The Discomfort of the Cross

SHARING THE REAL PRESENCE

IN THIS NEWSLETTER

1. Update on the Mission

2. "The Discomfort of the Cross" By Griffin Rain

3. Upcoming Events

4. Recurring Evangelization

5. Holy Week Pilgrimages & Come and See

6. Missionary Support Fund

Update on the Mission

(Originally shared to our donors for 2025)

We have seen much growth in 2025 that we could not have done without your contribution. Over the course of last year, fifteen men have been able to live in community and participate in our life of prayer, evangelization and formation. Currently, we have ten members at the Street Disciple House. Because of this growth, we are now able to accompany the spiritual forgotten better than ever before.

As you well know, the harvest is truly abundant, but the laborers are few. However, thanks to your support, we have been able to gather many laborers together here in our house, each of which has a heart for the spiritually forgotten. For example, some have a heart for the poor, while others have a heart for those who experience addictions, and others have a heart for the elderly. And living in this house allows each of us to discern what Christ is calling us to as we pray and labor for the salvation of souls.

One of the men in the house described our community as a “spiritual halfway house.” He found that it was a place where he could live with other men in a gently structured environment and where he could be formed in Christ while actively discerning his vocation, instead of giving up on his vocation altogether.

The result of all this is that, over the course of his time in our house, he, as well as many others, has come to devote more of his life to the service of the Lord. Some of our men have even decided to give themselves generously by becoming full time missionaries. Though some are kept from committing completely to the mission due to previous financial obligations such as student loans, medical expenses, or car payments. For these cases, we are in the process of creating a missionary support fund so that stipends may be provided for them and they can spend all their time evangelizing. We will send you an update on this at a later time. But, for now, know that we are profoundly grateful for your past support, and we ask you to prayerfully consider supporting us again this year.

Because of your generosity, we are able to continue to directly and personally meet the spiritually forgotten and bring them to Jesus. Sometimes this is through direct evangelization on the streets. But it’s also on buses, in churches, in libraries, through bible studies, or the many other activities we organize. We are committed to doing more for the people we meet than merely having a short conversation with them. We are committed to meeting people where they are at, and building a bridge with them, between the streets and the Church, so that they may know the peace and fullness that can only be found in Christ.

Thank you for your continued prayers for us. Know that we pray daily for you. May Christ bless you this year!

The Discomfort of the Cross

By Griffin Rain

In our time spent evangelizing, we meet many Christians who believe in Jesus, but are not living for him. These can often be the most difficult people to reach. They have put their own comforts and interests above God and make Him one of the many things that they participate in equally. Jesus is just as important as the football game, and in fact, is interchangeable to it. If a game falls on a Sunday, Jesus can wait until next week. This can only go on so long before we give up on Jesus all together. We also meet many people who have done so. A common trend is this coexistence of Christ with many other things, so that eventually a person comes to see Christ as a roadblock to these other things they value. When Christ is just one of the options among many, and He asks you to deny yourself, He seems like a pretty bad option to the person who has put him alongside many other options. That person may say, “Who wants to do that? I want what I want.”

"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." ~ Matthew 16:25

We must look at our lives and what we value most. Is there anything we value as much as Christ or that is beginning to take his place? Lent is a period of time where we deny ourselves all sorts of things that have threatened to take the place of Christ. They may even be good things, but we must put Christ back at the center. Have you let anything take the place of Christ? Denying ourselves good things can help us to say yes in a more full way to Christ. When we live a penitential life, we deny lesser goods for the greater good, and the good things become that much better.

I notice that, at times, when we go out with the cross, some Christians who want a worldly Christianity will come up and challenge us by saying something like, “you don’t need to do that because Christ is no longer on the cross, or “that will make people uncomfortable." They will actively try to fight against the proclamation of the gospel because that means that they must change their lives. The truth is that the cross is uncomfortable, but the world needs a bit of discomfort in order to change paths.

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, 'Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.'” ~ Matthew 16:24

Christianity is not for us to be comfortable in our ways, but for our salvation Jesus’s way. What was His way? The Way of the Cross, as we so often pray with during Lent, contains many humiliations, as Jesus is condemned to death; carries His cross - too weak to carry the cross on His own; falls many times; is stripped of His garments; is nailed to the cross; and dies on the cross. Seems like a pretty rough way. Who would want to go this way? We know that His way does not end in death, but eternal life through the resurrection. His death is not in vain and neither will ours be if we are found in Him. Through all the trials, we make it through to the Promised Land.

In Luke’s Gospel we see the two different perspectives of the cross at play between the two thieves. When we are going through the cross, do we revile Christ and ask him to take us down from the cross or do we love Christ and ask Him, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom." To the one who willingly remains with him through the cross, Jesus says, "today you will be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43).

UPCOMING EVENTS

Lunch in the Park - We will be serving food at King Park (1531 W Vliet St, Milwaukee, WI 53205) on Saturday, March 14th, March 21st & April 25th from 10:40am to 1:00pm. Volunteers are needed on two teams - Kitchen team and Evangelization team. Please contact us if you can make it at (414) 235-7307. We begin with Daytime Prayer at the Street Disciple House at 10:40am & loading cars, and we will leave the house around 11am for King Park. Sign up using the form at the bottom of this link.

12 Hours of Reconciliation Evangelization - On Wednesday, March 25th, area priests will be available for the Sacrament of Reconciliation at 11 parishes throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. We will be out on the street corner in front of the Basilica of St. Josaphat all day evangelizing and encouraging people to go inside for confession. This is the heaviest foot trafficked location of all of the churches they have chosen, so we will be there! Hours are 9am to 9pm. Come for any time of the day you are available.

Missionary Associates Dinner - The monthly Missionary Associates Dinner typically occurs on the 4th Sunday of the month, and is for everyone who volunteers with the Missionaries or is interested in volunteering/supporting our work. We hope that this continues building up the community around the Missionaries, getting to know others and energizing more people to begin working for the salvation of souls here in Milwaukee!

This occurs at the St. Brigid Center (2133 W Wisconsin Ave) (formerly the Irish Cultural Heritage Center). Join us for the Missionary Associates Dinner on these upcoming dates:

• Sunday, March 22nd

• Sunday, April 26th

• Sunday, May 31st

The schedule for the night is as follows:

• 5pm: Sunday Mass

• After Mass: Short talk from Griffin with discussion

• ~6:45pm: Dinner and socializing

Please reach out if you would like to help with anything related to the Mass, hospitality, set up/takedown, or food prep. God bless you!

Here is a map of where to park and enter at the St. Brigid Center (*note that it is located directly behind the Street Disciple House) --

Men's Discipleship Night - Join us for the Men's Discipleship Night on Friday nights at the St. Brigid Center (2133 W Wisconsin Ave) (parking available at 2222 W Michigan St. - see map above). This event happens every Friday unless announced otherwise. It is an open house style, so come when you can. You do not need to be there for the entire night, but are invited for as much of the night as you would like. Feel free to invite friends!

See the schedule & speakers for upcoming nights here. The schedule is as follows:

• 5pm - Doors open

• 5:30-6:30pm - Dinner

• 6:30pm - Evening Prayer & silent prayer

• 7pm - Formation (see upcoming formation topics here)

• 8:15-10pm - Social/games/etc.

• 9:30pm - We will conclude with Night Prayer

Discernment Group - We are hosting a men's Discernment Group that meets every other week on Saturday evenings. We are currently reading Priestly Fatherhood: Treasure in Earthen Vessels by Fr. Jacques Philippe. If you would like to be part of this group, please contact Griffin at 414-235-7307.

Summer Mission - We have a new program for college students and others who will be off for the summer. Why spend your summer flipping patties for minimum wage when you could be turning souls toward God for heavenly wage? What to expect:

• Life in Community - You will live alongside fellow Catholic men, committing to a rhythm of shared life, recreation, and deep accountability.

• Developing Prayer Life - Pray together with housemates daily and receive formation in the spiritual life.

• Growth in Freedom - ​​True freedom comes not from doing what you want, but wanting what God wants. Receive formation in conquering the spiritual vices that hold you back and growing in the capacity to hear and obey God’s will.

• Direct Evangelization - Share the Catholic faith with those outside of the Church in direct apostolic work, both through street evangelization and other direct forms of evangelism.

For more information or to apply, visit streetdisciple.org/summer.

Text Updates - If you would like to be added to our text blasts about upcoming events, please text “start” to 414-667-6777 or fill out this form to indicate what you would like to receive texts about: https://wkf.ms/4r0SKEc

Holy Week Pilgrimages & Come and see

Holy Thursday Bike Pilgrimage & Bike Blessing

Join us for the yearly Holy Thursday Bike Pilgrimage & Bike Blessing! We will bike to 7 churches that remain open throughout the night on this holy night. We will have a short time of silent prayer at each location and will end with a late night meal at the St. Brigid Center (2133 W Wisconsin Ave). About 10-mile casual ride - no drop. This year, we will have several extra bike wheels, so in case of a flat we can do a quick swap of the wheel and can make any fixes at the stops to keep things moving, after there were 3 flats last year.

Begins after 7pm mass at Church of the Gesu (1145 W Wisconsin Ave).

Good Friday Way of the Cross Pilgrimage of Reparation

Join us for our yearly Good Friday Way of the Cross Pilgrimage of Reparation as we pray for the Church's renewal in our city. We will pray one station in front of 14 closed Catholic Churches and Institutions on Milwaukee’s Northside. We will be walking 9.6 miles with the cross. We will have a car following to provide support for fatigued pilgrims.

Begins after 12pm Liturgy of the Lord's Passion at Church of the Gesu (1145 W Wisconsin Ave). We expect the pilgrimage will go until 7pm. *For people who would like to join part way through, we will post a contact point person before the day of the event for coordination.

Holy Week Come & See

We are having a Come and See in the midst of Holy Week. Join us for the pilgrimages above and spend some time getting to know the Missionaries of the Real Presence. Contact us at 414-235-7307 if you are interested.

Recurring Evangelization

(Call or text 414-235-7307 to help, or sign up using the form at the bottom of this link)

Every Friday: Take Up Your Cross - Every Friday starting at 9am we will be taking the cross out to the streets to evangelize, starting at Gesu Church at 1145 W Wisconsin Ave. We will walk downtown, stop for lunch at the Open Door Cafe at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, and continue evangelizing until late afternoon, with some breaks for prayer. (If weather is poor, we will take the cross to the city busses and can get you a bus pass)

Bible Study - Join us for weekly Bible Studies for seekers. We currently run Bible Studies every week for those who are looking into the Christian faith. Where do you see many people who gather and want to study God's word? Maybe you could lead one. 

Current Weekly Bible Studies

• Tuesday 1:30 pm @ Repairers of the Breach

• Wednesday 2:00 pm @ Central Milwaukee Public Library

• Thursday 12:30 pm @ Cathedral of St John the Evangelist following Open Door Cafe

• Saturday 4:00 pm @ Matt Talbot Recovery Service

  
  

  

Missionary Support Fund

(click here for more information)

More men could be full-time missionaries with your help!

We have a number of men who live in our house that desire to serve as full time missionaries, but have monthly expenses that keep them from being fully committed missionaries.

There are missionaries who are working jobs while living in the house and participating in missionary work as able, but could be more fully dedicated to serving as a missionary with your support. There are others too who could work full time in the Lord's harvest. 

With your donations to this fund, men could become full time missionaries working in the great harvest of souls. 

The Harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. Please help those who desire to labor in the Lord's harvest but are unable to because of debt and other ongoing expenses.

To make this work for them and potential other missionaries we would like to fundraise at least $5000 /month of recurring donations. This will be dispersed to men in the discipleship house to have a monthly stipend that allows them pay back their debts and other expenses that they would otherwise need to work a secular job to pay back. Your donation would go to help men who desire to commit their lives to mission but need to be financially stable to do so. The donations in this fund are dispersed to missionaries who meet our qualifications for the Missionary Support Fund as stated below.  They may receive a stipend that allows them to cover the cost of their living expenses and any other financial obligations they came into the mission with such as Student Loans, Medical Bills and other debts.

All donations are tax deductible if made to Missionaries of the Real Presence. You may express a preference for the support of a missionary but the non profit maintains full administrative control over all funds to ensure they are used for the fulfillment of our mission. If you would like to make a gift specifically to a missionary, it will not be tax deductible and you should contact them individually.

The best way to donate is by setting up a recurring or one time donation through the online form below or you may send checks with Memo: Missionary Support

If you would like to discuss more before making a donation, fill out our form here.

Join A GROUP CHAT

Want to get involved in the work of evangelization? Join one of our GroupMe chats for evangelization and formation groups.

• Marquette Catholic Evangelization group chat - Click Here

• Milwaukee Catholic Street Evangelization group chat - Click Here

• Men's Discipleship Night group chat - Click Here

• Men's Vocation Discernment Group - Click Here

about the missionaries of the real presence

The Missionaries of the Real Presence aims to assist in the apostolic renewal of the Church by intentionally discipling men living in community and encouraging missionary vocations in the Church. We participate in Christ’s evangelizing work for the salvation of souls, especially seeking out those who have been spiritually neglected. We introduce people to Jesus through intentional conversation, preaching, teaching, and prayer. We engage in direct evangelization in the public forum on city streets, public transit, and in homes, and share the good news of Christ with those we meet. All of this flows from a life of prayer and union with Jesus as our source.

Support the Mission, Join the mission

Please keep us in your prayers!

If you appreciate the work we are doing, consider supporting our mission financially here. 

Volunteer with us in direct evangelization by clicking here.

If reading about some of our stories inspires you, come and see what life as a Missionary is like and visit us for a day or longer for prayer and ministry as you discern here. 

If you want to learn how we evangelize, consider watching videos on our YouTube Channel, Missionaries of the Real Presence.

Check out our Facebook or Instagram.

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