Mission Immersion Day prepares students to be missionaries
By Casey Normile
Staff Writer
Thursday, February 25th, 2010
Soon-to-be
missionaries for Missions of Peace gathered on Saturday for Mission
Immersion Day to prepare for their various spring break and summer
missions and come together in prayer for the poor they will be
privileged to meet.
The day began with 8 a.m. Mass in Christ the King Chapel, which was followed by breakfast for the teams in the Atrium of the J.C. so teams could greet, gather and commiserate on the early start to their Saturday.
At 9:30 a.m. the students filtered into the Gallery where the theme of the day, “Let us refuse him nothing,” was introduced by the student head of Missions of Peace, senior John Paul Shoup. The quote comes from the writings of St. Therese of Lisieux, the patron saint of missions, Shoup said.
Shoup explained the theme, saying that out of love Christ refused man nothing and so too should man hold nothing back from God for, as St. Therese said, “He does so want our love.”
“We’re not here because we love Christ but because he first loved us,” said Shoup.
He then introduced the first speaker of the morning, Andrea Brown, an alumna of the university. Brown, who now works for the Family Missions Company, started mission work her senior year at Franciscan University of Steubenville by going on the Mission of Peace to Mexico.
Brown said that instead of entering into her work with a humble heart, her attitude going into the mission was that she would be the best missionary. However, during her nine days on mission she realized that her call was to simply live the Gospel, Brown said.
“I just did what he told me to do, to go out, carry nothing with me, and preach the good news,” said Brown, referencing Luke 9.
She went on to emphasize that the students will come to realize just how blessed the poor they serve truly are; not because they will eventually receive in heaven what they lacked on earth, but because they “are utterly dependent on the Lord for everything.”
The next speaker from Family Missions Company was John Paul Summers, who has served all over the world, including South America, Central America, Asia and India.
Summers spoke passionately about the missionary life as not simply a sect of Christianity, but Christianity itself.
“You cannot call yourself a Christian unless you serve others,” he told the audience.
He explained that mission work is a necessity for those of the world who are starving for the Gospel and is the duty of all Christians for all of their lives.
“We don’t say ‘Christ, this is a week of my time and I give this to you … That’s baloney,” Summers stated boldly.
The next speaker for the morning was the Rev. Rick Martignetti, O.F.M.
Father Rick spoke about St. Francis as a role model for missionaries. Father Rick said that the saint understood the poor as his teachers, and that one should not go out on mission with a feeling of pity but of privilege.
Father Rick spoke of his mission to Honduras last spring and said, “One thing I could guarantee is that none of these missions will go as planned.”
He said that this then requires of the missionary a heart of peace, surrender, patience and sacrifice.
“Ask yourselves, ‘How must I die for the mission to live?’” Father Rick said.
He closed by telling the audience to pack lightly for their missions, taking with them only “openness, prayer and love.”
The afternoon session broke up students into various small groups to hear talks more specific to their mission. The Bronx, New Orleans and Steubenville missions were given a talk by graduate student and assistant to the Rev. Larry Uhlman, T.O.R., Melissa Knaggs.
Knaggs spoke to the domestic missions first about her experience on last spring’s Steubenville mission and her opportunity to minster to the people of the city.
It may be difficult for the missionaries to accept not being able to see the immediate fruits of their labor, but missionaries should remember that their labor and efforts to share Christ may change others’ eternity, Knaggs said.
She then discussed the need for Christians to be both Martha and Mary from the Gospel story in Luke 10.
“In order to be Martha, you need to be Mary,” Knaggs told the students.
She emphasized that this meant taking time with the Lord on mission; time for prayer, contemplation and rest so that one may go out and give.
The day ended with a final gathering of all the missionaries. John Paul Shoup closed the meeting with more words of inspiration of St. Therese and told the group to “pursue that littleness” which the saint embodied.
“We need to be consumed in our littleness … burned up in the flames of love,” Shoup ended. “So go, get out of here.”
The day began with 8 a.m. Mass in Christ the King Chapel, which was followed by breakfast for the teams in the Atrium of the J.C. so teams could greet, gather and commiserate on the early start to their Saturday.
At 9:30 a.m. the students filtered into the Gallery where the theme of the day, “Let us refuse him nothing,” was introduced by the student head of Missions of Peace, senior John Paul Shoup. The quote comes from the writings of St. Therese of Lisieux, the patron saint of missions, Shoup said.
Shoup explained the theme, saying that out of love Christ refused man nothing and so too should man hold nothing back from God for, as St. Therese said, “He does so want our love.”
“We’re not here because we love Christ but because he first loved us,” said Shoup.
He then introduced the first speaker of the morning, Andrea Brown, an alumna of the university. Brown, who now works for the Family Missions Company, started mission work her senior year at Franciscan University of Steubenville by going on the Mission of Peace to Mexico.
Brown said that instead of entering into her work with a humble heart, her attitude going into the mission was that she would be the best missionary. However, during her nine days on mission she realized that her call was to simply live the Gospel, Brown said.
“I just did what he told me to do, to go out, carry nothing with me, and preach the good news,” said Brown, referencing Luke 9.
She went on to emphasize that the students will come to realize just how blessed the poor they serve truly are; not because they will eventually receive in heaven what they lacked on earth, but because they “are utterly dependent on the Lord for everything.”
The next speaker from Family Missions Company was John Paul Summers, who has served all over the world, including South America, Central America, Asia and India.
Summers spoke passionately about the missionary life as not simply a sect of Christianity, but Christianity itself.
“You cannot call yourself a Christian unless you serve others,” he told the audience.
He explained that mission work is a necessity for those of the world who are starving for the Gospel and is the duty of all Christians for all of their lives.
“We don’t say ‘Christ, this is a week of my time and I give this to you … That’s baloney,” Summers stated boldly.
The next speaker for the morning was the Rev. Rick Martignetti, O.F.M.
Father Rick spoke about St. Francis as a role model for missionaries. Father Rick said that the saint understood the poor as his teachers, and that one should not go out on mission with a feeling of pity but of privilege.
Father Rick spoke of his mission to Honduras last spring and said, “One thing I could guarantee is that none of these missions will go as planned.”
He said that this then requires of the missionary a heart of peace, surrender, patience and sacrifice.
“Ask yourselves, ‘How must I die for the mission to live?’” Father Rick said.
He closed by telling the audience to pack lightly for their missions, taking with them only “openness, prayer and love.”
The afternoon session broke up students into various small groups to hear talks more specific to their mission. The Bronx, New Orleans and Steubenville missions were given a talk by graduate student and assistant to the Rev. Larry Uhlman, T.O.R., Melissa Knaggs.
Knaggs spoke to the domestic missions first about her experience on last spring’s Steubenville mission and her opportunity to minster to the people of the city.
It may be difficult for the missionaries to accept not being able to see the immediate fruits of their labor, but missionaries should remember that their labor and efforts to share Christ may change others’ eternity, Knaggs said.
She then discussed the need for Christians to be both Martha and Mary from the Gospel story in Luke 10.
“In order to be Martha, you need to be Mary,” Knaggs told the students.
She emphasized that this meant taking time with the Lord on mission; time for prayer, contemplation and rest so that one may go out and give.
The day ended with a final gathering of all the missionaries. John Paul Shoup closed the meeting with more words of inspiration of St. Therese and told the group to “pursue that littleness” which the saint embodied.
“We need to be consumed in our littleness … burned up in the flames of love,” Shoup ended. “So go, get out of here.”