutely have to walk past them and interact if you’re feeling shy. Also, they are super nice people, chill, relatable, delightfully pleasant to get to talk with.
I do not, at all, think that every parish needs to be doing this every week. (Blessed Sacrament parish doesn’t do this every week either, based on my random sampling of visits over the past year.) You can’t deploy every possible single outreach idea. But this one stands out because it is so streamlined.
—> A pair of volunteers who set up when they can, a folding table and a couple chairs. Very low-energy as missionary initiatives go. You don’t need to do a whole ministry fair, or run an entire apologetics program or whatever. All that’s needed is a couple people on hand who know their parish and can get you connected to the thing you’re looking for. Low key, powerful.
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage 2026
I had been hoping to see the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage come through Charleston (SC) but was thwarted by plague (not mine, though) and had to flee the city. But look, next day, here’s a shot of Our Lord on a walk in the capital city with a few of His friends:
If I recall correctly, the gentleman in the red ballcap to the right, near the sidewalk, was a Knight of Columbus handing out bottles of ice water.
Just off screen: Pilgrims in clearly-marked shirts slightly apart from the main procession, making themselves available to answer questions from curious bystanders and handing out informational pamphlets for those who were interested.
It was a lovely event, and I strongly recommend joining the pilgrimage activities if it should pass your way this year.
Practical note: Though the event calls for (free) pre-registration, for whatever reason the snippet I participated in was not over-crowded. But even if you can’t get tickets to a Mass or an Adoration session, obviously you can drop in for a Eucharistic procession regardless, since that’s just a bunch of people prayerfully walking down the street, no real maximums. (Register, though, so the organizers can guess at expected attendance.)
I believe it is no coincidence that we are seeing reports of many young people joining the Church now, after a resurgence in recent years of Adoration. Prayer is the engine.
The Angelus App
Shortly before Easter I installed the Angelus App, and it’s been a godsend. I’ve been a bit spacey about praying lately, and this helps me at least hit twice a day (if I’m sleeping at 6AM I am implicitly thanking God for that mercy) even if everything else falls apart.
Obvious note, if you’re at Mass when the bells are slated to start ringing, it’s all the more imperative you confirm your Do Not Disturb is set.
I would never tell someone they need to pile on this devotion if they already have a robust prayer life that is working for them. But if you happen to be looking for a little something to jog your memory and make you pause and connect to God, and this kind of prayer happens to work well for you, here’s an option.
How’s it Going, Jen?
I’m experimenting with reorganizing this newsletter, and it is my firm belief that I’ve created three subsections to subscribe to:
You should be receiving this missive, first to be neatly filed in newly-created the Evangelization & Discipleship subfolder, if you were already subscribing to One Soul at a Time when we were single-topic.
In your subscription settings, you can also opt-in to either of the other two sections if they interest you.
How to do it: If you click the “Subscribe now” button below this paragraph, and it says “Subscribed”, click the button again and it should take you to your subscription settings, where you can choose which subcategories of One Soul at a Time you want to subscribe to:
[As always, all content at One Soul at a Time is free to read; combox is a thank-you perk for sponsors. If you want to comment and you’re a non-subscriber or free-subscriber, just grab me over at Notes, where I’m mostly just clicking the heart on pics of pets and spring flowers, but am happy to hear what you have to say.]
—> I’m not saying it’ll be zero personal updates here in Evangelization news, they have a way of trickling in, but How’s it Going will hit more chronic illness stuff, plus whatever’s on my mind that used to be in general blogging, back when I was a general blogger.
The Fiction subcategory is because one of the answers to How’s it Going? is that I’m back to edits on my novel draft, so that’s what’s on my mind lately. The other answer, and excuse for radio silence, is that I’ve been doing family stuff non-stop for a month-and-some, mostly good. Kindly pray for our youngest, recovering from mono.
Personally I’m holding together okay? Been dodging the three different mini-plagues running through the family, not super-energetic but getting things done thanks to my complicated relationship with caffeine, and we all know it’s been far, far worse, so no complaints.
Happy month of the Sacred Heart* and here’s some hydrangea-maxxing for confirmation life is good. God bless.
*Every month is Sacred Heart month if you’re doing it right. But June can be extra-Sacred hearty-Heart month.