In the Diocese of Columbus, the annual Missionary Cooperation Plan (MCP) will soon provide missionaries to speak at parishes from May to September. These missionaries come from across the world, especially Africa and Asia. 

On behalf of Bishop Earl K. Fernandes, I thank you in advance for your financial support for the missions. They provide a cross-cultural exchange of faith and the universality of the missionary spirit.

 Missionaries bring the message and love of Jesus to people everywhere. Faithfulness to Christ and being in communion with the Church are essential elements in missionaries’ lives. 

A missionary has been called to go out to the world with an open heart to encounter different people, cultures and languages for the purpose of being a servant of God. Jesus commanded his disciples: “Go into the whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) 

When missionaries are welcomed and loved by the people they serve, they become part of the culture and are no longer seen as foreigners. St. Teresa of Calcutta was a great missionary and evangelist of the 20th century. Her powerful and genuine words, “I see the face of Jesus in the poor, and I do it for Him,” echo her deep love for God and those she served. 

Her legacy is carried on by thousands of missionaries who serve the poor unconditionally by being the hands and feet of Jesus, especially in rural areas.  

How many opportunities have you missed to be a witness for Christ? 

One of the prime responsibilities of parents is to pass on their faith to their children. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Through the grace of the sacrament of marriage, parents receive the responsibility and privilege of evangelizing their children. Parents should initiate their children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith, of which they are the ‘first heralds’ for their children. They should associate them from their tenderest years with the life of the Church.” (CCC 2225) 

Let us encounter Christ with love and trust in His mercy, even if we fall. We can be a people of hope, empowered by the Holy Spirit as we pursue the Church’s mission to all nations. 

Through my current ministry, I am privileged to get to know hundreds of missionaries throughout the world and the needs of their missions. They reach out to me through letters, phone calls and personal meetings.

 Many kind-hearted brothers and sisters as well as pastors and parishioners support us through Mass stipends, the purchase of religious/liturgical items and parish collections to meet the needs of the missionaries. Such sharing with love and compassion becomes a blessing for the giver and the receiver.  

This year, 25 mission representatives are coming to our parishes for this purpose. They mostly are religious men/women, diocesan priests and a few from lay organizations. According to an old saying, “You can count the seeds in an apple, but you can’t count how many apples are in a seed.” Missionary efforts have tremendous positive effects on people’s lives. 

We, the baptized members of the Church, must personally encounter the Lord each day to receive counsel for our life journey. This helps us to identify Jesus in everyone we contact and to share our love with them. 

When we are personally engaged and open to God’s spirit in bringing the Gospel to our home, workplace or community, we are missionaries of Jesus Christ. Let us spread the light of Christ as our pope exhorts: “May Mary, who kept the light of her Son in her heart even in the darkness of Calvary, accompany us always on the way of love.” (Pope Francis, Angelus, March 5, 2023) 

The MCP gives parishioners an opportunity to learn about missions at home and abroad as well as the chance to assist mission organizations financially as they spread the Gospel. 

Let us joyfully welcome the missionaries who bring hope and compassion to the poor and needy through their hearts and hands. God’s love is unfailing, unconditional and unending, and it is eternal!

St. Mary, Queen of the Missions, pray for us! 

Sister Zephrina Mary, FIH, is director of the diocesan Office of Missions