Urban Missionaries

Urban Missionaries We are Catholics who bring the presence of Jesus to the streets.

I was talking with one of our new volunteers yesterday and we emphatically agreed that life is SO much better if you liv...
08/31/2026

I was talking with one of our new volunteers yesterday and we emphatically agreed that life is SO much better if you live as a Christian. We would never want to return to our old pre-Christian ways for we would leave joy and peace behind. This was brought home again later in the walk when I spoke with a retired lawyer specializing in bio-ethics. I had been having an animated faith conversation with a different volunteer (Gabrielle) while we were waiting in line for the restroom at Whole Foods. After she entered the restroom, I turned to the people behind me in line and apologized that they had to listen to our conversation. Why? Because to non-believers, we sounded like loons: talk of demons and our supernatural encounters with God that led us to our deep commitment to Christ.

The old lawyer shrugged and was polite in a grudging way, and said he had no faith. Then he shared a little bit about himself, which I think was a moment of grace for both of us. What struck me about him was the extreme weariness in his face. He had none of the "man fully alive" which St. Irenaeus wrote of. His eyes were dead, and they have haunted me with compassion. A friend once told me about French Trappist monks that he stayed with every year. They went about the monastery like gleeful children who had some great secret. That is the fruit of life in God. In a paradoxical way, the holier one gets, the more childlike they become (albeit with a profound inner strength), and that child-like light shines in one's face.

The area where we walked, the Hollywood District, is profoundly secular and "progressive". We received some looks that conveyed that some of the locals wished we weren't there. We must be patient with them and pray for them, because we have been entrusted with a great secret, one we didn't earn or deserve. May God have mercy and share His light and love with everyone.

I always relish meeting random Christians while out running errands, especially when I'm on Urban Missionaries business....
08/27/2026

I always relish meeting random Christians while out running errands, especially when I'm on Urban Missionaries business. The fellow who helped me print out our prayer cards is a devout Christian, and he has helped me twice before. I was grateful when I saw he still worked at the store, because he is very good at what he does. He also gave me a 40% off coupon, thus saving our tiny non-profit $300! God bless him. Our prayer cards are in high demand: I'll give a stack to Sr. Margaret who runs Catholics in Recovery, and a stack to the local 40 Days for Life folks. Sometimes the cards prompt a real spiritual awakening in those who read them. Come Lord Jesus!

On a recent walk we came across a woman named Megan. She was in her 60s, raggedy, and pushing a cart around, all alone. ...
08/24/2026

On a recent walk we came across a woman named Megan. She was in her 60s, raggedy, and pushing a cart around, all alone. We asked if she wanted some food and she became very emotional at the outpouring of love. She got teary eyed and we asked if she wanted a hug. She started to cry a bit more and said she was too dirty and smelly for anyone to touch her. We told her it's ok, we still want to give her a hug. We've found many times the homeless want loving physical touch more than food, because in their condition they feel like nobody would ever want to touch them. Megan eventually was comfortable getting a hug, and as one of the missionaries was giving her a hug he shared how he realized at that moment how often we think we are too sinful and disgusting for God to ever want to love us. But the hug on Megan came so easily and without hesitation and saw past her condition, so imagine how eager God is to give us a hug and love us despite our condition.

Some industrious Catholics from Atlanta have been making cord rosaries that we hand out to our grateful friends on the s...
08/15/2026

Some industrious Catholics from Atlanta have been making cord rosaries that we hand out to our grateful friends on the streets. They come in all colors, and in a little bag with a card describing how to pray the Rosary. They have made hundreds and hundreds over the past months. May they be blessed on this Feast of the Assumption, and may Mary wrap her mantle around all of God's children.

Today I was delighted to be reunited with a dear friend from the streets. We've probably known each other for seven years. She's got four kids back at home who miss their mom. It's never too late to start again. Please, please pray for K. Pray for her complete physical and spiritual healing (she has periodically worked as a pr******te over the years), and for her children. God can fully restore anyone, and His will is "to make all things new" (Rev. 20).

For part of my birthday I chose to deliver food and cold drinks to my homeless friends. I shared with them that it was ...
08/09/2026

For part of my birthday I chose to deliver food and cold drinks to my homeless friends. I shared with them that it was my birthday because I wanted them to know that I chose to be with them on that day because I carry them in my heart. One young man I met was wearing an old wood rosary that we doubtless gave him long ago. He showed it off proudly, and said that he has worn it for four years. When the crucifix broke off, he found a larger metal cross, and affixed it. If I carry him in my heart, how much more do Jesus and His Mother?

Some people don't think we should give away rosaries or that people shouldn't wear them (even though saints like Ignatius of Loyola and Louis de Montfort wore rosaries around their neck). But our friends on the streets wear them like a life preserver, which indeed they are, and so much more. Yesterday a woman was disappointed that I forgot to bring any rosaries to hand out. Last week, a dear friend who left the streets years ago sent a message about her apartment, her gratitude, and the fact that she still has the rosary we gave her many years back. Glory be to God! God is so much better than we know, always looking for an opportunity to embrace His children.

While purchasing supplies for our upcoming walk, I had a providential encounter with the cashier. At first glance she s...
08/02/2026

While purchasing supplies for our upcoming walk, I had a providential encounter with the cashier. At first glance she seemed like a fierce Latina with a poker face, which is the perfect attitude to work a little store on rough-and-tumble SE 82nd. She had a small black cross tattooed on her cheek, the kind you get in prison or growing up in tough neighborhoods. Across her chest was an ornate tattoo reminding herself: "You Are Beautiful." Which she obviously was, thus indicating that she came from a rough background where she experienced things to doubt that. Finally, she wore a gold necklace like the one pictured below, which strikingly resembled the image on the front of the Urban Missionaries t-shirt I was wearing. So I naturally pointed this out, and her demeanor instantly changed, as though she had really needed to talk to a fellow Christian.

It turns out she had just moved up from California for a much-needed fresh start, and was still living out of her car until she could save up some money and find housing. Her necklace was very precious to her, and she told me she had it engraved with the words, "Be Still", after Psalm 46 ("Be still and know that I am God."). She knew I was buying supplies for our addict friends on the streets, and in a cautious but determined way, said "Bless you." She really meant it, and I could tell she rarely said such things so I took it as a real blessing on our work.

But meeting her was already a blessing, even if she had held back those words. For I needed to hear the words engraved on her necklace, "Be Still." I have been enduring some painful neurological issues after my leukemia treatment, where my mind sometimes revolts at sensory stimulus, and I have to go hide away from bright lights and any kind of noise. It only happens a few times a month, but it is very painful and disorienting. In those times I've begun to discover that the cure is to enter into the presence of God, to "Be Still" and hide in His bosom. My experience with the cashier felt like a divine confirmation of this new strategy. May God bless her, and please say a prayer that her new life blossoms and that she becomes fully alive in Christ.

The local grocery store has a sale tailor-made for us! It's a work of mercy to give drink to the thirsty, especially in...
07/24/2026

The local grocery store has a sale tailor-made for us! It's a work of mercy to give drink to the thirsty, especially in hot weather. Many times over the years we have seen our street friends be revitalized right in front of our eyes just by drinking a cold Gatorade. Sadly, they are typically very dehydrated, and sometimes just go p*e once a day. If you'd like to help our mission, spreading Pop Tarts and the love of God, donations are very welcome!

After a dip in my leukemia recovery, I've returned to the streets the last month distributing food, drinks and love to t...
07/20/2026

After a dip in my leukemia recovery, I've returned to the streets the last month distributing food, drinks and love to the folks living along SE Foster Road. I'm still low on stamina, so I drive tent-to-tent, and I am still unable to do the three-hour Sunday group walks. Yesterday I was blessed to rendezvous with our group walking from All Saints parish. The sheer number of on-fire Catholics who do this apostolate is amazing. It has continuously grown since I have been absent (beginning in December 2024). It was such a joy to talk to them after being isolated at home for so long. Since my diagnosis, most of my conversations have been with nurses, doctors and my wife and kids. I've spent more time with my own pets and wild animals (owls, hawks, baby salmon, deer, coyotes, chipmunks, etc) in the nearby forests than with humans!

A long-term recovery (whether from cancer or drug abuse) doesn't just involve the physical healing of the body. A person's mind and soul also needs to be healed and set along the proper path. You have to learn how to be present to people again, after spending so long in a state of desperation or feeling comatose. Just as I have felt like a ghost in my own house for many months, I suspect the addicts on the streets often feel like ghosts or fractions of themselves as they try to make do, day-by-day. I know we will only fully be ourselves in Heaven, but I am slowly being restored, becoming the person I once was, enlivened by the Holy Spirit. Glory be to God!

Congratulations to Fr. John Paul Puschautz OP, who was just ordained at old St. Dominic's in San Francisco. He is an am...
06/30/2026

Congratulations to Fr. John Paul Puschautz OP, who was just ordained at old St. Dominic's in San Francisco. He is an amazing, humble man who burns with love for Jesus and everyone he meets. He has the beautiful gift of being able to relate to anyone and draw them closer to Christ. We enjoyed his presence on our Urban Missionaries' walks some years back. We pray he gets stationed back up in Portland!

With the season of Pentecost in full swing, the missionaries gathered at All Saints Parish on Sunday to pray at the prom...
06/03/2026

With the season of Pentecost in full swing, the missionaries gathered at All Saints Parish on Sunday to pray at the prominent golden statue of St Joan of Arc at a busy roundabout in NE Portland. St Joan's feast day was May 30th, so we asked for her intercession for everyone who is struggling in this city. We also prayed for the Archbishop's intentions for spiritual renewal in the Portland diocese, uniting our efforts with his. It was a warm day so many of the homeless we met were grateful to receive a few cold drinks, along with homemade pulled pork sandwiches, and Rosaries and prayers. We've found that when we have a dedicated group praying all 15-20 Mysteries of the Rosary, many graces avail themselves to us and those we encounter with the love of Jesus.

The Mysteries of the Rosary are seen even in our own lives, as St Luke recounts a situation he witnessed decades after Pentecost:

"On Saturday evening we gathered together for the fellowship meal. Paul spoke to the people until midnight, since he was going to leave the next day. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window, and got sleepier until he finally went sound asleep and fell from the third story to the ground. When they picked him up, he was dead. But Paul went down and threw himself on him and hugged him. “Don't worry,” he said, “he is still alive!” Then he went back upstairs, broke bread, and ate. After talking with them for a long time, even until sunrise, Paul left. They took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted." (Acts 20:7-12)

Catholic mystics note that in this story St Paul gathered for a Saturday Vigil Mass to preach the Gospel, then it says a young disciple "fell asleep" and descended for "three" levels and pronounced dead, but miraculously was resurrected, and this was commemorated on Sunday morning with the Sacrifice of the Mass in the breaking of bread. They say this mirrors the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus, especially as revealed in the Sacred Liturgy.

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