Following the Call to Mission Overseas by Mary Oldham Maryknoll Lay Missioner

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Where does mission begin? Perhaps Here’s what the Catechism of the in a memory, a word, a whisper, or an Catholic Church (CCC) says about the internal presence that draws you out of Church’s missionary nature and lay yourself. The idea for me to follow the people’s participation in the life and call to mission started long ago with mission of the Church: volunteering. At first, it was an hour or It is from God’s love for all men that so a week scheduled into my busy life. the Church in every age receives both Yet the Holy Spirit does not stop the obligation and the vigor of her speaking, and over time, through ideas missionary dynamism, “for the love of that resonated deep within, Christ urges us on.” Indeed, God conversations with others, and prayer, I “desires all men to be saved and to realized I was ready to devote myself to come to the knowledge of the truth”; following the call to mission. In 2009, I that is, God wills the salvation of joined Maryknoll Lay Missioners and everyone through the knowledge was sent to Kenya to serve our brothers of the truth. Salvation is found in the and sisters in impoverished truth. Those who obey the prompting of communities. the Spirit of truth are already on the If I were to analyze my decision to way of salvation. But the Church, to follow God’s call to mission, I know I whom this truth has been could point to different aspects of my entrusted, must go out to meet their own formation that guided me. Besides desire, so as to bring them the truth. knowing about my faith, learning to live Because she believes in God’s universal a moral life as Jesus’ follower, and plan of salvation, the Church must be praying and participating in the missionary. (CCC, 2nd. ed. [Washington, sacramental life of the Church, I also felt DC: Libreria Editrice Vaticana–United Jesus’ call to become more connected to States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the life and mission of the Church. This 2000], no. 851) call enabled me to reach out to others— Lay believers are in the front line of especially the poor—and be a witness Church life; for them the Church is the to Christ’s Good News by word and animating principle of human society. example. Therefore, they in particular ought to have an ever-clearer consciousness not

only of belonging to the Church, but of teach us about faith, hope, love, being the Church, that is to say, the prudence, justice, fortitude, and community of the faithful on earth temperance as they face and overcome under the leadership of the Pope, the the everyday obstacles they face. common Head, and of the bishops in My work is in the slums surrounding communion with him. They are the Mombasa. The living conditions for the Church. (no. 899) families I serve are very difficult. Only While the baptized are called to with great perseverance can some serve the mission of the Church manage to succeed in the face of anywhere they find themselves, some overwhelming circumstances. Three are called to embrace the Church’s years ago, the project I coordinate mission by serving as missionaries in assisted a young woman whose foreign lands. widowed mother could no longer pay My journey into mission had two her high school fees. She graduated at defining moments. First was the the top of her district and has just moment I read a blog entry about started her first year as a university seeing the face of Christ in orphaned student. She is the hope of her family. children on the other side of the world. With two brothers too sick to work and The Holy Spirit was giving me courage an orphaned nephew who is HIV- to alter the direction of my life. The positive, she will have a heavy burden Holy Spirit was leading me to imitate to carry. But with her education and a Jesus’ call for his followers to “love one good job, their future will be brighter. I another. As I have loved you, so you am so proud to be part of her journey. also should love one another” (Jn 13:34). Pius is another young man who has I knew that this was something I taught me about joy and perseverance. wanted to experience. He is a sixteen-year-old who has never After arriving in Kenya, I struggled been to school. He has limited muscle to know to which ministry I was being movement and speech that is difficult to called. During a visit to an AIDS clinic, I decipher, but his spirit shines through. realized I wanted to work with people Next year he will start first grade. I was who are affected by AIDS. It is a disease a link in a chain of connections that wrought with stigma and fear, a helped him get his first wheelchair. On modern-day leprosy. Here was a the way, we walked through a muddy concrete way that I could show a special cow lot, crossed an open ravine on concern for the poor and the alienated. I shaky planks, and drove around crater- now work with children who have been sized potholes. But his joy at being able orphaned by AIDS or who live in a to move himself around was beyond single-parent family with an HIV- words. We sang all the way home. positive guardian. We strive to help Mission is not just about giving and them find hope for the future through receiving blessings, it is also about education or vocational training. In the conversion. This conversion is process, we witness to God’s love for sometimes in those I serve and them, who are made in the image and sometimes my own. I have been likeness of God (see Gn 1:26-27) no reminded so many times of the common matter what their circumstances in life Swahili saying Mungo yupo (God is might be. Quite often, those we serve here). My experiences of mission call

me to be more open to God’s presence youth with a professional counselor; around me. As I visit people in their listening to the struggles of a simple homes made of mud or broken grandmother as she cares for the bricks and covered with grass thatching, children of her departed children; iron sheets, or plastic tarps, I am learning, accompanying, making humbled to be welcomed into their lives mistakes, and then trying again. and to be reminded Mungo yupo. God is As Catholics, our common Baptism here. calls us to embrace the Church’s In offering myself—all of who I am— mission whether that journey takes us to serve the poor as a Maryknoll lay home or overseas. It is both a joy and a missioner, I have found joy, and I have struggle to seek to share what we have struggled. Often I have more questions been given—faith, hope, and love—and than solutions. But our faith reminds us to remind others Mungo yupo. God is to be hopeful, to believe that with God here. This journey has led me not only all things are possible. We encounter around the world, but also deeper many challenges and many unknowns, within myself and deeper within the life but also many moments of grace: and mission of the Church. I am grateful teaching a young girl to multiply; for all that I have received. May our encouraging students to believe in faith continue to lead us all into mission. themselves; admiring a student’s new Welcome to the journey. skill in sewing; connecting a troubled

Scripture texts used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, copyright © 1991, 1986, and 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC 20017 and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition, copyright © 2000, Librería Editrice Vaticana—United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. Used with permission. All rights reserved.