Chance encounter leads to renewal 

By Jim Dessicino

In November 2020, I pulled up to the Wawa gasoline pump and asked the attendant to fill my tank. Before I could say anything, he said, “You look like you need a prayer. Can I pray for you?” 

He couldn’t have known, but my grandfather was dying that day. Pulling out a book, he asked for my intention. I told him about my grandfather, Joe, and how much he meant to our family. The attendant wrote my grandfather’s name and my intention down in his prayer book. I was taken aback by this act, shocked that anyone would care enough to pray sincerely for a stranger. I had recently come back to the faith after 20 years away, and I was still skeptical of evangelists.

I leaned into the faithfulness of my grandfather. I found comfort in attending Mass with him every Sunday; it became our tradition. We were the only actively practicing Catholics in the family, and on this day, I was about to become the only one. My face must have exhibited my desperation. This stranger’s kindness brought me to tears. I asked his name and promised to pray for him as well. This seemingly chance encounter reaffirmed my faith in God.  

Months later, the same man showed up at my door, this time as a pizza delivery driver. I was elated to see him again. I told him how much his offering of prayer meant to me. His prayer had helped grow the faith in my family, too: In 2021, my mother came back to the Church after 50 years away. 

This time, standing at my door, he had a prayer intention for me: His wife had fallen ill and he had a family to support, which was why he was now working multiple jobs. Even though he was facing incredible hardship, he exhibited the joy of Christ in his being. We continued to pray for each other. His wife is doing better now.

Four years later, we still see each other, either at one of his jobs or at the Parish of Saint Monica, where I now work. We offer each other encouragement and prayer. His example of being unashamed to preach the Gospel to strangers helped me to become brave enough to share Christ with others, which ultimately brought me to work for the Church. It is a reminder that God can be found in the most ordinary of places – even at Wawa.

Jim Dessicino is parish catechetical leader at the Parish of Saint Monica, Atlantic City.