Most Blessed Sacrament Parish ministers to the Oshkosh community at Saturday booth, offering prayer and support
Story and photography by Michael Cooney | For On Mission
OSHKOSH, WI — Late one summer morning at the Oshkosh Saturday Farmers Market, a young nurse stopped by a booth run by Most Blessed Sacrament Parish. She was commuting long hours for work, struggling to find housing for her children, and carrying the weight of exhaustion.
Deacon Rick Hocking prayed with her. He also helped her locate an apartment, and parishioners furnished the family’s home. At Christmas, the parish giving tree provided gifts for the children and their mother.
“That was an awakening moment,” said Evan Brankin, director of evangelization and discipleship at the parish. “You wonder if you’re making a difference — and then you realize you may have changed someone’s life.”
Stories like this have shaped the parish’s ongoing outreach at the Farmers Market, which attracts as many as 10,000 visitors on a Saturday morning.
The effort began four years ago with Deacon Hocking’s simple idea: stand downtown with a sign offering prayer. Volunteers brought water for dogs and chalkboards with questions like, “What’s your favorite memory of your dad?” Some passersby stopped, while others looked away.
“It wasn’t adversarial,” Brankin said. “But people didn’t always engage, and when they did, it stayed pretty superficial.”
By the following summer, the parish secured a booth. At first, volunteers handed out rosaries, prayer cards and medals. Reactions were mixed. “People wondered, ‘Who are these folks with a table full of free stuff? Are they expecting money?’” Brankin said.
The encounter with the young nurse changed that perception — both for the parish team and for those they served.
Since then, the booth has become more interactive and family friendly. Children decorate flowerpots and plant seeds while learning the parable of the sower. Families knead bread dough in plastic bags as they hear about the kingdom of God being like yeast. Kids fish for prizes while reflecting on Jesus’ call to be fishers of men.
The goal, Brankin said, is to connect everyday activities with the Gospel in a way that lasts. “We want them to experience the story in a real, hands-on way.”
Not every idea has worked — the annual Father’s Day dad-joke contest rarely draws attention. But some projects, such as the seed-planting activity, have been overwhelmingly popular. Nearly all 60 kits were gone before noon.
“Those kids took home soil, seeds and Scripture,” Brankin said. “And they’ll watch them grow.”
This summer, the booth added another initiative: hygiene bags for people experiencing homelessness. Visitors filled drawstring bags with deodorant, soap, flip-flops and bottled water. Parishioners encouraged people to take a bag home and share it with someone in need.
“The response was overwhelming,” said Laurie Pollack, coordinator of pastoral outreach. “Even some homeless people came through the market and asked if they could make a bag for themselves. Of course, we said yes.”
Volunteers also suggested including restaurant gift cards. Nearly every bag was gone by mid-morning last year, and organizers expect the same this season.
Josh Rowland, a parish member and longtime volunteer at the booth, said he keeps coming back because the work is simple but meaningful.
“I’m out spreading the word, and I’m out helping because I found that this is one of those (places where) I can give back easily,” Rowland said. “It’s enjoyable, and it’s really fun meeting all the different people at the market.”
Rowland has been volunteering at the booth for a few years. One story has stayed with him.
“I had a gentleman come in on a run,” Rowland said. “He stopped at our table and said, ‘Please pray for my daughter,’ just out of the blue. And we did, and he disappeared. I can only hope and pray personally that everything we did for him paid off.”
Not every moment has been serious. Rowland laughed, recalling a family dressed in all black — hair, makeup and clothes — who turned out to be some of the most cheerful visitors.
“They were the nicest, kindest, most laugh-inducing people I’ve ever met,” he said. Asked if he enjoys the ministry, Rowland didn’t hesitate. “Every weekend I come in, it’s a blast.”
The booth runs in two shifts, with teams setting up before dawn and closing down by early afternoon. While the time commitment is modest, the encounters can be intense.
Volunteers often find themselves asked to pray on the spot. “That can be intimidating,” one team member said. “We had people come back at the end of last season asking for more formation on how to pray with others.”
The parish is responding with training and resources. “When someone trusts you enough to ask for prayer, it’s moving,” Pollack said. “We want to be ready.”
Asked what advice he’d give other parishes, Brankin didn’t hesitate: start with prayer.
“Maybe your parish isn’t called to be at a farmers market,” he said. “Maybe it’s door-to-door. Maybe it’s something in your own neighborhood. Ask the Holy Spirit where you’re needed.”
He acknowledged that outreach can feel daunting. “Practice and preparation help. Just like a team prepares for a championship game, you can prepare for evangelization.”
The parish points to diocesan resources, Franciscan at Home, and national groups such as St. Paul Street Evangelization for practical training.
At the heart of the market booth is a desire to build trust and relationships. Some visitors stop for a quick smile or a child’s game. Others share burdens and find support that can change the course of their lives.
“It’s worth doing,” Brankin said. “We love being here. Every Saturday, we see the Holy Spirit at work.”