Before and after RAGBRAI riders enjoyed the delicious meal provided for them in the parish center, several of them stopped to take a look at and pray in our church and a couple even sought Father Pisut so that they could go to confession. Some of those who stopped by were practicing Catholics, some were not, and some belonged to other churches.
Those who said that they were Catholic were offered the Sacred Heart holy cards and Sacred Heart badges that we provide on one of the tables in the vestibule.
One of these visitors said that she used to be Catholic…paused and looked around…and then said, “Well…I guess I still am!” She found the story of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and the Sacred Heart especially moving. Jesus told St. Margaret Mary that His Heart was so on fire with the love said, many give only ingratitude and rejection, and even co
ntempt. Jesus for us that He even gave His life on the cross. In return for that love, He wanted St. Margaret Mary to tell people that Jesus in His great mercy longs for us to come back to Him and to love Him. He longs to forgive our sins and to be part of our lives. When our visitor heard this story, she began to cry. She asked for a holy card for herself and one for her mother, and then she walked over to the votive candles by St. Anthony’s statue and lit one and prayed.One of the non-Catholics who came in was from a large non-denominational church in Tennessee. He said his people had always respected the Catholic Church for its leadership in the pro-life causes, but they were now wondering if Notre Dame’s decision to honor Barak Obama meant the Church was changing its position on life issues. He was reassured to hear that 80 some Bishops and thousands of Catholics had protested that event and that the Church was still firmly pro-life.
Two women from China also came in. One is currently living in DesMoines, and the other, her sister, is not able to speak any English but had come to visit her from China. When asked if they’d like and explanation of some of the things in the church, they eagerly agreed. They knew almost nothing about the Bible, but one recognized the name of Jesus (“Jeshua?” she said.) They both suddenly brightened when they heard “Adam and Eve,” names they also recognized. We talked about the statue of the Blessed Mother on the left front altar and noticed that Mary was standing on a serpent with an apple in his mouth. Then we discussed how Satan and “the woman” and between her seed and his. God said that though Satan would bruise her offspring’s heel, her offspring would crush his head. They learned that Jesus (Jeshua) was t
he fulfillment of that promise. The sister who spoke only Chinese was drawn to the depiction of the Last Supper on the front of the main altar, saying that she had heard that mentioned somewhere, and so we discussed what happened at the Last Supper and how it was then that Jesus first changed bread and wine into His Sacred Body and Blood. The red sanctuary light above the altar indicates that in the tabernacle He is with us always under the appearance of bread. Hearing this, they looked at each other in amazement, wondering how we could believe God would be there in that special 
way. They wanted, too, to hear about the Stations of the Cross and the “stained glass” windows. Although these two women probably left with many more questions, they did have and opportunity to be introduced to the Bible, to Our Savior Jesus Christ, and to the Catholic Church. Who knows what the Holy Spirit might do with the seed planted here?!Perhaps we parishioners might remember—when we pray for our pastor and our fellow parishioners—to include the many visitors who chose to visit our little church the day when RAGBRAI came to Chariton.
