Sr. Janet Malone, C.N.D.

Laity in Mission

An invitation to read the signs of the times

By Sr. Janet Malone, C.N.D.
September/October 2010

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This article is an invitation to read the signs of the times by exploring the contribution of lay missioners, working through religious congregations and mission societies, to our church and society. What follows is a composite over-view of the different aspects of the lay missioner process, including the Scarboro Lay Mission program. It is my hope that such information could be a starting point of reflection for many young people desirous of serving through the church for a period of time. As well, with the diminishment in many religious congregations/societies and few or no vocations, it could be a prophetic reading of the signs of the times to consider redirecting present “vocation” finances and personnel to initiating and/or continuing such a worthwhile and proven undertaking as the lay missioner program.

R-L: Scarboro lay missioners Mary Olenick and Susan Keays with Mr. Hsai, director of the Migrant Centre where Susan teaches, and a Buddhist monk who studies at the Centre. Mary coordinates Scarboro’s Lay Mission Office in Canada and was on visitation.

Who are lay missioners?

Lay missioners are a group of committed Christian people. They may be single women and men, couples, families with children, religious and ordained people who, inspired by the charism, vision, mission and ministry of a particular mission society or religious congregation, commit themselves to volunteer their time and talents in tandem with the host’s ministries for a contractual period of time.

The concept of lay missioners is not new. Lay missioners have been associated with mission societies, congregations of women and men religious, and other church groups for many years. For example, Scarboro Missions has had lay missioners since the 1970s, while other congregations have instituted such programs in the 1980s and 1990s. Most congregations use the term “lay missioners” when referring to this group of people. It is important to note that lay missioners are not the same as associates, affiliates, or oblates in a religious congregation or mission society.

A number of lay missioner groups have their own vision/mission statement, reflecting the vision of their host community. Some groups are an integral branch of and receive funding from the society or congregation, others are separately funded, depending on unique donors for support, while still others are supported by their home parish.

Discernment

Like any other important step in life, a person who considers becoming a lay missioner usually begins with contacting a given congregation/society whose focus on mission and ministry resonates with her/his own. The prospective lay missioner wants to be a lay partner with the organization in its ministry of social and ecological justice. This person is also open to serving in any of the local and/or international milieus where the congregation/society ministers. The lay missioner volunteers her/his full-time services for a contractual period of time, living with the host organization, sharing in its daily living and spirituality. The lay missioner may be the hands and heart of the mission community that has few or no active religious in a given mission area.

Requirements

Each lay missioner program includes the following requirements for prospective candidates:

Who: Depending on the organization, applicants could include committed Christian women and men, married couples, families with children, and religious and ordained people who, inspired by the charism, vision, mission, and ministry of a particular religious congregation or mission society, choose to offer their skills, talents, and time.

Photo by: Mike Traher, S.F.M.

Scarboro missioner Sr. Ann McDonald, csj, visits the Diocesan Women’s Centre, Mzuzu, Malawi.

Religion/spirituality: Some programs, such as at Scarboro Missions, stipulate that the lay missioner be a practicing Catholic; others speak about the person having a Christian motivation.

Age: Most programs have an age requirement of 20 to 60 years. At Scarboro Missions the minimum age is 23.

Health: The lay missioner must have good physical and psychological health.

Education/life experience: For some programs, the candidate must have a minimum post secondary education, others require a university degree or specific professional training and/or work experience.

Volunteering & financial benefits: The lay missioner volunteers her/his talents. Material benefits can include travel to and from the placement, room and board, health insurance, and at times a small stipend.

Length of service: In some lay missioner programs, the minimum period of consecutive service is one to two years and the maximum, three or more consecutive years. Scarboro Missions asks for a three-year commitment.

Placement flexibility: Although every effort is made to match the lay missioner’s placement with her/his preference, there must still be openness and flexibility to go where there is a need.

Language skills: Some require conversational knowledge of the language spoken in a given mission and/or openness to learning such skills as part of the formation program and during the mission placement. Scarboro Missions does not require prior knowledge of the mission language.

Scarboro’s Malawi mission team, religious and laity together in mission. L-R: Sr. Ann MacDonald, csj, Fr. Jim McGuire, Barb Michie, and Leslie Paraniuk

Application Process

1. The individual completes a detailed application form with specifics about age, psychological and physical health, education, skills/ talents that match the needs of the organization’s ministries.
2. The next step is an in depth interview with an admissions team, including the lay mission coordinators, to determine the suitability of the candidate. At Scarboro Missions, the final decision rests with the General Council. Some programs include psychological testing. If a person has recently gone through a traumatic event (e.g. sickness, death, divorce) she/he is asked to wait for at least one year before reapplying.
3. On acceptance, candidates enter an orientation/discernment/training program before serving in the mission. Scarboro’s lay mission preparation program is four months.

A partner in ministry

Being a lay missioner includes spiritual and material benefits for any person willing to be a partner in ministry with a religious congregation/ society. Spiritually, a lay missioner takes the opportunity for a temporary commitment in which there is a focus on serving and working with others in a cooperative partnering manner in order to help build the reign of God. Many lay missioners are changed from the inside out as they enter into the transformation of society through their unique contribution to the sacredness of all life.

For the organization, the lay missioner program is a way to continue its charism, mission, and ministry with lay partnerships. It provides an opportunity for the organization to be more open about its life, sharing it with lay people, and expanding the possibilities for those pilgrimage journeys of minds, hands, and hearts which stretch beyond our horizons of status quo comfort and security. In a quantum universe, it is a wisdom pilgrimage, joining the hearts of both religious and lay people in interdependent, mutual, and life-giving ways.

For this article, Sr. Janet Malone researched the websites of Scarboro Missions,the Maryknolls, the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Cabrinis (Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart), and the Salesians of Don Bosco, and talked with the lay mission coordinators at Maryknoll and Scarboro Missions.