Parish Fish Fry 50/50 raffle Win Paves the Way for Divine Mercy Billboard

On Ash Wednesday Laverne Johnson was tired from working the Lenten fish fry at Our Lady of Lourdes in Burgettstown but lingered for the 50-50 raffle.

“I’m going to win it,” she told her co-workers, who laughed at her confidence.

They laughed harder when her ticket was pulled for $155.

Johnson was sure that Jesus wanted her to use the winnings to do something special for him. As she prayed about it, she remembered an evangelizing billboard that the Knights of Columbus had put up years earlier.

A call to a sign company revealed that it cost $1,000 to make a sign, install it and leave it up for one month. She wrangled it down to $900, but that was a long way from $155.

She did not lose faith. Today, the Divine Mercy image of Jesus is impossible to miss on a drive through Burgettstown. It’s across from the supermarket, an essential stop on COVID-19 shopping runs.

The lockdown was unimaginable when Johnson told her weekly prayer group about her vision for the billboard. Everyone dug into their wallet. She left with what she needed for a display of one month.

 Soon the sign was up, with the radiant image of Christ and the simple message, “Jesus, I trust in you.”

“After that, it just ricocheted. I didn’t have to ask. People were calling me and handing me money. I probably would have got more if we still had church,” Johnson said.

“With this coronavirus and having to stay in the house, if people just go out to the store, I think this gives them a little encouragement. That message of Jesus, ‘I trust in you,’ helps them with whatever they’re going through.”

Other than her prayer group, her only requests were to the local Knights of Columbus and the Christian Mothers, who each gave generously, she said. A former parishioner in the state of California sent $300. Most gifts have been $10 or $20. They’ve totaled enough to keep the billboard up until September.

Johnson is grateful, but not surprised.

“If you really put your trust in Jesus, things happen,” she said.